Daniel 1:1–21
There is a conflict between the believer and the world. God loves all the people of the world, but in the New Testament, and especially in John’s writings, the word “world” refers to the kingdom of Satan and his rule. The devil himself is called “the prince of this world” (John 16:11; 14:30). In 1 John 5:4–5 we read of the Christian’s victory over Satan’s worldly system:
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. (1 John 5:4–5)
These verses speak of victory. But there is no victory without a battle. And this is the battle between the believer and the world, between the kingdom of God and the system of Satan. It is our faith that wins the victory over the world! And the secret of victory over the world lies in the power of our own decision (1 John 2:15–17).
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:15–17)
It depends on us whether we will love the world and worldly things or love God. The choice is ours! If we take our stand on God’s side against the pressure of the world, the Lord will help us overcome it.
There are three participants in the conflict between the believer and the world—the “world,” the believer, and God. Their actions can be seen clearly illustrated in the first chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel.
The World Puts Pressure on the Believer
Here is how Daniel and his friends came to be in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:1–7):
1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. 3 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— 4 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. 5 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. 6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. (Daniel 1:1–7)
In 605 B.C. the Babylonian empire conquered Jerusalem by the will of God (v.2). Nebuchadnezzar (605–562) carried off the leading citizens. Along with them he also took young men, whom he tried to re-educate and assimilate. In this attempt at assimilation we can see how many-sided the pressure of the world on the believer is. The world influences us through:
- the environment that surrounds us;
- worldly language and education;
- worldly customs and ways of behaving;
- its effort to limit the use of God’s name and the spread of the gospel, and to replace it with something else.
The Pressure of the Environment
According to v.4 of our text, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were “qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” They lived in the king’s palace. But this was as good as it was bad. For the palace had its own worldly way of life, and those who did not conform to it were usually thrown out of the system. Daniel and his friends can be an example to us in that they lived in the palace but did not adopt its way of life. Instead, they served God, prayed, and had fellowship with one another. This reminds us that we are in the world but not of the world. The world tries to model us according to its own views and philosophy. But we must not let the worldly way of thinking, its manners and customs, into ourselves.
The Pressure of Language and Education
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were in the palace in order to be trained in “the language and literature of the Babylonians.” They became acquainted with the sciences of the Babylonians and learned their language, but they did not embrace their religion and philosophy.
In our schools things are taught that are in conflict with the teaching of the Bible. We can study them in order to become acquainted with them, but we must not let them into our hearts and allow them to change our biblical understanding.
The Pressure of Customs
5 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. (Daniel 1:5)
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were expected to eat from the royal dishes and to drink the royal wine. But this ran contrary to their personal convictions. A large part of the food served at the king’s table included products that had first been offered in sacrifice to the Babylonian gods. To eat such food was equivalent to worshiping the idols to which it had been offered. This was forbidden by the Law of Moses. But Daniel and his friends firmly resisted the sin of eating food sacrificed to idols and chose to keep themselves pure.
This reminds us that we too must be in continual rebellion against the sin that the worldly way of life tries to impose on us.
The Pressure to Silence God’s Name
In verses 6–7 we are told that the chief official Ashpenaz gave Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah new names:
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego. (Daniel 1:6–7)
Perhaps you think this was of no great importance, but that is not so. The names of all these young Jews contained, in one way or another, the name of God. Their replacement meant replacing the name of the God of Israel with the names of Babylonian deities. And this in turn was an attempt to replace the faith of the young Jewish men as well.
| Hebrew name | Daniel | Hananiah | Mishael | Azariah |
| Meaning of the name | God is my judge | The Lord has been gracious | Who is like God | The Lord has helped |
| Babylonian name | Belteshazzar | Shadrach | Meshach | Abednego |
| Meaning of the name | May Bel protect his life | Command of Aku (the sun god) | Belonging to the goddess Sheshach | Servant of Nebo (the morning star) |
Babylon wanted to assimilate the young Hebrews, to make them “janissaries”—to strip from their names the name of the God of Israel and to put in its place the names of the Babylonian gods. In Daniel 4:8 we find confirmation of this. There King Nebuchadnezzar speaks and says:
8 Finally, Daniel came into my presence and I told him the dream. (He is called Belteshazzar, after the name of my god, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.) (Daniel 4:8)
Before he humbled himself and repented, the name of Nebuchadnezzar’s god was not the Lord, but Bel.
The world does not want to hear God’s name. It does not want to receive our witness for Christ, and it even wants to make us fall silent. But in Romans 12:1–2 we are told that we must not conform to the pressure of the world:
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1–2)
Babylon managed to change the names of Daniel and his friends, but not their hearts. It could not break their will to serve the true God. May the world be unable to grind us down either. There is a way to resist it, and that is to do what Daniel did.
The Way to Answer the World’s Pressure Is to Make a Firm Decision to Resist It
How did Daniel react to the pressure of the world to take away his faith—to the pressure of the environment, the pressure of language and education, the pressure of customs, the pressure to limit the mention of God’s name? We find the answer to this question in v.8 of our text:
8 But 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. (Daniel 1:8)
Daniel answered the pressure of the world with a heartfelt decision, and that decision was remarkable. For Daniel, God was more important than anything else. His decision was:
- A decision of the heart. Daniel “resolved in his heart.” In Proverbs 4:23 it says: 23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
- A decision founded on faith in God. Daniel decided not to defile himself. This decision reveals his faithfulness, loyalty, and devotion to the Lord.
- An uncompromising decision. Daniel could very easily have found excuses not to make this decision or not to stand by it. But he resolved to carry it out at any cost. In this respect he was uncompromising.
- A firm decision. Even though the chief official at first rejected Daniel’s request, Daniel did not give up. He was firm in his choice and found a way to carry it out. After his request was refused by the chief official, Daniel turned to the man under him—the guard directly appointed over Daniel and his companions (Daniel 1:10–13): 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” Daniel would not take “no” for an answer, and in this he can be an example to us.
- An important decision. Daniel’s decision not to defile himself with the king’s royal food won him his first victory in Babylon. This victory was especially important, because it was the very foundation for all his later victories. If Daniel had not proved faithful in the little thing, he would hardly have become the hero he later became. His decision was important because it had an exceptional influence on the whole course of his later life.
- A difficult decision. Daniel was a captive, yet he had to oppose the command of the king—this could have cost him his life. Even so, he did not abandon his choice.
- A decision of the will. Daniel was not a vegetarian. Perhaps he wanted to eat meat and to drink wine. But he used his will to hold firm in his purity. In this too he can be an example to us.
- A decision of quality. Daniel’s decision was a decision that did the job. If we want to overcome the world, we must make exactly such a heartfelt, uncompromising, firm, and willful decision.
God honors the faithfulness and dedication of the believer and gives him His grace so that he can carry out his godly decisions to the end.
We have seen the world and its pressure, the believer and his decision, and now let us look to God and His intervention. In the conflict with the world the believer is not alone. The participants in this conflict are not two, but three. And God, the Third, is on the side not of the world, but of the believer!
God Gives the Believer Everything Needed to Overcome the World (1:9–21)
God gave Daniel three things—favor, gifts, and protection. I believe He will give these same three things to those who, by their decisions, stand against the pressure of the world.
Supernatural Favor (1:9)
First, God gave Daniel favor before the chief official Ashpenaz, so that he could speak with him.
9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, (Daniel 1:9)
Then God gave him favor before the guard whom the chief official had appointed over the young Jews, and he agreed to make the test that Daniel proposed to him (Daniel 1:14–16).
14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. (Daniel 1:14–16)
This is a confirmation of Proverbs 16:7:
7 When the Lord takes pleasure in anyone’s way, he causes their enemies to make peace with them. (Proverbs 16:7)
Supernatural Gifts (1:17–20)
In verses 17–20 we read that God gave Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah not only favor before their superiors, but also a special wisdom:
17 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. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 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. (Daniel 1:17–20)
Only God can give spiritual wisdom. If we cultivate in ourselves the fruit of the Spirit, He will give us the spiritual gifts. The reverse is dangerous—that our gifts should lift us to a position that our character cannot hold, and so we fail.
If we make the right decisions and build our character, God will give us the gifts we need, so that we can have His excellence in every area of our life.
Supernatural Protection (1:21)
God gave Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah not only supernatural favor and gifts, but also a supernatural protection. This first chapter of the book ends with the words (v.21):
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus. (Daniel 1:21)
Despite the various attempts to kill them, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah always survived. God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the blazing fiery furnace. He delivered Daniel from the lions’ den. The Babylonian empire passed into history and was replaced by the Medo-Persian, but Daniel went on living. He survived the entire seventy-year Babylonian captivity and lived to see the day when the Persian king Cyrus issued a decree that the Israelites should return to their homeland and rebuild the temple of God (Ezra 1:1–4).
In 1 John 2:17 it says:
17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. (1 John 2:17)
From the second part of the chapter it is clearly seen that if we take our stand on the Lord’s side against the pressure of the world, then with God’s help we will be able to overcome it.
Let Us Make a Decision Like Daniel’s!
Sometimes our faith can become inconvenient. It can bring us trouble. For example, if our boss makes us lie in order to keep our job. Or when the boys at school start telling dirty jokes while we are there too. Or when the cashier at the store gives us back more money than she should. In all these cases our faith may turn out to be inconvenient. But the way we react in such situations determines the quality of our relationship with God.
Our culture will swallow anyone who is not strongly committed to a different outlook. The world would assimilate us if we are not deeply devoted to God and to our faith. Therefore, let us decide:
- Not to conform to this world;
- Not to love the world, nor anything that is in the world;
- To be “blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,’ who shine among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15).
Let us make the right and godly decisions and hold our positions to the end! Then God will give us grace, and we will be overcomers of the world.