Living With Purpose

It all happened so fast. Before the boy realized what was going on, he had been ripped out of his home. His family could not stop the soldiers from taking him. He had been chosen as one of the prime suspects to be taken to Babylon to stand before the king. With tears in his ears, the boy watches as his family disappears into the distance. He will never see them again. He will never see his homeland of Judah again. This boy was Daniel.

The year was 605 BC, and Nebuchadnezzar had just besieged Jerusalem after defeating Egypt at Carchemish. He was the most powerful man in the world. No nation could withstand his might. He chose to not completely destroy Judah. Instead he gave them a warning. He burned the Temple to the ground. He took thousands of captives, including the king. He set up a puppet king who would answer to his will. He left Jerusalem in pieces, and he did not care. It was as if God Himself had forsaken His people.

Daniel had been specially chosen, along with other young men, to forever live in Babylon and to serve the king. It was a great honor, but for Daniel and the others, it was a terrifying change for their young lives. They were of royal blood (v. 3), but now they would serve a foreign king, and never have the chance to sit on the throne of Judah.

But Daniel and the others were not just chosen because of their bloodline. Look at verse 4. They were handsome and intelligent young men. Nebuchadnezzar’s plan for them was simple: v. 4b. In other words, these Hebrew young men would be brainwashed to serve the gods of the Babylonians. Their intelligence would be used for the furtherance of Babylon. Their old lifestyles and religion would be a thing of the past, and they would embrace a new way of life in Babylon.

The Bible does not record how many young men there were. Perhaps there were only a dozen or so. But we do know of four young men. Along with Daniel there was Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Perhaps these four had long been friends, or perhaps Daniel met them for the first time as they headed off toward Babylon. Whatever the case, they had a common thread: their faith in Jehovah God.

Upon arrival to this new land, the prince of the eunuchs gives new names to all the young Hebrews. Notice the meaning of their original names:

—Daniel: God is my Judge

—Hananiah: Jehovah has favored

—Mishael: who belongs to God

—Azariah: Jehovah has helped

These names were changed to (respectively) Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. All of these are connected with Babylonian gods. The new names conveyed new identities for the young men. Their old self was dead and buried, and now they were living new lives in Babylon. But while the Babylonians could change their names, they could not change their hearts. They would soon find out that Daniel and his friends were untouchable, for they had great resolve for the God who gave meaning to their Hebrew names.

1. THE PURPOSE

The young Hebrews are brought into a room and seated at a table with delicious meat and wine. It must have been a feast! However, Daniel knew that this meat had been first offered to the gods of the Babylonians. Many times the animal was offered as a “victim” to the god. After the sacrifice, the meat was then used in banquets and feasts. To partake of such meat would be to sanction idolatry (see Ex. 34:15). Daniel could have ignored this fact given the circumstances, but his conscience would not allow it.

This was a defining moment for Daniel—v. 8a. Possibly Daniel knew that this moment was coming, and he had already made up his mind that he would not participate. But instead of outright refusing, he humbly requested for an alternative.

Application: Daniel was possibly as young as 12 years old! Teens, you are not too young to take a stand for the Lord.

v. 9—This is important. Just as Joseph had favor with the jailor (Gen. 39:21), so Daniel had favor with the prince of the eunuchs. When you have integrity, God sees to it that you will find favor with those around you, even in difficult circumstances.

Daniel was living for a higher purpose. Character was more important to him than comfort. Pleasing God was more important to him than pleasing the king. Leonard Ravenhill points out, “[God] is not concerned about our happiness but about our holiness. In other words, God is concerned that we wear character.” It does not matter where you are living; character is all-important. Instead of losing his purpose, Daniel embraced it. His purpose was simple: live for God. And in order to do that, Daniel could not allow himself to partake of the king’s meat. He would be defiled.