Day 2

Scripture to Read: Daniel 1:3–5

Daniel was called upon to take a stand for God at age 15. In Daniel 1:3–7, we read how Daniel and others were chosen by Nebuchadnezzar to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans and the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to groom these young men to get on his side and then use them to convince the rest of the population of Judah to go along with Nebuchadnezzar. This is why Nebuchadnezzar came in three waves. First, he captured the best and the brightest, who showed the most promise and were the most articulate. He wanted to alter their worldview through an intense educational program, and once they were on his side, he’d use them to lead the rest of Judah to follow their example. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t want them studying the Torah or the Pentateuch. He wanted them to learn their literature, methodology, system, and religion. He tried to make them more tolerant of alternative lifestyles or worldviews so that he could use them as a propaganda tool. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to indoctrinate those Hebrew youths with a distorted view of history. Sounds like our society today. We have students being taught that the Bible is irrelevant, it’s not really God’s Word, it has mistakes in it, it can’t be trusted, and many other lies. Our students are also being taught that alternative lifestyles are normal and that people are born that way. Again, Daniel and his friends were about 15 years old when all of this started for them. They had to have a firm foundation in their walk with God to overcome.

Challenge & Application

• How does Nebuchadnezzar’s plan compare with what you see from our world’s system today? • What type of foundation would a 15-year-old need to be able to take a stand against a worldly system?

Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!

Devotionals from this week

Swipe to Discover More

Day 1

God has much to teach us in the Book of Daniel. We first read in Daniel 1:1–2, "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of ...
Read

Day 2

Daniel was called upon to take a stand for God at age 15. In Daniel 1:3–7, we read how Daniel and others were chosen by Nebuchadnezzar to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans and the Babylonians. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to groom these young men to get on his side and then use them to convince the rest of the population of Judah t...
Read

Day 3

We need to take a closer look at Daniel 1:6–7. The names of these young men meant something. Daniel meant, “God is my Judge.” Hananiah meant, “Yahweh is gracious.” Mishael meant, “who is like God.” Azariah meant, “Yahweh has helped.” We know Daniel and his three friends came from Godly Jewish homes because their names reflected something in the...
Read

Day 4

In Daniel 1:8, we read how Daniel, by the strength God gave Him (Ephesians 6:10–12), took a stand against the food and drink he and his friends were supposed to eat and drink. The reason eating Nebuchadnezzar’s diet would be defiling towards God is found in Exodus 34:15: “otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and t...
Read

Day 5

In Daniel 1:11–13, we read that Daniel did not back down from the commander's resistance but offered the commander a time to test Daniel’s idea on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We must remember that every time we pursue God and His will, there will be resistance. The devil hates it when we pursue God and seek to obey Him, so he is goin...
Read

Day 6

God has a perfect plan for each one of us. He’s made it clear throughout His Word that as we obey Him and His Word, we’ll see His abundant favor upon our lives (Psalm 1:1–2, Matthew 7:24–29, Luke 6:47–49, Luke 11:28, John 13:17). That does not mean our lives are free from tests and trials, for even here in Daniel 1 we see the test that Daniel an...
Read

Day 7

After training for three years (Daniel 1:5), Nebuchadnezzar inspected all the youth to see if they were suitable for serving in his court. God did a mighty work in and through Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah because they chose to abide in Him and His Word. These four young men, at 15 years of age, chose not to compromise. They chose to...

Read