That the gods of Babylon are to be served, we see clearly reflected in the names the boys are given:
Daniel: My judge is God > Belteshazzar: Bel protects his life
Hananiah: The Lord is gracious > Shadrach: Servant of Marduk
Mishael: Who is like God! > Meshach: Who is Agu?
Azariah: The Lord is the Helper > Abednego: Servant of Nebo.
Bel, Marduk, Agu and Nebo all represent Babylonian gods.
Nebuchadnezzar regards these Israelite boys as fully incorporated into Babylon and acts as if they are not part of the Lord’s people. In his battle against the church, which has existed for multiple generations, the devil continually uses the device of encouraging God’s people to break with the Lord, the God of their ancestors. He suggests that service to the Lord and living according to the will of Christ is old-fashioned and outdated. It does not fit with the existing culture. It does not count in the modern world. It does not blend with society. If we want to achieve something in our time and intend to carry some weight, we simply have to break with that old (even if newly discovered) faith. We just have to move with the times.
It is this temptation that these boys of about fourteen years of age encounter, and this while they find themselves in a foreign country, far from home. When these boys do not do what is expected of them, it may mean big trouble for them with drastic consequences. When they do not go with the flow of the times, it may cost them a lot of sympathy and money, and may even be at the cost of their position and lives.
6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.