Episode 62 - The Daniel Series: Names That Stick And Names That Save

In this episode, we reflect on Daniel 1:3–7, where Daniel and his friends are renamed by Babylon, illustrating how labels—though promising clarity—often steal identity, a pattern still seen today as culture assigns us names tied to our seasons or struggles. We explore how empires and cultures reshape people through new language, diets, and identities, contrasting this with the Hebrew names God gives that ground us in His grace and help amid hardship. Through candid reflections on labels like single, divorced, or lonely, we offer practical steps to reclaim our true identity: discovering the meaning of our names, recognizing “king’s tables” that pull us from trust, and replacing those influences with Scripture, prayer, and life-giving community.

This conversation brings hope and strength for those navigating illness, grief, or change, encouraging us to embrace the names God gives over limiting labels and find steady identity amid pressure.

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Transcript

Welcome And Show Format

Reading Daniel 1:3–7

Why The Enemy Targets The Best

SPEAKER_02 0:02

How many times do we let the enemy put a label on us? And it may be like an innoculous label too, but it's something that seems to define us: single, divorced, barren, depressed, um, lonely. Well, hi, good listener. My name is Cheryl, and you are listening to Healing Strongs Around the Word. We are a group of friends that love God's Word and we love learning from it and talking about it. So each day you're gonna hear me reading a Bible passage. And then right after that, you're gonna hear us discuss it. And I hope that you feel like you're sitting at the table and learning something too. Today we're gonna be studying Daniel chapter 1, verses 3 through 7 from the NIV version of the Bible. So join us around the Word. Daniel chapter 1, verses 3 through 7. Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king's service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility. Young men, without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king's table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that, they were to enter the king's service. Among those who were chosen were some from Judah. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names. To Daniel, the name Beltashazzar, to Hananiah, Shadrach, to Meshael, Meshach, and to Azariah, Abednego. That was today's scripture. But before we jump back in, I want to share a little about what Healing Strong is all about, especially for those who might be new to the podcast. Healing Strong isn't just a nonprofit. We're a caring, supportive community that encourages people facing cancer and other serious illnesses. We come alongside each other, offer hope, practical help, and faith-filled encouragement every step of the way. Here's an encouraging note from Elaine, one of our Healing Strong participants. She said, Thank you, Healing Strong organization, for making this information available for free. I thank God for using you in a mighty way. All right, now let's get back to the table and around the word. This is one of my favorite chapters, all because of identity and names. What did you see, Marin, first of all, whenever we started this chapter?

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Well, first of all, they were from royalty. All these men, they were chosen, they were from royal descent. I didn't know that. I didn't realize that until we just read through the verses again. And they were good looking, handsome, they were um very smart, wise, wise for their um and so here we have teenagers from the royal family who are being chosen.

SPEAKER_02 3:19

Yeah, why do you think what do you think the purpose was with them bringing in the best of the best? From an enemy point of view, why do you think you would do that? Because look what they're doing. They're trying to train them up in the ways of the enemy, their language, uh, their art, their literature, their their culture, everything. What does it look like they're trying to do from these people, though?

SPEAKER_01 3:42

It's because the cream of the crop has a big target on their head. So the enemy wants the best that God has. So sometimes we see people in our lives, fa family and friends, who you think, why are they suffering like this or why are they going through this? It may it may be the same reason. They're cream of the crop, they're God's children that have devoted their lives um in service, yet they're the ones with the enemy target. So um we I guess he wants to see if can these kids rise to the challenge?

True Names Versus Given Labels

SPEAKER_02 4:16

What do you see about the uh the names? We've got uh Daniel. Daniel is his Jewish name. What does Daniel's name mean? It means my judge is God. Oh, that's that's that's a Bible lesson all in itself. Then we've got Hananiah. Who was Hananiah? Means God has been gracious. So weird that a couple, the three of the guys that we follow a lot in the story, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, um, those are their Babylonian-given names. That's not their real names that God gave them. Uh, their real names were Hananiah, Meshael, and Azariah. So I I don't even have an answer for why we've always stayed with their Babylonian names, but it's neat to see what they actually mean in Hebrew. So Shadrach, again, say what his name really meant. God has been gracious. Okay. And what is Meshach, who is um um Meshail, who is like God. Who is like God, and then Azariah is Abednego? God has helped.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

So let's throw those all together as a My Judge is God. God has been gracious, who is like God, God has helped.

Resisting The King’s Table

Personal Struggle With Labels

SPEAKER_02 5:30

What I see here is God names you. Don't allow the enemy to name you. That's but how many times do we let the enemy put a label on us? And it may be like an innocuous label too, but it's something that seems to define us: single, divorced, um, barren, uh, what else? What are some names? Depressed, um, lonely. Um, but the the enemy likes to put labels on us. Have us eat, look that at his table. It's saying they were given daily food and wine from the king's table. He's he's giving you the best of the best, putting it out there and saying, eat from my table. I'm gonna call you a new name, and I'm gonna make you what I want to make you. And um we'll see that that doesn't that doesn't go very well. That doesn't go very well. This label thing really hits home with me, if you couldn't tell. I have really struggled with that in the past, um, and still do at times, with labels. And it's usually what other people put on or society puts on you, and you agree with it. And the enemy, like I was talking earlier, the enemy loves to do that, and we agree with it. That's the terrible thing. And uh God doesn't see us that way. That's the funny thing. And I love the whole the the whole switch up where we actually he see when God names you how he sees you versus how the enemy sees you. It's just it's night and day different. So hey, here's homework for you. Find out what your name means. Uh, I think mine, Cheryl, means beloved, which is really cool. Um, but go see what your name means and just do that as a little bit of homework. And also think too about anything that you are agreeing with as a label and then talk to God about it. See if he gave you that label or did somebody else. And that is your homework for the day. Thank you so much for joining us for this episode of Healing Strong's Around the Word. I hope you will take the time to go check out our website, healingstrong.org, where you can find out more about our amazing organization and our community groups. Until next time, remember faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.