Being Faithful

 

    Daniel was faithful in a time when God's people felt like they had nothing.  They were vulnerable.  They probably believed that God had turned His back on them forever, but He was still there.  Daniel chose to be faithful when there was no exterior reason to be faithful.  In this book you see the rewards for that kind of faith.

    Babylon had taken treasures from God's house when they took over God's nation.  King Nebuchadnezzar was a perfectionist.  He wanted all the Israelite men that appeared perfect (handsome without physical flaw) and intelligent to serve in his palace.  He had them come from noble families only.  He liked to see beautiful things and did not tolerate imperfection.

    The handsome Israelite men were trained for three years in the life of luxury by eunuchs.  They were also renamed to have Babylonian names.  Among the men were Daniel (originally Belteshazzar), Hananiah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego).  

    When it came to the changes that the Babylonians wanted the Israelite men to make, these men did as they were asked until it came to a point where it would defile them.  Daniel refused to eat the royal food.  God appreciated this and gave him kindness and compassion with the officials that were in charge of their training.  Ashpenaz was worried that they would look unhealthy and the king would kill them.  Daniel came up with a test: 10 days Daniel and his three friends would only eat vegetables and water.  At the end of the 10 days he would be compared to the men that ate the royal food. 

    When the 10 days was over Daniel and his friends won in appearance.  They looked healthier than the other men.  The guard just thought it would be a safe test that would get them to eat, but in reality it was a test from God on faithfulness.  God rewarded them with exceptional intelligence and understanding to navigate these dangerous times.  They used what God gave them and no one was their equal in anything that they did.  Daniel was gifted in understanding dreams which would come in handy real soon.  

Daniel 1