Summary of Daniel 1:8-21
Daniel did not want to defile himself by eating the royal food and wine. He asked the chief official who showed Daniel favor (thanks to God) to just feed him and his friends vegetables and water to see if their health suffered. Their health did not suffer.
God gave all the knowledge to Daniel and his three friends. Daniel could understand visions and dreams. They entered the king of Babylon’s service, and they were better than all of the king’s magicians and enchanters.
Daniel stayed in the king’s service until the first year of King Cyrus.
BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 3, Day 3: Daniel 1:8-21
Conclusions BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 3, Day 3: Daniel 1:8-21
Great example set by Daniel of how you can compromise around society when society’s rules are asking you to break God’s commands.
End Notes BSF Study Questions Exile & Return: A Time to Build Lesson 3, Day 3: Daniel 1:8-21
Some may say that the food was a little thing. However, making compromises on God’s “little things” will eventually lead to compromising God’s big things. We have to stay true to ALL of God’s words and commands, not just some of them or those we deem little.
Note that the first sin was the eating of forbidden fruit. Daniel probably had Adam and Eve in mind with his decision here.
The food and drink offered by the Babylonians most likely did not follow the Old Testament rules of the food they could eat. It could have been food that had been sacrificed to the Babylonian gods.
Daniel took a risk here by defying the Babylonian king’s orders. He could have faced death because of this decision.
Note how Daniel rebelled: he rebelled with respect. He offered a compromise that took into consideration the royal official.
Because of their loyalty to God, He blessed them.
We can still be faithful to God despite our circumstances.
END NOTES SUMMARIZED
Daniel 1:8-21 narrates the first crucial test of faith in response to the assimilation program detailed in the opening verses. This passage demonstrates a powerful theme of principled resistance and divine vindication.
- The Resolve: The conflict begins with Daniel’s personal resolution (“he resolved in his heart”) not to defile himself with the king’s rich food and wine. This act is the first pushback against the empire’s attempt to erase his covenant identity. Importantly, his resistance is characterized by wisdom and tact; he respectfully requests an exemption and proposes a test rather than making a defiant scene.
- The Intervention: The narrative repeatedly emphasizes God’s hidden hand. It is “God [who] gave Daniel favor” with the official (v. 9) and later “God [who] gave them learning and skill” (v. 17). Daniel’s success is not attributed to his own charm or intellect but to God’s active intervention on behalf of those who honor Him.
- The Result: Daniel’s faithfulness is publicly vindicated in two ways. First, after a ten-day test on a simple diet of vegetables and water, he and his friends appear healthier than those eating the king’s luxurious food. Second, at the end of their three-year education, they are examined by King Nebuchadnezzar himself and found to be “ten times better” than all the wise men in his kingdom. This proves that faithfulness to God is not a hindrance to excelling in a secular world, but is in fact the source of superior wisdom and health.
The passage concludes with the statement that Daniel “was there until the first year of King Cyrus,” a powerful note of hope signifying that his faithfulness allowed him to endure and outlast the entire Babylonian empire, living to see the dawn of its dissolution.
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7. b. God moved with an unseen hand to change the heart of this Babylonian official. The strong moral conviction of these four young men made an impact. God promises to be with his people in times of trial and temptation