Day 3

Scripture to Read: Daniel 1:6–7

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 character of God. They came from families who obeyed Deuteronomy 6:6–7, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." Nebuchadnezzar didn’t want them to have Hebrew names, so he gave them Babylonian names. Daniel was changed to Belteshazzar, Hananiah was changed to Shadrach, Mishael was changed to Meshach, and Azariah was changed to Abed-nego. Belteshazzar means “protect the king.” Shadrach means “I am fearful of God”—not fearful in a respectful way but in a negative way. Meshach means “I am of little account.” Abed-nego means “servant of Nebo.” Nebo was part of the Babylonian pantheon. Nebuchadnezzar wanted these young men as servants, not of Yahweh, but of the Babylonian pantheon. Satan used Nebuchadnezzar to try to get these four to think and act like Babylonians. God tells us in Romans 12:2, Ephesians 6:17, Ephesians 4:23, and Philippians 4:8 how our minds must focus on Him and His Word. Our minds must be renewed through His Truth, for nothing’s stronger.

Challenge & Application

• What did we learn about the four young men and their families, and why is this important for us today? • How are we to keep our minds protected from the infiltration of all the lies of this world?

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

Devotionals from this week

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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 ...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...

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