Day 209 – Daniel & his Friends Obey God

• Daniel! Good old Daniel, we all know about him, don’t we? Over the next week and a half, we’re going to get to know him, and his friends, and his (and our!) faithful God, a whole load more. I hope that as we work steadily through these famous verses, we’ll build on the history of we’ve read this year to give new context and understanding.
• Today’s reading is based before the exile we read about a few days ago. It’s actually set immediately after Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Jerusalem which we read about earlier. The book of Daniel covers about 70 years of his life.
• Daniel and his friends have been taken from Judah to Babylon. How did they find their way to the palace? What was going to happen to them?
• What was Daniel’s concern? Do you think that Daniel would have been tempted to eat the good food and wine? Why was it wrong? Use your study bible, if you have one, to find out why the food would “defile” Daniel and his friends.
• How does the 1 Corinthians verse link to this situation?
• What is Daniel’s plan, and how does he convince the guard? Does the plan work out? Think for a moment about what events of the story are a result of Daniel’s faith in God, and what events of the story are by God’s power.
• Why do you think Daniel didn’t want to consume the food and wine, but was willing to learn the non-biblical teaching that he received?
• How do Daniel and his friends get on as students? What does verse 17 say about the source of their success?
• These verses show that God is at work even after the exile. What does this say about God’s long-term plans, His continuing love, and His faithfulness to the covenant He made with the Hebrew nation?
• As you read Daniel, think about this. Daniel 1, and then chapter 7 onward were written in Hebrew, the language of the God’s chosen people. The other chapters were written in Aramaic, the common language of the nations around. The language Daniel writes in can help us understand who the message is for. Why do you think that Daniel chapter 1 was written in Hebrew?

Daniel was about 16 years old when he went to the palace. It would have been worlds apart from what he knew. Imagine you were taken to serve in a a palace in North Korea! Even at his young age and his scary surroundings, he resolved to followed God in his actions. Daniel is a good role model in that regard. Nevertheless, be careful not to think of him as the hero of this story. The hero is most definitely God. Keep that firmly in mind!