BY DAWN REED
When we began studying Daniel last week in youth Sunday School, I thought, “This will be great for teenagers.” To be truthful, it’s good for kids who are six, 16 and 60-plus. There are many truths to unpack from this familiar book of the Bible, no matter your age.
Countless young men being ripped from their homes and taken to a pagan land is a scary start to the true story. Upon their arrival, the captives’ names were changed. We learn specifics of four. No longer honoring the God of Israel, their new names now reflected the gods of Babylon. Daniel became Belteshazzar; Hananiah was changed to Shadrach; Mishael to Meshach; and Azariah to Abednego. They began studying the language and literature of Babylon. After three years, they would be ready for the king’s service.
Daniel and countless other fine specimens of physical and mental perfection were far from home. Immediately he and his friends were tempted by things they knew were not good for them. No one would know what they did.
But Daniel would have known. In Daniel 1:8, we learn that he had resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine. He had pre-determined what he would and would not do, whether anyone back home was watching or not.
We don’t ever read about Daniel’s upbringing. We don’t know if a mother and father or grandparents raised him, but someone taught him about the One True and Living God.
It’s a reminder of the instructions written in Deuteronomy 6:6-7 to impress a love for God and His Word upon your children when you sit, when you walk, when you lie down and when you get up. Somebody had been doing all that to the four boys.
When Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were snatched from Jerusalem, all they took with them was what they had been taught. And miraculously, it was enough.
In a faraway, ungodly place, faced with threats and temptation, they leaned on the Lord even when the others did not.
I’m impressed with how Daniel spoke to the chief official’s guard. He kept his head and used his words wisely, courteously expressing his convictions and objection. The pressure was on. Tensions were surely high, yet Daniel spoke calmly. He began his request with the word “Please.”
Many verses instruct us to be careful with our words, but Daniel’s situation is described perfectly in Proverbs 13:3: “The one who guards his mouth preserves his life; the one who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.” If he hadn’t guarded his mouth, the Book of Daniel would have been the shortest one ever.
The LORD blessed the faith of this small crew in the harsh land of Babylon. When doing the right thing would have been so difficult and the wrong thing so easy, they put their faith in the God of Israel. And this is only the first chapter!
I wonder if these stories will be new to some of our youth. Will their hearts be stirred as we learn? I pray so! There is much to learn as we follow Daniel and his friends as they follow God in a scary place.