Part 12 (2/2)
Thus Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, through the miraculous interposition of that Jehovah they loved, and whose law they honored, were elevated to be the chief personages in the Chaldean empire.
CHAPTER XVII.
YEARS pa.s.sed by, and uninterrupted success attended the reign of the king of Babylon. The aggrandizement of the city was without a parallel in history. It appeared to have become the leading pa.s.sion of the monarch's mind. The reader may have a faint idea of the glory of the city when he remembers that it was a regular square, forty-five miles in compa.s.s, enclosed by a wall two hundred feet high, and fifty broad, in which there were one hundred gates of bra.s.s. Its princ.i.p.al ornaments were the Temple of Belus, and the famous ”hanging gardens.”
The Temple of Belus was most remarkable for a prodigious tower that stood in the midst of it. According to Herodotus, it was a square, of a furlong on each side--that is, half a mile in the whole compa.s.s; and according to Strabo, it was a furlong in height. It consisted of eight towers, built one above the other; and because it decreased gradually towards the top, Strabo calls the whole a pyramid. It is not only a.s.serted, but proved, that this tower far exceeded the greatest of the pyramids of Egypt in height.
The ascent to the top was by stairs round the outside. Over the whole, on the top of the tower, was an observatory, by means of which the Babylonians became more expert in astronomy than any other nation, and made, in a short time, the great progress in it ascribed to them in history.
In addition to these magnificent works, the public buildings of Babylon were counted by thousands, and its splendid mansions by tens of thousands.
The four Hebrews still continued in power, and more than retained their former excellence. Daniel was highly esteemed by the king for his great wisdom and skill in the affairs of government; but the impressions of the superiority of Jehovah, made upon the monarch's mind at the interpretation of the dream, had well-nigh been obliterated. Pride rebelled against the thought of the future overthrow of the empire; and fain would he have persuaded himself that uneasiness brought about by a troublesome dream was unworthy of him.
The three brothers, in their spheres, performed their duties with a degree of perfection and exact.i.tude that greatly pleased the king; and for this, more than on account of their genuine excellence, were they regarded by him in a favorable light. Those pleasing qualities so apparent in the earlier history of the king were fast disappearing, to give way to pride, vanity, peevishness, and even cruelty.
The bold and impetuous declaration of the king, in regard to the sovereignty of the G.o.d of Israel, and the peculiar circ.u.mstances under which the poor Hebrews were promoted, were far from being forgotten by the Babylonians. There was a deep and abiding dissatisfaction in the minds of thousands in the realm, not so much on account of the elevation of the Hebrews, as on account of the conviction that the sovereign was not a sincere wors.h.i.+per of the G.o.ds of the empire. The king, by occasional remarks from his n.o.bles, had noticed more than once that there was something in their language that indicated a lack of confidence in his fidelity to the G.o.ds. Nebuchadnezzar, notwithstanding his increasing vanity, was far from being indifferent to the estimation in which he was held by his subjects. He knew that his safety was based on the confidence and friends.h.i.+p of his people, and he was determined, if by his former professions he had unwisely magnified the G.o.d of Daniel, and thereby lost the confidence of his Chaldean subjects, to give them unmistakable proof that he still was a wors.h.i.+per at the shrine of Belus.
Summoning Belrazi, one of his most trusted officers, to his side, the king said:
”From the nature of thy position, thou art called to mingle in very numerous circles, and no man at the palace is better qualified than thou to judge of the feelings of the subjects toward their king. Come, now, be frank and plain with thy sovereign, and tell me how I stand in the estimation of my n.o.bles.”
”O king, live for ever!” replied the officer, highly delighted with this unusual mark of the king's confidence. ”Thou livest in the warm affections of thy n.o.bles, and in the pure regard of all thy numerous subjects. Thou art the peculiarly favored of the G.o.ds. All the nations of the earth fear thee, and pay their homage at thy feet.”
”True. But art thou not aware that on one point my subjects are not as fully satisfied with their king as they might be? Behold, I have placed unusual confidence in my servant, and in return the king requireth equal sincerity.”
”As thy soul liveth, O king, I shall hide nothing from thee. In mingling with thy n.o.bles, I find that, without distinction, they are abundantly loyal. In a very few instances I have heard language that indicated that my lord the king was favorably inclined toward the G.o.d of the Hebrews, and less ardent in his devotion to the G.o.ds of Chaldea. But in this, has not my lord the king the perfect right to do as seemeth good in his sight?”
”The King of Babylon can do as seemeth good in his sight; and it shall seem good in his sight, not many days hence, to give abundant proof that the G.o.ds of Chaldea are the G.o.ds of the king. I am well satisfied with thy words. Let this interview, and others of the same nature which we may have, remain a secret. Thou mayest now leave, and to-morrow at the third hour be punctual to meet me again at this apartment.”
The dignitary retired, and the king was left alone in his apartment.
”My suspicions were well founded! And, indeed, have they had no cause?
Well, I was then young, and without experience. But was not the recovery of that dream a wonderful thing? Will anyone dare deny that? Had the G.o.d of Belteshazzar nothing to do with it? Again my thoughts are on the G.o.d of Israel! 'Tis hard to banish it from my mind! The interpretation was natural, and perfectly consistent. But I swear by the G.o.ds, that it shall not come to pa.s.s! I will establish my empire on such a sure foundation that it shall not be in the power of mortals to shake it. Are not the nations at my command? Are not my armies stationed on every sh.o.r.e? Is not Babylon the terror of kings? Ah! where is the power that can compete with Chaldea? My n.o.bles are jealous of my fidelity to the G.o.ds. Yea, truly, and have I not given them reason?
”This must go no further. If I have some lingering fears of the G.o.d of Belteshazzar, it must not be made manifest. In this I must regain the full confidence of the nation. Are they jealous of the four Hebrews? In this I fear them not. They are worth more to my empire than any chosen score of their fellow-officers. And of the wisdom of my wise men--is not more than one half of it centered in Belteshazzar? If they are envious of these young men, let it not be known to the king, or by the powers of Belus I will let them feel my vengeance!
”But for the king to be suspected of being a believer in their G.o.d is of a more serious nature. What measure shall I resort to in order to satisfy the mind of the nation? Deny the insinuation in a proclamation? Shall the King of Babylon ever stoop to this? Never! Something more consistent with royal dignity than this must be found. An image? Yea! That will do, O king! Thou hast well thought. An image of Bel. What? 'With the head of gold, the breast and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bra.s.s, the legs of iron, the feet of iron and clay?' Nay! The image of Bel which I shall set up for public wors.h.i.+p, shall be all of gold. Why otherwise? My wealth is inexhaustible. Who, after such a display, would ever suspect the King of Babylon of adhering to the G.o.d of the Hebrews? This, then, is my purpose. I shall build a great image of Bel, made of pure gold, and set it up in some favorable spot, and appoint a day for its public dedication.”
The next morning, at the appointed hour, Belrazi was punctual to meet the king at his apartment. The monarch, well pleased with his scheme of the image, manifested a pleasant countenance.
”Thou art punctual, Belrazi. The king is well pleased to meet thee. Thy frank sincerity yesterday was an additional proof of thy worth. I have seen fit, since we parted, to bestow some thought on the subject on which we conversed. It is of the utmost importance to the well-being and security of the empire that the people have unbounded confidence in their king in all things--in matters of religion as well as in matters of state.
Now, in order to expel all doubts from the minds of my n.o.bles in regard to my fidelity to the G.o.ds of my fathers, I have thought of a measure which, I trust, must prove successful. It is this: Let an image of our G.o.d Bel be made of gold. Let it be of large dimensions, and far superior to any image heretofore seen in any country. Let it be set up in some favorable spot; and on the day of its dedication, let all who hold office under the government, be commanded, by a royal decree, to appear on the spot, and, at the appointed hour, fall down and wors.h.i.+p it; and let the penalty of disobedience be death. Let those who dare set at naught the will of the king be taken and thrown into the burning fiery furnace. What thinkest Belrazi of this?”
”O king, live forever! Thy goodness is unbounded. Thy design is dictated by that wisdom that cometh from the G.o.ds. The measure shall be hailed throughout the empire with shouts of rejoicing, and the day of its dedication will be a day of days in the future history of Chaldea.”
”Let no time be lost, then,” replied the king. ”Let my head goldsmith be called, and from the lips of the king let him receive instructions in regard to the making of the image. This is my desire. Let the measure be known but to a few, until the proclamation shall go forth.”
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