Daniel 1 - 02.05.26
SCRIPTURE :Daniel 1:3-8a NIV
“Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service 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.
The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.
Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official gave them new names…
But Daniel—
OBSERVATION
Judah was under the rule of an evil king, and the people of Israel as a whole had turned away from God. Despite repeated warnings from many prophets, the nation refused to listen. Eventually, judgment arrived: the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon.
This fulfilled a prophecy spoken by Isaiah more than a century earlier.
King Hezekiah had foolishly displayed the treasures of the Palace and the Temple to the Babylonian envoys who had come to congratulate him on his miraculous recovery.
Isaiah 39:5-7
“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah,
“Hear the word of the Lord Almighty: The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood who will be born to you, will be taken away, and they will become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.””
A young teenage Daniel and his three friends (descendants of Hezekiah) are part of that fulfillment and now find themselves in a foreign country.
Isolated—Taken captive—away from everyone and everything they know.
Brainwashing begins immediately as they enter the King’s “University of Babylon”. A program to indoctrinate the new recruits into every important aspect of Babylonian Life; Language, Religion, History, Philosophy, Astrology—and Customs. AND— as potential candidates for serving in the King’s Court—these captives were given special food delicacies and wine from the King’s very own Table.
APPLICATION
But Daniel—
I cannot imagine what it would be like to be ripped away from your parents as a teenager and taken captive to a foreign country—where EVERYTHING is strange and different. The language, foods, sights, smells, customs—
These particular young teenage boys must have had genuinely godly parents. We know their Hebrew names. And—we know when the testing came—they endured and were able to stand strong for God.
Daniel had been given the name— Elohim is my Judge.
Hananiah had been given the name—Yahweh is gracious
Mishael had been given the name—Who is like Elohim
Azariah had been given the name—Yahweh helps
Imagine being given the name—Daniel—The Supreme Powerful Creator—is my Judge. That is a name that carries some responsibility.
Although these young men were also given Babylonian names that honor Babylonian gods, these four never lost sight of what had been impregnated deep into their hearts and minds from birth.
They KNEW their identity in the ONE True God.
Being held prisoner in a foreign land required a unique blend of wisdom and obedience to the authorities. God gave Daniel and his friends both wisdom and favor, enabling them to stand firm in a place that was anything but welcoming.
Watching how these young teenage boys navigated horrific, life‑threatening challenges—yet maintained courageous and pure hearts before God—is an important and deeply relevant study. Their example shows what steadfast faith looks like under pressure.
We live in a society today that is not unlike Babylon: a culture eager to lure our kids with its own “fine delicacies” and intoxicating “wines,” offering comforts and temptations that seek to quietly pull hearts away from God.
So how and why did these four stand strong through the storm?
Prayer
Daniel and his friends prayed. Prayer wasn’t just an important daily item on a list. It was an—ESSENTIAL. (Daniel 6:10-11 records that Daniel prayed faithfully three times a day in addition to other times where he prayed specifically for special requests)
Fasting
Daniel fasted by God’s special favor to avoid defiling himself with the food and wine from the King’s table. God granted Daniel and his friends a healthy body during this fasting to demonstrate they did not suffer by eating only vegetables and water while others were eating all the best food from the King’s Table.
Daniel also mourned and fasted for 21-days (Daniel 10:2-3):Seeking God.
BUT Daniel—determined Early—that although he was now living “in” Babylon he would not be “of” Babylon. His Heart would always be “of” God’s.
Romans 12:2 Paraphrased
Don't let the world ("Babylon") around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God re-mold your minds from within, so that you may prove by how you live("making up your mind") that God’s Plan for you is good—meets all His demands and moves towards the goal of true spiritual maturity."
Throughout the Word of God, there are a few others who showed uncompromising hearts when it came to unwavering Faith in their convictions to serve God even in the midst of challenges.
Caleb "... wholly followed the Lord God" (Joshua 14:14).
Joshua “..As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)
Paul said: "... this one thing I do" (Philippians 3:13).
Mary of Bethany - “…Only one thing is needed” (Luke 10:38-42)
God may Sovereignly SEND you into a difficult situation or place—To SPREAD His Name among the Nations. He did this with Daniel and his three friends. God also did it with His Church shortly after the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Even in the midst of the most challenging situations like a country that can seem divided—God’s Love is More Powerful than any other force!
“Every word of God —proves true.”
(Proverbs 30:5 ESV)
“Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If a man offered for love all the wealth of his house, he would be utterly despised.”
(Song of Solomon 8:7 ESV)
PRAYER
Dearest LORD Jesus,
Help me to be like Daniel. Deeply move in my heart to implant Your Presence SO Deep there is no question BUT…to determine my heart will always be Yours.
Your Love is a Force that Changes everything..the hardest hearts melt under Your Love. Teach me More and More what it looks like to Follow YOU with abandon. And Share Your Love Story.
Here I am Lord. Send me.
Amen
- Tina L Kudelka
2 Corinthians 2 - 2.4.26
Scripture
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Observation
There is a lot packed into this one verse. God always leads us. He leads us in triumph. He diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge everywhere through us.
Right before this verse, Paul describes his recent journey. He went to Troas, and he discovered that God had opened a door for him. But he was distressed because he expected to meet Titus, and he didn’t. Then he went to Macedonia. However, it was God who led him, and he thanks God for leading him in triumph.
God has promised to direct our steps. When we trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on our own understanding, and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6).
When he leads us, he leads us in triumph. We might face hardship and difficulties along the way, yet we are more than conquerors through him who loved us (Rom 8:37). Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:57).
He diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge through us everywhere we go. When we spend time with God and walk with Him, the perfume of his knowledge is imparted on us. Wherever we go, people can sense the scent of God on us. In the book of Esther, we see that Esther went through extensive long-term beauty treatments before she was presented to the king. This included six months of perfumes and six months of oil and myrrh (Esther 2:12). Because of this, wherever Esther went, she exuded a beautiful fragrance. Similarly when we spend time with God and walk with Him, we absorb His presence into our life, and we exude fragrance of the knowledge of God wherever we go.
Application
This verse assures us that God leads us in triumph and releases the fragrance of His presence through us. Let us trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and not lean on our own understanding. Let us acknowledge Him in all our ways, so that He can direct our paths (Prov 3:5-6). Let us cultivate the habit of spending time with God in prayer and reading His word, and walk in obedience and his presence, so that we absorb the fragrance of His knowledge, carrying that fragrance on us wherever we go.
Prayer
Dear Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for leading my paths and directing my steps. Thank you because I am more than a conqueror through You, who loved me (Rom 8:37). I want to carry the fragrance of your knowledge and your presence wherever I go. Teach me how to spend time with you so that the fragrance of your knowledge is absorbed in me. Help me to live in obedience pleasing you. Make my life a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to You (Rom 12:1). In Jesus’s name. Amen.
- Asha Chacko George
2 Corinthians 1:3-7
SCRIPTURE: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.” NIV
OBSERVATION: Paul allowed his trials and afflictions to be opportunities for him to be able to encourage and comfort others who were also suffering. At one point in his life, Paul had been completely overwhelmed and despaired of life as he and his fellow missionaries had faced an angry mob. What he thought was going to lead to a terrible death, God ended up miraculously delivering them! Paul’s theology regarding physical and emotional pain played a major role in how he responded to difficult situations, and he purposely shared with the Corinthian church what he went through AND how God had comforted him during his challenging and scary trials.
APPLICATION: I have not had to experience an angry mob coming against me like Paul did, but I have faced many challenging and scary situations. I can honestly say that for each and every trial that I have gone through, they have helped shape me by learning what a good and gracious God I serve!
One trial in particular that I faced was when I was forced to give life support to someone who was in code blue. When I couldn’t imagine life becoming more stressful, God came and brought life back into that person! Another trial was when I was on the other end of the phone talking to a person who had become hopeless and had decided it would be best to commit suicide. God rushed in and gave me words of hope to speak life which ended up miraculously changing that person’s mind! There was another trial that my husband and I faced. We received a call in the middle of the night telling us that our oldest son had been in a terrible motorcycle accident. We were told that he would probably not be alive when we arrived at the hospital! Thirty-two years later, we are able to look back and see how God not only spared our son’s life, but has helped him to be an over-comer, even while living with paralysis! And last year after rushing to my 93 year old dad’s side after he had suffered from a brain bleed due to a roll-over car accident, we are able to see how our gracious Miracle working God showed up and brought healing back into him! Through each and every one of those challenging trials, I was able to experience God’s merciful hand and get to see how He brought comfort into our lives!
PRAYER: Merciful God of comfort, You are so faithful to prove Your love to us when we are going through challenging times and struggles, and how blessed we are to be able to come out knowing what a good and faithful God You are as we experience the personalized provisions You give to us as we cry out to You. AND because we have experienced Your comfort while going through our trials, we are now able to comfort those who are going through their trials! I pray as I have learned to put my trust in You that I will be faithful to minister Your love to those who are going through any kind of trial or affliction, and I thank You that I am able to do this through the comfort which I have received from You.
- Robin Orefice