“In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” (Dan 1:20) The land of Judah has been ransacked. The Jewish king, Jehoiakim, has fallen, and is taken captive into the land of Babylon. The temple is destroyed, and all of the sacred temple furnishings are taken to Babylonia, where they are carried off to the temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s god and put in the god’s treasure house. But that wasn’t enough. Nebuchadnezzar wanted more of Judah. So he commanded the chief of his court officials, Ashpenaz, “to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.” (Dan. 1:3,4)
Daniel and his three friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (AKA: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) were among the ones “lucky” enough to be selected, and off to Babylon they were forced to march, where they were then required to learn all about the wisdom of the Babylonians. This, in and of itself, must have been quite difficult for God-fearing Hebrew boys. But to make matters worse, the king decided that the decision of what these boys ate should also be in his hands. He “assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table.” (Dan. 1:5). I am sure there were more then four Hebrew boys selected for this “honor”, but the Bible only tells us about Daniel and his three friends. Why? Because Daniel and his friends were the only Hebrew boys who refused to eat the food and wine from the king’s table! The Bible tells us that: “Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.” (Dan 1:8) Now, why would Daniel do that? There are many speculations. It is probably safe to say that this food had been offered to idols, which would have been reason enough for Daniel and his friends to not want to touch it. Besides, the food on the king’s table was probably not exactly kosher! Perhaps there were other reasons too, but whatever the reason, Daniel and his friends chose to remain true to the Judaic dietary laws. This decision, of course, caused some problems, but many prayers later, the boys were allowed a ten-day trial of nothing but vegetables and water, at the end of which time, “they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.” (Dan 1:15-16). As a result, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were allowed to eat only vegetables and water for the duration of their three-year education. They were then tested by Nebuchadnezzar himself, and “in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom“ (Dan 1:20), and there were “none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah” (Dan. 1:19)!
Why? What was it that made Daniel and his three friends so much wiser than their classmates? How come Daniel and his friends were even found to be wiser than all the wise men of Babylon? Was it a result of eating a healthy diet? Well, certainly this wouldn’t have hurt them, but I would be hesitant to say that diet alone could render four boys ten times better than all the wisest men of Babylon! What was it, then, that made the difference? Dan. 1:17 gives us the answer: “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” It was the hand of God that made the difference, my friends! What God touches will be blessed! But why was God’s hand on Daniel and his friends, and not on the other Hebrew captives? Because Daniel remained true to God’s laws! Would you like to increase your blessings by 1000%? Then why not try Daniel’s plan? Follow God’s plan for your lives. Obey His laws. That’s what they are there for! When you obey God, you are opening up the door for God to bless you beyond measure!
“He found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” (Dan 1:20) Love in Christ,
Lyn
Lyn Chaffart, Moderator, The Nugget, Scriptural Nuggets ( www.scripturalnuggets.org ), Answers2Prayer Ministries, www.Answers2Prayer.org