Daniel 1
The soldiers of Babylon who first attacked Jerusalem, took the sons of the king and princes captives and brought them to Babylon. These Jewish boys had been taught many useful things, and the king of Babylon wanted them to learn his language, which was Chaldean, so they could explain their knowledge to his men. He told one of his officers to choose the most pleasing and healthy of these captives, and give them special food and wine as he himself had, and after three years of good care and training, to bring them to him.
So the officer chose the best of the young men, or boys, to train them for the king, and ordered the best food and wine served to them. We might think they would be most happy to have such fine food. But there was one boy, named Daniel, who believed they would dishonor God if they ate this food; he had been taught the rules which God had given to his nation by Moses, that some kinds of meat were not to be eaten by them, and he knew the law about wine for those who wished to serve God (Lev. 11; Num. 6:2,32Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the Lord: 3He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. (Numbers 6:2‑3)). So Daniel asked the officer in charge that he and three other boys could have “pulse” (vegetable foods), and water instead of the king’s rich foods and wine.
At first the officer was afraid to let them have such food, fearing they would he thin and pale, and the king would he angry at him, but Daniel asked him to try them with the plain food for ten days, then to compare them with those who had eaten the king’s food. The officer liked Daniel very much, and granted his request to be served only the vegetables and water for ten days.
At the end of the ten days, Daniel, and the three boys with him, looked better than the boys who had eaten the king’s meat and wine, and so afterward they were served the food they wished, all the time. The boys with Daniel were named Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; the offer gave them all Chaldean names; to Daniel he gave the name of a heathen god, Belteshazzar.
When the time came to appear before the king, the officer took the captive boys to him. He asked them questions and found that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were the wisest of all, and that they were wiser than any magicians and astrologers in his land. God had given them “knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom.”
We are told of very wonderful things God showed, and did for these four young men after this. We are not told their ages when they were brought to. Babylon, but perhaps they were not more than twelve or fifteen years old, for Daniel lived until the rule of Cyrus, who was the king that allowed the people to return to Jerusalem after seventy years of captivity.
When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He spoke of the words written by Daniel, so we may be sure his book is all true.
Perhaps the most important thing for us to remember about Daniel is that “he purposed in his heart” to do the things God had told in the scriptures, and he had courage to respectfully ask the heathen officer to let him do as was right for him.
There are things now which we may do that will dishonor God. When we are afraid to refuse, let us have courage to obey God, as Daniel did, and the Lord will help us.
ML 06/21/1942