Life in Christ Bible Church

Systematic, expository study of God’s Word

Called and Chosen to be Trained for the King’s Service

Daniel 1:3-8

The book of Daniel opens with the great tragedy of the fall of Judah, the southern kingdom. There had been a great decline morally and spiritually. The Lord had sent Isaiah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah and many other prophets to warn them of the consequence of personal and national backsliding but they refused to return to God. The threatened judgment became imminent and eventually, Nebuchadnezzar, God’s instrument of vengeance came against Judah, besieged Jerusalem, fought against it, defeated and deported many of them to Babylon. While Jehoiakim was king on the throne of Judah, he did much evil and influenced Judah to sin greatly against God (2 Kings 23:34,36,37; Jeremiah 22:15-19; 36:20-31; Daniel 1:1,2). Because of the great disobedience, there was a great destruction, a great devastation, a great deportation.

Thousands of Jews had been carried from Judah to a foreign land, that is, to Babylon, to be subjugated to the power of a heathen government. Among those carried away into captivity were Daniel, Hananiah (Shadrach) Mishael (Meshach) and Azariah (Abednego). In fulfilment of prophecy, Nebuchadnezzar decided to bring some of the captives from the royal family to serve in his palace, but first, they would be trained and well equipped for the king’s service. During the siege and battle against Judah, Nebuchadnezzar had observed the resilience, endurance, ability, natural endowments of some of the Jews and he desired to take advantage of the gifts in these captives under his control. He knew, as we ought to know, that great men are often found in the most unlikely places. Among the Israelites who were mostly farmers with flocks and fields, he found choice young men of intellect and nobility.

1. THE CONDITION FOR SELECTION AND TRAINING FOR THE KING’S SERVICE

Daniel 1:3,4; Isaiah 39:5-7; 2 Samuel 14:25;Proverbs 31:30; Genesis 41:38-40; Psalm 105:17-22;1 Corinthians 2:5-8;

1 Corinthians 3:18-21; Proverbs 19:2; 1 Timothy 6:20,21;

Proverbs 22:29; Daniel 1:17-19.

The king’s plan was to have men of ability and nobility, men of knowledge and wisdom, men of talent and training, men of foresight and focus around him. His strategy was to search for young men who could be trained to serve and work for his interests rather than the interests of their homeland. They were to be young men with superior natural endowments, men of fine figure and stature, young men of noble and royal birth. These would be taught over a period of three years and the successful ones would stand before the king and serve in his palace. Their training included emasculation (to become eunuchs) education and examination. The physical, intellectual, social and natural skills which they already possessed were to be improved and developed. The Babylonian teaching was also to make them forget their roots. They planned to so brainwash them that they would forget the God of their fathers, learn the Chaldean language and their ‘science’ of astrology and live in the tradition and culture of ancient Babylon. Their curriculum was designed to swerve them from faithful commitment to the only true and living God and induce or seduce them to follow the false gods and profane policies and practices of Babylon.

To achieve his goal and fulfil his purpose, the king offered them free education and furnished them full support. Nebuchadnezzar could not make the Jews forget their God, their religion or their land.

“By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down...” They that carried us away captive required of us a song.... How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning ...” (Psalm 137:1-6). The story of Daniel and his three friends proves that Babylon did not succeed in their plan.

2. THE CRITERIA FOR SELECTION AND TRUST IN OUR KING’S SERVICE

Daniel 1:3,4; Isaiah 33:22; 55:8,9; 1 Samuel 16:7; Ephesians 5:27; 2 Timothy 2:19-21; 1 Corinthians 4:1,2; 1 Thessalonians 2:4-10;

2 Corinthians 4:1,2; 6:1-4; Philippians 2:15,16; Malachi 3:3-6.

Babylon had its king, we have our King, too. The king of Babylon had his service for which he chose and trained some captives. Our King has a glorious service into which He sends His chosen and faithful servants. Our Lord, our King equips us, empowers us, enables us, enlists us, entrusts us with a ministry and a work, a service of eternal value. His calling is special, His commission is specific and the required qualifications are spiritual.

Our God, the heavenly King, is not like any earthly king. His thoughts are not like the thoughts of earthly kings and His ways are not like the ways of kings on earth. “The Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” “That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Many who qualify to serve in the palace of the king of Babylon and in the service of earthly kings and lords will be seriously inadequate and incapable of serving in the work of the King of kings (1 Timothy 6:14-16).

Nebuchadnezzar required physical, mental and social qualifications but God demands paternal, relational, moral, spiritual characteristics. Nebuchadnezzar desired assimilation into the culture of the world but God demands separation from the culture and tradition of the world. Nebuchadnezzar exalted the information and instruction of the brain and the mind with science but God expects the impartation and saturation of our heart and mind with the Holy Spirit. The servants of earthly kings need only know earthly things and “speak of the world ”; the servants of the heavenly King must know and love heavenly things, “tell of heavenly things” and lead people to set their “affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” For the servants of our King, training alone is not enough, we need grace, training, godliness, spiritual power and gifts. Beyond the secular training, Daniel and his three friends also had spiritual transformation, uncompromising consecration to God, godly character, divine revelation, spiritual gifts and supernatural power, so they were able to serve, not only the king of Babylon but they served the King of heaven acceptably.

3. COURAGE AND STEDFASTNESS WHILE TRAINING AS THE KING’S SERVANTS

Daniel 1:5-8; Leviticus 11:43-47; Psalm 141:4; 1 Corinthians 10:20-23; Romans 14:15-23; Psalm 112:6-8; Jeremiah 35:1-14, 18,19; Acts 11:23; Hebrews 3:12-14; 2 Peter 3:11-14,17,18.

Standing out among all the selected trainees were four heroes of faith and trophies of God’s righteous cause. Their physical welfare had been adequately provided for by the best that the richest government on earth could supply. With unshakable conviction and holy courage they refused the free dainties of the idolatrous king. Daniel and his companions revealed extraordinary integrity and commitment to the living and true God in the land of false gods and corrupt practices. They kept themselves pure and clean, rejecting unclean food that had been dedicated to the pagan gods of Babylon.

These four trophies of righteousness from Judah had godly names as well as cleansed nature that bore testimony to the one and only true God. Daniel meant, “God is my Judge”; Hananiah signified, “The Lord has been gracious”; Mishael proclaimed, “He is one who comes from God ”; and Azariah declared, “The Lord is my Helper.” This quartet of undeniable testimony of praise gave a full, complete and convincing testimony to the Omnipotence, goodness, holiness, Omnipresence, faithfulness, sufficiency and Omniscience of God. Their faith in God had such deep roots in their character, conviction and courage that superficial change of names and the luxury of new surroundings could not affect. “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats”, “all are to perish with the using” Even “all the glory of man as the flower of grass withereth and falleth away.” Let us, like these four shining witnesses, keep our eyes on the “inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for” us.

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