Read the Word:
Daniel 1:1-21
Meditate on the Word:
Daniel and his three friends were set up to have a good life in Jerusalem. They were young men of the class of the nobility. They would have had authority and prestige. Then, God caused the unthinkable to happen. After much warning, He allowed Jerusalem to fall into the hands of the Babylonians. Yet, God had plans for these four young men. They would still serve in a king’s court, but it would be a brutal, foreign king. They would face completely different challenges, but they excelled in them.
Two things must be noticed about Daniel and his friends. The first is that they determined not to defile themselves. The king’s food would have been the best in the land, but certainly would have included things that Israel was not allowed under the Mosaic law. To be clear, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not the only ones taken to Babylon to be trained in the king’s school. They are the four who decided to obey God’s law. Others who were captured seem to have just eaten what was given to them.
The second thing that must be noted about these four is that “God gave these four young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom.” This wisdom was likely a reward for their continued faithfulness to Him. This wisdom earned them favor with the earthly king that they served. It must be noted that they served both God and government, but when the two were in conflict, they always served God first. We must do the same.
Pray the Word:
Ask our Lord to grant you wisdom today for whatever situation you face.
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