43a Daniel’s Faithfulness in Babylon [Daniel 1]

The Bible passage: [Daniel 1]

The Story:

When King Nebuchadnezzar took many of the people of Judah to Babylon in exile, he ordered that his officials bring some of the Hebrews from the royal family and from the nobility – healthy, good-looking young men, suitable for training, and capable of serving in the king’s palace.

The king assigned them food and wine from the royal kitchen. They were to be trained for three years, and then to serve in the king’s court.

Among them were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Daniel decided that he would not defile himself with the king’s food and wine. He asked permission from the chief official not to defile himself by eating and drinking what was not approved diet for the Jewish people.

God had made sure that the chief official looked on Daniel with favor and compassion, but he said to Daniel, “The king assigned your food and drink. I’m afraid of what would happen if he saw your faces looking weaker than those of the other young men your age. My life would be in danger.

Daniel suggested, “Let myself, with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, be tested for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance to the young men who are eating the king’s food, and deal with us based on what you see.”

He agreed with this idea and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days, they looked better and healthier than all of the young men who were eating the king’s food.

The official continued to remove the food and the wine provided by the king’s kitchen and gave them vegetables and water instead.

God gave these four young men great knowledge and understanding in literature and wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams.

At the end of the training time that the king had assigned, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.

The king interviewed them. Not one of the other young men was found to be equal to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, so they began to serve in the king’s court.

In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them to be ten times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in the entire kingdom.

Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

The Lessons:

• The four Jewish men chose to obey God rather than the earthly authority over them. God blessed them for their obedience.

Previous: 42 Judah is Taken into Exile in Babylon [2 Kings 24-25]

Next: 43b The Fiery Furnace [Daniel 3]

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