The Early Tests
Immediately after the boys arrived in Babylon, it was clear that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would face many temptations and negative influences.
Read Daniel 1:4. Where does the first potential attack on their faith occur? Why could it be so deadly?
It is all too true that what we read, what we are exposed to, cannot help influencing our thoughts. Perhaps for the first time in their lives, these young men were exposed to literature that espoused values and beliefs opposed to what they had been taught. In Babylonian literature they were confronted with astrology, false gods, and myths of various descriptions. The battle for their minds, and hence their souls, had begun (see Phil. 4:8).
And their bodies as well, which, as modern science has aptly shown, is linked intimately with our minds.
Read Daniel 1:8. What key word there shows why Daniel and his friends (see vss. 12-14) did not want to partake of the king's food?
The key word is defile, which in Hebrew means just that, to "pollute, defile." Thus, for these young men, the issue was not just healthful living or a mere preference. It was a moral issue.
What kind of excuses could they have made to themselves to justify eating the food?
From the beginning of their time in Babylon, the four young men resolved to stand for principle, no matter what the cost. It set the pattern for the rest of their time in Babylon, where more than once they were tested for their faith. Through their faithfulness, they bore a strong witness to the God of heaven.
| It is a human tendency to make excuses for bad choices or wrong behavior. In what areas of your life do you rationalize what you do? What steps can you take to deal with this spiritually dangerous tendency? |
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