Day 4

Scripture to Read: Daniel 1:8–10

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 they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods, and someone might invite you to eat of his sacrifice.” A Jew would never eat food sacrificed to idols because it contradicted what God decreed. Daniel knew the foods they were offered had been sacrificed to the idols of the Babylonians. Daniel made his decision, and we read in Daniel 1:9, "God granted Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the commander of the officials." God loves to bless and work through sanctified vessels and sanctified lives (2 Timothy 2:21). We must crucify our fleshly desires daily so that we are usable tools for our Master. Daniel made a hard decision, and this was a hard decision for the commander too, for we read his response to Daniel in Daniel 1:10, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink; for why should he see your faces looking more haggard than the youths who are your own age? Then you would make me forfeit my head to the king.” Daniel stepped out in faith as a 15-year-old and had to trust what God had spoken through His Word.

Challenge & Application

• How did Daniel know he was not to eat the food offered to him, what was his decision about it, and why was this a huge decision? • What does Daniel's decision reveal about him, knowing he was just 15 years old?

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