Daniel 1:7 says, “Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.”
Daniel’s Hebrew name means “God is my Judge.” It was a constant reminder of Who he served and Who would ultimately hold him accountable. But in Babylon, the prince of the eunuchs gave him a new name, Belteshazzar, meaning “Bel protect his life.” Bel, or Marduk, was the false god of Babylon. This wasn’t just a simple name change, it was an attempt to erase Daniel’s identity and tie him to a god he did not serve.
What is remarkable is that Daniel never calls himself by his Babylonian name in the book that bears his name. Others may have used it, but he did not. He quietly refused to let Babylon define him.
The same is true for us in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” When we are saved, God makes us new. The world may remember who we were, but God has put away the old life and sees us as His new creation in Christ.
We cannot let the world decide who we are. God has forgotten the sins of our past. In His eyes, we are not the person we once were. We belong to Him, and only His name for us matters.
