The chapter begins with “the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” and the former became a vassal to the latter. Daniel and his three friends were among the hostages taken to Babylon in this first phase of the exile. They were from the royal family and nobility and together with other young men, they were trained to serve in the king’s palace. It was apparently the policy of the Babylonians to ‘assimilate’ these able young men to serve the king and thus ensure that the nations subdued by them remain under their control and influence. The young men had their names changed; they were trained in the language and literature of the Babylonians and the king even assigned them a daily supply of his food and wine for three years of training to prepare them to serve him in his palace.
What is prominent in this chapter was Daniel’s resolve not to defile himself with the food and wine of the king. Together with his three friends, Daniel wisely persuaded the guard of the official appointed over them to test them for ten days with vegetable and water and to see the result. The end result was that they were healthier than those fed on the royal food and wine and they impressed the king subsequently with their wisdom and understanding when they were presented to him.
What is striking is that although Daniel was just a youth, he was determined not to defile himself. It was an expression of loyalty and faithfulness to God and a resolve to be ‘holy’ for God, even at this tender age. Daniel was familiar with God’s instructions to keep the ‘food law’ and not to be defiled by food probably offered to idols. It was a stand that could have got him and his friends into trouble but Daniel also demonstrated prudence and wisdom in handling this situation. We must remember that they were exiled into a foreign land, away from their families and loved ones; they could not worship God in the temple in Jerusalem and perhaps, many of those exiled in this first phase must have been wondering how was it that their God could not protect them from the Babylonians and they had to leave everything behind and adapt to a new culture and be immersed in a foreign and ‘hostile’ environment. Despite all these, it was remarkable for these young men to exhibit such faith and confidence in their God. Notice that it was written that God delivered king Jehoiakim into the hand of the king of Babylon and it was God who gave wisdom and understanding to these young men, demonstrating vividly the sovereignty of God in all these events. It was actually God who was orchestrating everything to manifest His sovereignty and glory; it was not a case of ‘misfortune’ affecting Daniel and his three friends but God preparing them to be spearheading His purposes in a hostile environment. From the young men’s point of view, it could have resulted in despondency, discouragement and disillusionment; for many of us, such ‘negative’ development and happenings in our lives often cause us to descend into such a state, accompanied by complaints, grumbling and self-pity – not so for Daniel and his three young friends!
Daniel was also influenced positively by the life of king Josiah and the ministry of prophet Jeremiah. King Josiah’s reign saw the re-discovery of the Book of the Law, the repair of the temple and the institution of the great national Passover. Jeremiah’s steadfast ministry in the midst of great opposition must have had made an impact on Daniel. In all likelihood, Daniel knew from Jeremiah’s ministry that God would be punishing His people by using Babylon and in the subsequent chapter in Daniel, we saw Daniel praying for the return of the exile after 70 years in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy. This illustrates to us the importance of making a positive influence and impact on the lives of young individuals by our own witness and testimony. The lives of king Josiah and prophet Jeremiah must have taught Daniel to be bold and courageous for God’s sake and Daniel’s faithfulness in keeping God’s instructions was ‘built’ and consolidated over his young days. We may not realise that some young “Daniels” are observing our lives and service before God and we may be influencing them for ‘good’ or for ‘bad’ development in their subsequent lives.
We need to learn from Daniel and his three friends to view life from God’s point of view and to learn well from God and Godly individuals even from a young age. We also need to learn to look to God for wisdom and prudence in varying circumstances as well as to be courageous and loyal to God despite the ‘hostile’ circumstances affecting us in life.