Read Daniel 1 – The Lord gave, now God, God gave, and God gave… The Lord’s hand over Daniel’s circumstances is shown throughout this chapter (:2,9,17).
Daniel begins with a time stamp to show us when and where in history these things occurred, commentaries show this to be 605 b.c. and this is substantiated by many secular writings as well (:1). Now, the Babylonians are bad guys, yet because of the way the God’s chosen people were straying from Him, God gave them victory and they besieged Judah. The Babylonians took the people and sacred objects from the Temple of God back to Babylon. Hang on to that detail…. it comes up later.
The king specifically ordered his chief of staff to bring some of the young, strong, healthy, educated and good-looking men from Judah’s royal family and other noble families back as captives. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were four of the chosen young men. They were assigned rations of the king’s food and given new Babylonian names as part of their indoctrination into Babylonian service.
Now while all these things are happening and stripping these young men of control, Daniel resolved not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them, and instead asks for only vegetables and water. And even though vs :9 tells us God had given the chief of staff favor for Daniel, he could not grant Daniel’s request because it would cost him his life if they became pale and weaker than the others. Daniel negotiated a ten-day trial, and they were notably healthier and better nourished at the end than the other men, so they were allowed their dietary request.
“God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.” :17
Do you see how God met these men in their obedience? The obstacles were enormous, yet God remained with them. Do you ever feel like everything around you is overwhelming with corruption and sin? May Daniel’s incorruptible faith be a shining example for you, as you determine your life to be fit for the royal service to the King above all kings, Jesus.
Judy in the Sky 