14 day plan

A Child Shall Lead Them

Day 10 of 14

CEV

Daniel 1:17

17God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.

Reflection: Daniel and godly recklessness      Further reading Daniel 1:1-21 

“In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.” Daniel 1:20

Throughout history, children and young people have been instrumental in launching social movements against injustice.  With youth, comes a clarity about right and wrong that can become muddied as we age.

Daniel, growing up under a foreign and oppressive regime but having found favour with those in power, had every opportunity to choose a ‘safe’ path for his own life. He could have ‘towed the party line’, kept a low profile and lived his life in comfort. But even as a young man, Daniel chose faithfulness to God’s commands.

The king was looking for recruits from the Israelites to become disciples of Babylon. Daniel could have sidled up to power and gained personal wealth and fame. But he chose the God of Israel. And God was faithful. To Daniel and his friends God gave supernatural wisdom and knowledge so that they stood out to the king above their peers.

We know, if we read on in Daniel’s story, that this is not the last time he required courage to stand up for what he believed. And it’s not the last time God showed himself faithful.  Daniel aligned himself with God’s kingdom even when it stood in opposition to the kingdom of this world.

Daniel’s story assures all of us that when we speak out on behalf of the oppressed and marginalised, we are aligning ourselves with God’s values of peace, and justice for all.

Question:  How did Daniel stay faithful to God’s commands, and not yield to the unjust laws of the lands?

Prayer:  God of history, we look to you in the face of global injustice and oppression. We thank you for courageous young people who choose to stay faithful to your kingdom values. Help us stand alongside them and pursue your justice for all. Amen.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.

Days

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14

Daniel 1:1-21

Daniel and His Friends

1 In the third year that Jehoiakim was king of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia attacked Jerusalem. 2 The Lord let Nebuchadnezzar capture Jehoiakim and take away some of the things used in God's temple. And when the king returned to Babylonia, he put these things in the temple of his own god.

3One day the king ordered Ashpenaz, his highest palace official, to choose some young men from the royal family of Judah and from other leading Jewish families. 4The king said, “They must be healthy, handsome, smart, wise, educated, and fit to serve in the royal palace. Teach them how to speak and write our language 5and give them the same food and wine that I am served. Train them for three years, and then they can become court officials.”

6Four of the young Jews chosen were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, all from the tribe of Judah. 7But the king's chief official gave them Babylonian names: Daniel became Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego.

8Daniel made up his mind to eat and drink only what God had approved for his people to eat. And he asked the king's chief official for permission not to eat the food and wine served in the royal palace. 9God had made the official friendly and kind to Daniel. 10But the man still told him, “The king has decided what you must eat and drink. And I am afraid he will kill me, if you eat something else and end up looking worse than the other young men.”

11The king's official had put a guard in charge of Daniel and his three friends. So Daniel said to the guard, 12“For the next ten days, let us have only vegetables and water at mealtime. 13When the ten days are up, compare how we look with the other young men, and decide what to do with us.” 14The guard agreed to do what Daniel had asked.

15Ten days later, Daniel and his friends looked healthier and better than the young men who had been served food from the royal palace. 16After this, the guard let them eat vegetables instead of the rich food and wine.

17God made the four young men smart and wise. They read a lot of books and became well educated. Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions.

18At the end of the three-year period set by King Nebuchadnezzar, his chief palace official brought all the young men to him. 19The king interviewed them and discovered that none of the others were as outstanding as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they were given positions in the royal court. 20From then on, whenever the king asked for advice, he found their wisdom was ten times better than that of any of his other advisors and magicians. 21Daniel served there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.