July 15, 2002
LifeWay Family Bible Series for July 28
God blesses sacrifice that he commissions
___Daniel 1:1-15
___By Barbara Kent
___University Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___Despite the reforms implemented by Josiah, the destiny of Judah was sealed in just a few short years after his death. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem and took Jehoiakim, king of Judah, captive along with treasures from the temple. The treasures were transferred to the temple of Nebuchadnezzar's god in Babylon (v. 2).
___To the casual observer, the God of Jerusalem had been defeated. However, note that Scripture says the Lord delivered Jehoiakim and the treasures of the temple into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (v. 2).
___One Old Testament scholar observed that "to be in the hand of Nebuchadnezzar is not to be out of the control of God." The temple articles were stored safely in Babylon, testimony that God was still in control and still at work. Surely the presence of these treasures offered comfort and encouragement to those taken captive and transported to Babylon. Anything that reminded them of home must have helped their spirits.
___Choosing the best for the king's service
___Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief of court, Ashpenaz, to choose young men from the royal family and the nobility of the Israelites to be trained for service in his palace (v. 3). These young men were to be the brightest and the best. They were to be physically without defect, handsome and intellectually capable of learning and understanding the language and literature of Babylon (v. 4). The king even determined they would be served food and drink from his own table. After a training period of three years, they would enter the king's service (v. 5).
___Four of those chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official's first act was to change their names from Hebrew names to Babylonian names. Daniel became Belteshazzar. Hananiah became Shadrach. Mishael's name was changed to Meshach and Azariah's to Abednego. If they were to serve in the king's palace, they must be transformed into Babylonians.
___Determination in the face of temptation
___Daniel had no intention of contaminating himself with the rich food and wine the king provided. There is little to determine what made the food contaminating. Perhaps it was simply that it was Babylonian food. It may have been that the Israelite food laws were strict and Daniel and the other young men simply wanted to maintain their distinctiveness in contrast to others. The Babylonian food would have been considered unclean by Jewish practices.
___Daniel asked permission not to eat the Babylonian court food. The guard expressed concern that he would get into trouble if he granted the request. He was concerned they would look worse than those who ate the king's food (v. 10).
___Daniel made a bargain with the guard assigned to himself and his three countrymen. He asked they be fed nothing but vegetables and water for 10 days. At the end of the period, the guard could compare their appearance to those who ate the royal food (vv. 12-13). The guard agreed to the test.
___Passing the test
___At the end of the 10-day period, the four young Hebrews proved to be healthier than those who had eaten royal food. Scripture does not explain how this happened. It may be that God intervened, but we are not told.
___Because they were healthier after the test period, they were allowed to continue to eat vegetables and drink water instead of the food and wine from the king's table. Again, our Old Testament scholar comments, "It is possible to be faithful in a pagan court."
___God blesses the four Hebrews
___To the four young Hebrews faithful to their beliefs and heritage, God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning (v. 17). To Daniel, God added the extra blessing of being able to understand visions and dreams of all kinds. This would prove to be of significance in future days (Daniel 2-7).
___When the three years of training ended for the young captives, they were presented to Nebuchadnezzar. He interviewed the group and found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (v. 19). They proved themselves superior to all the magicians and enchanters in Nebuchadnezzar's entire kingdom (v. 20). God did not spare them from service in the king's court, but he enabled them to stay true to their faith.
___A challenge for us
___Most of us never will be taken captive by a foreign power. We probably will not be tested as severely as were the four young Hebrews. However, the challenge for us is to be as faithful to the Lord in whatever circumstances we do face as they were in theirs. As we are, we can have the assurance that as we do so, God will be with us and will bless us in whatever way he deems appropriate. We can have the assurance that he is in control of all things, regardless of how it looks to us at the moment.
___Questions for discussion
___
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