Last time we talked about how Daniel and his three friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego remained faithful to the Lord despite how they were strongly tempted to compromise. He was determined to stay faithful to the Lord no matter how much pressure was put upon him.
So, in the very beginning of his stay in the king's Palace, Daniel took a stand that could have led to his execution or at the very least, enslavement or imprisonment.
Tonight, we take a look at Daniel 1: 8-21. We ended our last study by saying that the king provided all the Royal food and drink to Daniel and his friends. But Daniel made a decision not to defile himself with food and wine from the king's table. READ Daniel 1: 8-10.
This wasn't just a trivial matter for Daniel. Scripture at that time declared some food was unclean. Plus, God's word warned against partaking of strong drink. That's why the Jews usually added somewhere between 3 - 6 parts of water to one part of wine. Plus, on top of all of this, the King's food and wine had most likely been sacrificed to false gods before it was served.
When Daniel and his three friends had to choose between obeying God's word and compromising with the world, they chose to obey God's word. They were determined to be faithful to the lord.
So, Daniel approaches Ashpenaz, Nebuchadnezzar's Chief official, and requested permission to eat other foods that would not defile him. Daniel had already gained the favor of the chief official. Scripture actually says that the Lord caused Ashpenaz to respect and show favor to Daniel.
But in this particular case, the official was reluctant to Grant Daniel's request for three reasons.
1. The king had ordered this very food and drink to be given to the Young students.
2. Daniel and his three friends might become pale and look sickly if they ate only a vegetable diet.
3. The king would then execute Ashpenaz for disobeying the royal command.
Although Daniel's request was denied by the chief officer, Daniel (verse 11) discussed the matter with Melzar, a guard who had been placed over him and his three friends. READ v. 11.
Daniel's request was for a 10-day trial test (versus 11-13) READ. He pleaded with the guard to allow them to eat nothing but vegetables and to drink nothing but water (verse 12). Then the guard could compare their appearance to those who ate the king's rich food (verse 13). If their appearance was healthy, Daniel requested that they be allowed to continue the diet of vegetables and water.
The request for a 10-day test was accepted by the guard (verses 14 – 16). READ. Surprisingly at the end of the 10 days, the four friends looked healthier and better nourished than the other young students. So, the official granted Daniel's request for a permanent diet of vegetables and water.
Daniel and his friends faithfulness was richly rewarded by God (verses 17-21). READ God gave the four young students a special intellectual ability. As they studied, they were given special understanding and knowledge. And Daniel himself was given the ability to understand visions and dreams, which will be demonstrated time and again throughout the coming chapters of the book.
It's interesting to note that Daniel's education in Babylonian literature, astrology, and sorcery was of no help when he was called upon to interpret dreams. To the contrary, all the education of Babylon improved worthless in the understanding of dreams. God himself gave Daniel insight into the dreams and revealed their explanation to him. We will see that later in chapters 2 through 4.
When the 3 years of training ended, the graduating students were brought before the king himself READ verses 18-19. Nebuchadnezzar interviewed all the graduates, apparently giving them oral exams. Daniel and his three friends proved far superior to the other brilliant students.
In fact, Nebuchadnezzar considered their answers 10 times better than all the other Royal advisors in his kingdom. He was so impressed with Daniel's answers and of those of his three friends that he immediately assigned them to leadership positions in his government.
Note the reference to the king's consulting magicians and astrologers or enchanters in verse 20. READ. Magicians can refer either to an engraver or writer or a diviner, astrologer, or one who actually uses magic. So, the magicians were educated men who used a pen or stylus to record and preserve the Royal records of Babylon. This includes both political and religious records. Sometimes they were considered diviners, people who used written charts or magical designs of the Stars to interpret dreams and questions asked of them.
Enchanters or astrologers refer to those who use incantations to communicate with the spirit world or the dead. The lord gave Daniel the gift of a long life and a royal service in Babylon and Persia.
As pointed out earlier, Daniel was exiled as a young boy to Babylon in 605 B.C., probably when he was approximately 14 to 16 years of age. He served as a high-ranking official in both Babylon and Persia until the first year of King Cyrus's reign. (539 B.C.). Assuming he graduated from Nebuchadnezzar's Royal academy in the year 601 BC, he was a high-ranking official serving foreign governments for about 65 years. So, Daniel lived to be over 80 years old; a wonderful gift from the Lord. It should be noted that he was still living in the third year of King Cyrus's reign as noted in chapter 10:1.
That's as far as we will go tonight in Scripture. But what an example Daniel is for us. Think how often we are tempted to compromise our commitment to the Lord. Each of us needs to think through the following questions.
• How often has the culture around us enticed to commit some sin?
• How often have the luxuries of the world tempted us to disobey God?
• How often have we allowed our desire for position power and fame to consume us?
• How often have we put achieving our personal ambition before serving God?
Every day we face the temptation to compromise our commitment to the Lord.
So, I will close tonight with letting the Scripture speak for itself.
Matthew 10:22. - You will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
1Corinthians 15:58. - Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Galatians 5:1. - For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm, then, and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Galatians 6:9. - Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.
