Day 5

Scripture to Read: Daniel 1:11–16

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 going to try and stop us (Ephesians 6:12). What we read next (in Daniel 1:14) reveals God’s abundant favor being on Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, for God’s Word says, "So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days." When we have God’s favor on us, God moves on the lives of those around us to trust us. The commander trusted these 15-year-old young men because God’s favor was on them. We also see the results of God’s work in Daniel 1:15–16, "At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables." God blessed Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s obedience to Him and His Word in Exodus 34:15. God tells us the same thing in James 1:25, "But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does." God’s favor is on those who obey Him.

Challenge & Application

• Why was the commander willing to listen to a 15-year-old young man even with his life on the line? • How do we know we have God’s favor, and how do we maintain God’s favor?

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