#DanielChallenge – Day One Chapter One

Hello Beautiful People!

Its amazing to see so many of you on board with the #DanielChallenge! Even those that haven’t done the previous Bible Challenges ( #EstherChallenge , #RuthChallenge, #JamesChallenge and #LWChallenge.) we welcome you! For those that still don’t know what it is, don’t worry!

The Daniel Challenge is a 12 day challenge, where we read the 12 chapters in the book of Daniel in the Bible! It is not just about reading, I would love for us to share our understanding of what we have read with each other, so as you read, feel free to hashtag #DanielChallenge if you have twitter. In addition, please email biblechallenge@outlook.com with your notes for each chapter, or a summary and I will put it up on this blog page! The book of Daniel really focuses on our attitudes and behaviours as Christians, especially in the area of being CONSISTENT and LOYAL which I believe is so key in really getting the most out of our Christian walk and abiding in God’s will for us! Some points I haven’t touched on in my summary are covered in everyone else’s contributions, OR I have purposely left out to encourage you guys to touch on! 🙂

Day One- Chapter One

Main People in this Chapter:

• King Nebuchadnezzar (aka King Nebu)
• Daniel (Belteshazzar)
• Hananiah (aka Shadrach)
• Mishael (aka Meshach)
• Azariah (Abednego)
• Ashpenenaz (The eunuch, we saw this role in Esther, an Enuch looks after and is in charge of the Kings servants)

MY QUICK CHEEKY SUMMARY: Daniel and his boys moved to Babylon (your modern day Iraq), because Jerusalem had been conquered by king Nebuchadnezzar (King Nebu from now on lool) an idol worshipper of false gods. This King wanted good Israeli men to serve him and so he got his Eunuch to find him some good men! Daniel and his guys were selected, waheyy. They were given Babylonian names…however, Daniel did not feel comfortable adhering to the Babylonian customs such as eating food that was forbidden for the Israelites. He found favour in the Eunuch who did not force him and his friends to eat the unclean food and made a proposition that He and the other three lads would just eat vegetables. Now its hard to get strength from just common veg, but God enabled them to appear much more stronger than the other servants who had feasted on the unclean food. A great example of how God rewards our faithfulness to him.

KEY POINTS FOR ME (I got excited, so its pretty long):

Even the ungodly desire good things

Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—young men without any physical defect handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning,  well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. (Daniel1:3-4)

This king wanted good Israeli men to serve him. Verse 4 details the sort of men he was looking for and re-emphasises something that I have always been told ‘even the ungodly/wicked desire good things’. It also shows how basic proficiency in the positive things of the world, such as education, skills, knowledge, wisdom etc. can facilitate favour, fondness, a desire and liking towards you from those that appear as foes. An application of this in your everyday life or the best example I can think of, is when you’re looking for a job or attending various interviews. You don’t just turn up and say ‘I have Jesus, so it’s all good, I can look anyhow and command respect from the interviewer’ NO. You need to present yourself in a worthy manner like Daniel and friends did.

Despite the circumstances Daniel and His Boys DID NOT COMPROMISE

But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. (Daniel1:8, NLT)

God’s people do not need to compromise their faith in order to survive and prosper because God is in control of their lives. These guys had been brought up in Jerusalem. They were constantly reminded of their God and of His importance. The temple was there, their teachers, scribes (pastors) were there. Now, they were slaves in a godless land. Surrounded by heathen worship, heathen idols, heathen people. It would be easy to CONFORM, just to fit in right?
These lads were taught a new language and new ways of life. They were exposed to novel things and it was a dangerous time for them. I imagine there was so much pressure exerted on them to conform to the new world around them. All their lives they had a strict diet, based on the law for the people of Israel, in Babylon, they were faced with prohibited food. Sound familiar?? Think about the pressure you felt when you first started university or college, or moved to a new country, area. All the changes you thought you had to make in order to fit in. We face the same dangers in the world today. We are constantly being exposed to new ways of thinking and are being told that our way of looking at the world through the eyes of God is outdated, ancient and intolerant. There is much pressure being placed on the Christian community to conform to the world’s ways of thinking. We are told to change our mind about many things concerning Christians, to accept violations of God’s commandments…but God has not changed His mind about at single thing! Ponder on that.

Names are IMPORTANT

Through our previous Bible challenges, we have learnt so much about how important the meaning of names are in the Bible. When I was reading this chapter, I was a tad…okay greatly concerned about the change of names, because I’ve known name changes to be quite significant in the bible. Sarai to Sarah, Abram to Abraham, Saul to Paul, Naomi to Marah and back to Naomi, Hadassah to Esther. The list is endless…

All four of the Israelites names in Daniel 1:6-7 included syllables meaning God (El) or The Lord God (Yah). So…these guys probably weren’t excited when they were given Babylonian names in homage to the false gods.

• Daniel (God is my judge) to Belteshazzar (Bel will protect)
• Hananiah (God is gracious) to Shadrach (Inspiration of the sun)
• Mishael (God is without equal) to Meshach (Belonging to Aku)
• Azariah (The Lord is my helper) to Abednego (Servant of Nego)

We all know the saying ‘it doesn’t matter what you are called, it’s about what you answer to’. I agree with this in part.

• What people call you does matter to an extent. If you don’t know what your name means, I’d advise you to research, ask your parents what your name means, and if it doesn’t have a traditional meaning, ask your parents what led them to call you by that name. I say this because whatever your name means, any time someone calls your name, they are speaking over your life. That’s why I respect mothers who will not have people remix their child’s name to something unworthy of what they were given, because they are aware of the meaning their name carries. This isn’t just a spiritual thing, as those of you who studied or are studying the social sciences, especially sociology and psychology will be well aware of the ‘self-fulfilling prophesy‘ and ‘labelling’. I recently heard that someone named their child ‘heartless’, sadly one should not be surprised if that child later one behaves like a ‘heartless’ individual. So names and their respective meanings are VERY important. 

• I do however, agree that a greater importance is placed on what you answer to! This is for all the ladies that still think it’s cool to be called a ‘bad female dog’, what you answer to is what you are. I’m a big fan of defying the negative statistics or expectations, so where your name doesn’t mean something great or positive, work to defeat the manifestation of the meaning of that name in your life.

• Having said that, there are some of us who have names with wonderful meanings…but our actions put the name to absolute shame. If your name is ‘blessing’, behave like a blessing and not a curse.

King Nebu’s goal was to change their identity and in turn, their way of thinking by changing their names. However, we can see from this chapter and even as we read on for the next 12 days, that even though their names were changed, their CHARACTER remained INTACT. What can we take from this? NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY TO US, CALL US OT DO TO US IN LIFE, THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CHANGE WHAT WE ARE…CHILDREN OF GOD. << Your character has to show this throughout!!

FAVOUR OF GOD and FAITH

FAVOUR IS PRESENT (Daniel 1:9). The favour of God is so important, its one of the crucial accolades of being a Christian.

• ‘Favour is receiving what you don’t deserve, or did not work for, and
• Mercy, is God withholding what you do deserve (e.g. punishment).

Look at Mary mother of Jesus…there were masses of other virgins, but God chose her, she was blessed and highly favoured amongst women. They put their faith in action and God came through for them. This was just the beginning yo! (Daniel 1:11-16)

EXAM SEASON, EXAM SCRIPTURE. RESULTS SEASON, RESULTS SCRIPTURE!

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. DANIEL1:17.

TO CONCLUDE: Your faithfulness towards God, your allegiance to Him even when it seems risky does not go unrewarded, or unnoticed. He will always make a way. Do not fall into the trap of Galatians 2, whereby you act a certain way amongst one group of people and the differently with others…this is mostly the case when people have ‘Christian\church friends’ and ‘non-Christian/church friends’. Let your behaviour be consistent around both crowds, just like in 1 Peter 3:1-2 where wives are to win their husbands over by their behaviour!

TIME FOR YOUR INPUT! WHAT EVERYONE ELSE THOUGHT ABOUT CHAPTER ONE:

This is the 1st challenge i will be taking part in and excitement isn’t even the word. Cant wait to be a part of all the insights from yourself and everyone else involved. After reading chapter 1: i could summarise it one sentence :

‘ man’s riches are like filthy rags in God’s eyes’

Verses 11-13 were particularly instructive. When Daniel appealed to the steward to serve them vegetables and water.. Daniel had CONVICTION. He knew the God he served could make everything out of nothing. He also had CONFIDENCE which i believe was only achieved through the solid relationship he had with his maker. He was almost in essence saying to the steward ‘i dare you to test my God’ and see if he woun’t prove himself. And of course he Did as confirmed in verses 17-19.

One last thing i gained from this reading relates to evangelism. This might seem far fetched but i’ll explain.

The ‘vegetables and water’ that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were fed could symbolise the seed.

When we go out or even just send a word to others by any means whatsoever.. We have sown a seed. God then maximised and nurtured this ‘seed’ by making what seemed like just vegetables and water.. Become the most nutritious balanced diet ever! The bible says there was NO MATCH for the four of them. Therefore when we sow a seed.. We should just trust God to complete his work. He WILL finish what he has started and his name will not be put to shame.

What could seem so trivial and minor in the eyes of men is ALL God needs to prove himself. HE proved his children did not need the KING’s diet to be 10 times better than the whole kingdom put together. Glory! – Tayo, @Tayo_oo

Key trait to pick from Daniel’s Character:

1) He was a Leader.

A Leader is one that can walk into an environment and change the perceptions of others.

He chose not to defile himself by not eating and drinking the food and wine given to them by the King. He requested if he and his friends could eat vegetables and drink water for 10 days. At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. (Daniel 1:15 NLT)

Daniel changed the perception of the attendant and those around him. He dared to be different…and it paid off!

Dare to be different! Don’t just accept what is given to you. Do not teach yourself to suit in amongst others….rather create your environment to suit you. – Joel

He gave them favour when the needed it and even with the most unlikely people (the chief of staff)! But isn’t it funny that even though God had caused the chief of staff to have respect and affection for Daniel, he was still reluctant to disobey the King. (v9-10). Non-believers may respect and like you but they don’t necessarily understand where you’re coming from and so it may appear that they are an obstacle but it is up to you so show them who’s you are (God’s child) and turn them into helpers of destiny. That’s exactly what Daniel did! (v11-13). I believe God honoured Daniel and his friends because the results brought Him glory. – Lola, @UnOfficialLola

To summarise, i think the chapter highlights the benefits of not giving into conformity and the importance of being consecrated for God’s work (: – Chimdi

Daniel 1:2 –A few things stood out to me here. The first is that God was the one who is credited with giving over the Israelites to the Babylonians. It wasn’t because the Israelites army was too weak against the Babylonians or Babylonians had a lucky day, it was God. This shows us that God is in charge of all things even the good and the bad. It doesn’t mean God causes evil and sin but rather he uses it for his purposes as we’ll see later on in the book.

Daniel 1:3-4 –What I find interesting here is that the King of Babylon thought that he had hit the jackpot with the Israelites and he’s found youth that would be useful to him to strengthen the Babylonian Empire but, as we the readers should be able to see, HE is the one being used by God through Daniel to strengthen God’s kingdom. Namely, the believers who read this book. It also shows us that God preserves his people no matter where they are. That the noble of Israel were called to fellowship and live amongst the noble of Babylon as opposed to being used as slaves for instance shows that God looks out for his people. 

Daniel 1:5-7- We saw that God is actually looking out for their good by placing them with the king 3-4. We see it again here in that they are receiving a royal education and a royal diet. They were so much adopted into the royal circle of Babylon that they were given Babylonians names.

Daniel 1:8-9 –Daniel resolved to honour God by not partaking of the king’s grob. Firstly that shows us who he recognised as the true king. That even when in captivity he realised that God is King of Kings. This shows Daniel’s conviction that God is sovereign. As Christians in this fallen world we’re gonna be faced with many situations where our conviction of the sovereignty of God is tested and whenever we go against the word of God, we declare that sin is the master of our world and not God.

I love how even though it was Daniel who made the request, scripture made it clear that is was God who made it happen ultimately. It wasn’t Daniel’s clever persuasive words and neither was it the kindness of the eunuch, it was the power of God. As well as showing us that the hearts of men are in the hands of God to alter them as he pleases, this shows us that God is the one who blesses all that we do to honour him. We should always seek his blessing in all that we do for his glory.

Daniel 1:10-16- Effectively, what’s happening here is Daniel pitting the King of Kings against the king of Babylon. The eunuch is afraid of what his king would do but Daniel is saying implicitly, “you need to consider what God can do as greater that what your king can do”. We see that God is game for the challenge, to prove His power to the eunuch as He seeks to bless Daniel’s endeavour to honour him, because He causes the eunuch to listen to Daniel. God also shows that he is more powerful than the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon’s reach was only natural is bringing death to people but God’s power is supernatural in defying the logic of nature concerning the diet of Daniel and his mandem. It’s like gaining a 1kg every time you force yourself to throw up your food. No mortal king can boast of such power.

Daniel 1:17-21 –I love how Daniel highlights that God was the one you blessed them with wisdom and knowledge showing again that all things that come to us are ordained by God and I love how often God is credited and mentioned in this story so far. God’s continual mentioning would seemingly contrast how a lot of Israelites would’ve felt during this time of exile, possibly including Daniel and his mandem. However, this works to prove that what Jesus said at the end of the gospels was always true about God and his people. Namely that he will never leave nor forsake them.

God causes Daniel and his mandem to excel above all the others to demonstrate the superiority of God’s wisdom and knowledge over that of men. He also causes Daniel and his mandem to become the one’s the king listened to when he made decisions concerning the ruling of his kingdom to demonstrate ironically that even though the king of Babylon conquered God’s kingdom of Israel, it was God who ended up being the ruler of Babylon through the influence of Daniel and his mandem over the king of Babylon. – @iMannydotcom

Hey Kay just a few points I would like to add a point about chapter 1 that my Pastor made yesterday (Apostle ATB Williams) quote him not me. It focuses on verse 4

My summary on his teaching is that as Christians we must be intelligent and our knowledge should not be limited to one field. I believe that this reason is because how will God use us to help change the world when we are just like the others. It takes brilliant people to sit with Kings which in our case is the Government, we must be well informed about issues and have no physical defects so that the Government and other people see that we are different and a special kind and it will also allow them to see his Glory  through us. – Tolani, @tolanikoya

I love this chapter because I think its a lovely reminder/ encouragement to stand firm for Christ. What our culture may propose as being acceptable is not always acceptable in God’s sight.  We must be careful to measure things according to His word rather than society’s standards. It was expected that Daniel would be weaker or look worse by not compromising (eating the king’s meat & wine). Isn’t that how Christians are often viewed today? Christians are perceived to be weaker by not partaking in the fickle pleasures of life, usually seen as missing out on ‘living life’. Be encouraged, true life and joy is only found in Christ. No matter how things look on the outside; it may seem like others are prevailing or ‘enjoying’ and you’re failing but in due time, you’ll find that only God can sustain and strengthen to the highest standard. Daniel ‘purposed’ in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king’s meat. He was far away from home but still held firm to what he knew was right. How often do we make compromises as Christians because everybody else is doing it? or because we think nobody will know about it. We all need to be like Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, Abednego and others who have taken a stand for their faith. Dare to stand for Christ!

I also thought that these scriptures could be a sign to eat healthy. Not saying eating meat is bad, but everything should be done in moderation. Lol add some vegetables in the mix  😀 – Elizabeth Fashola

God allowed Judah to be taken as captives, either to prove himself or for a greater purpose. this purpose could have been solely to test Daniel & co, to see if they were worthy of the favour he wanted t give them. it could also have been because he had decided to punish Israel for their sins. Daniel exercised a huge amount of self control when he decided not to indulge in the food provided by the king. He protected himself and in effect his friends from gluttony and greed by denying himself what seemed appealing at the time. In order to reap favour from God, we as Christians must learn to sacrifice certain comforts and work in faith because we know that God has bigger plans for us. – Ike Fabiyi, @ikefabiyi

Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings delicacies…..”
This verse reminds me of a teaching I listened to on creating guardrails for yourself. In moments / places of transition is the time where culture would encourage you to change your behaviour to “fit in”. Daniel was taken to a new place and given a new name but he purposed in his heart not to eat the kings food , this was a personal guardrail for David as he decided not to bend to the culture and the lifestyle others were living around him. As Christians its important to set personal guardrails / standards of behaviour for yourself so that you won’t enter the “danger zone” and do something that you will regret later. – Priscilla Quarcoo

Daniel was (as verse 4 describes) a ‘young man with no physical defect, handsome, quick to understand’ etc. who was from a royal family/the nobility, yet he chose not to spoil himself with the things given to him by the king – he even spoke to chief about this. Many of us in this day and age, even if we were living to the standard of the high class, would not have passed at that chance. Some may have even asked for more.  Daniel was content with what he had and did not let himself ask for more.

Daniel knew what he was doing. When asking the guard to feed himself, Hananiah, Mishael & Azariah only vegetables and water (verse 12) he knew it would make them better. Some of us cry or sulk when we don’t even receive any type of meat when we are eating rice & stew, or if we were to get a smaller piece of meat than we normally would. Some of us even act as though we are crying because we have not be fed. Yet here is Daniel only requesting vegetables and water. Instead of feasting on all that expensive food that the king had willingly given/was willing to give them he rejected it knowing what was good for them and the work they were going to do. And at the end of it they looked ‘healthier & better nourished’ (verse 15).

This reminds me of losing weight or just becoming more health conscience in general with what you eat and drink. If you’re looking to lose weight or become healthier you know you’ve got to exercise, however if the food that you’re eating is unhealthy it will hold you back from the results you want. Daniel and the others had the knowledge and understanding from God (verse 17) knowing that the foods from the kings would not benefit them, so they rejected it.

This could also be seen as self control. In our lives there may be so many things that could be better if we had knowledge & understanding from God as well as self control.  In the long run king Nebuchadnezzar ‘found none equal’ to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (verse 19). After the three years of training they were the best. In every situation we need to keep pressing on. We need to persevere!

My prayer for us all doing the #DanielChallenge is that God pours out wisdom, knowledge and understanding from Him unto us, so that we are able to make better decisions, like Daniel did, and that we are able to persevere in every situation whilst learning to be content and grateful with what we have – iJn — Amen! God bless –  Gracie 🙂

* They were set apart from the beginning and by remaining close to God they continued to be set apart

* Ask and you shall receive ; if they hadn’t asked for their food to be changed but instead grumbled in silence the outcome may have been different…

* When you honour God his favour on you will defy understanding…based on the steward’s logic they should have lost weight but instead they looked healthier than others as the spirit was shining in them…

* Don’t be scared of your faith, by not conforming with what they knew was forbidden they became vessels to be used for God’s work..it would’ve been easier for them not to rock the boat and go with the crowd but they didn’t do that…

We have to step out before God can use us in mighty ways. – @Fleurparfait

So here is my summary 🙂 hope it makes sense and everything here is my own view on the chapter. It is totally fine if you don’t agree lol 🙂

 

1) There is a time for everything – God makes everything beautiful in His time. Not a moment sooner or a moment later. [VERSE 1] God waited for Jehoiakim’s 3rd year on the throne before the siege took place. Many times we see governments order their troops to invade countries and they end up losing but maybe if they had waited a little longer or not waited as long they would have won the battle. But then again how many political leaders consult the God who knows all things and makes all things beautiful before launching an attack?

 

2) God has a beautiful purpose and a plan (Jeremiah 29:11). [VERSE 2] God allowed Nebuchadnezzer to successfully besiege Jerusalem and to ransack His house. But what was meant for evil God turned around for God. By taking the “stolen” items back into Babylon, God’s glory entered in the form of not just people but also in the form of vessels from the house of God in Jerusalem. 

 

3) God makes a way where there seems to be no way whatsoever. [VERSES 3-6] God had prepared the way for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah even before they knew it (Jeremiah 29:11). God’s plans for His children can never be of evil and yet again He proved this by making sure they fit the tight criteria that Nebuchadnezzar set out. They were “teachable”…..Nebuchadnezzar wanted men who he could mould and this characteristic was evident in the men. However, again something meant for evil God used for good.

 

4) The significance of minor things. [VERSES 5-16] It is so interesting to see that something we might see as so minor was so significant. If we were to be kidnapped or held captive just as Daniel and co were and our kidnappers gave us the best meal ever (a true 5* dining experience) after a few days we would most likely devour such a meal. We would probably not send it back for beans on toast. We may not pray for God’s guidance on what to eat and what not to eat whilst being held captive but we would blow tongues for God to remove us from such a situation. I know personally I would be the first to pray to be freed whilst eating the sweetest of foods and so this really challenged me. I would not have paused to consider that God might have orchestrated this as part of His plan for my life and my purpose.

 

5) Favour. When glancing through the summary earlier for pointers on how to structure this, the word FAVOUR immediately jumped out at me. The phrase ‘favour aint fair’ comes to mind. But I think that our general reaction to favour isn’t fair to God. I genuinely feel that if our reaction to favour was right then we would continuously experience the favour of God in our endeavours  [VERSE 9] Daniel was shown favour with the prince of the eunuchs. And without jumping the gun or skipping to another chapter, I believe that the favour he was shown by the head eunuch and the favour he continued to receive was as a direct result of his reaction to favour when it came his way. Daniel never stopped giving thanks and he never forgot where the favour came from. He always acknowledged favour and more importantly he acknowledged God who showered him with favour.

 

Imagine you had a manager who refused to show you favour and evidently believed that they were in a superior position based on their own merits and strengths. At the time it would be frustrating and seem unfair especially if you were a good member of staff. Then you left and moved on to a better job in a better position. Your position had been elevated due to the favour of God. Then you visited your old work place a few years down the line to see that your old manager was still in the same position and had not been promoted once. Rather others had even bypassed them. I truly believe that the fact your old manager did not acknowledge the favour given to them initially was a direct cause of their stagnancy and lack of promotion. 

Why should God move a person from one place to a better one when they were not grateful for what He had already done for them? Favour may not be deserved in many cases but it is also not compulsory gift from God. No gift is compulsory.

 

6) God is a God of perfection. [VERSE 20] God did not just make Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah better than the other men. He did not just make them two times better or three. He made them 10 times better. God does everything in such a way that there is no question as to His greatness or His ability to supersede the efforts of man. God does things in such a way that there is no question that He alone is God.

 

Sorry that the summary is so long……I get carried away sometimes and the book of Daniel really is something.

Thanks for setting up such an amazing challenge 🙂 – Anthea a.k.a @talented_tia

The ten day challenge (my understanding) Daniel 1 vs 12 -17 explains how Daniel and his friends had the vegetables and water and the other chosen men had the food that the King had.  and in ten days daniel land his friends had taken more flesh and looked well in appearance compared to the others men that had the food that the King had.  This shows that no matter how hard it might be to fit in society, school, uni or work place we must stay true to our religion. I always get the  "when you go to uni you will change" phrase from people, this is evidence that no matter what change of situation, place or circumstances we should never give in to things that make us compromise our faith. God has been with you the whole time and a change or place, situation or circumstance will not change the fact the God will always be you as long as you keep your faith. Us Christians seem to think that some actions that were not acceptable before we went to uni become acceptable when we do. This example that Daniel sets for us shows us that the phrase "when in Rome do what the Romans do" is invalid in a Child of God instead we should have the attitude that Daniel had , that no matter where we are "we should do the will of God".   

Verse 18-21 talks about the rewards.  We are rewarded for our faithfulness and trust in God as shown in theseverse. Proverbs 3 vs 5-7 "do not lean on your own understanding but in all  your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths. be not wise in your own eyes fear the Lord and turn away for evil" God will reward you with wisdom and understanding that come from Him and that is compared to non, therefore we should learn to put our faith and trust in Him for he knows what better for us in any situation. He will not put you through anything you cant get out of. - @tiinasama  

1. Daniel and his friends had EVERYTHING going for them, in terms of LOOKS, intelligence etc. based on the requirements that the King had given. According to the World, this is enough for us to be PERFECT and be successful. But I feel that this book brought out a big truth- That genuinely- having all those attributes will only get you through the door and there has to be something about us that sets us apart. Every single man that was called by the King was amazing looking and intelligent but still it was not enough. What made the King remember Daniel and KEEP Daniel in the position he had was his fear of God and all the blessings such as wisdom and understanding that God bestowed upon him due to his allegiance to God.

2. GOVERNMENT: God ordained for King Neb to gain victory even though he was ungodly. Even in terms of Government, God knows exactly what he is doing. By serving our government or whoever God has put before us ( as long as we are not disobeying him) is something that we should do because it shows our ability to serve God’s will and our desire to be a partaker of that will even when we don’t understand it.

3. When refusing to eat the food, Daniel ensured that he paid attention to the tiniest of details in his lifestyle. EG What he was putting inside of him; what he was condoning; the consequence of the different lifestyle choices that he made and whether his lifestyle would reflect the call he had been given to be set apart. He did not say ” It’s only food”, he understood that ALL of his life needed to reflect Jesus. God honoured these daily decisions he made, no matter how small they seemed.

4. Daniel understood HIERARCHY and AUTHORITY- he approached all the different people that he needed to approach in order to put forward his request about not eating the food. He was not manipulative but was rather respectful and humble. He understood Protocol.

5. CREATIVITY- I think this would probably be my biggest point. Daniel understood the importance of creating ALTERNATIVES. This is based on him making an alternative food suggestion about just vegetables and water. As Christians, God has called us to create ALTERNATIVES for the World. Not compromise but create a NEW way for them to do things but still incorporating a spirit of excellence and believing that God will allow our method to be effective. In order for other people to follow Jesus, we have to show them that there are great ways of doing things. EG we cannot expect all non believers to suddenly throw away all secular music ( for example) unless we create music of an excellent standard that pleases God but still pleasing to the human e.g. sounds good.

Daniel did not just complain about the food, he had a suggestion. He was creative; intentional and PREPARED! He came to the Chief ready to say ” I serve a God of wisdom and I genuinely believe I have a better idea” not just ” This food plan sucks- I’m not doing it” and throw a tantrum. God has called us to REINVENT and make PRACTICAL solutions relying on the Faith he has given us.

6. God is Sovereign- I was thinking to myself about the fact that if Daniel was my friend- I would have said ” Leave this Palace, its ungodly, how can you be promoted in a place like that and feel comfortable” simply because I would be expecting Gods plan to be exactly what I THINK God would want. However, this book reminds me that God does not operate in the way that WE DO and does not think in the way I do. Additionally, His plans do not work the way I think they should or the way I think makes sense. God’s reasoning is not mine and God had sent Daniel to a place of Darkness to be the light and that is truthfully what matters.  – Jennifer (Women’s encouragement group founder)

What I’ve learnt from this chapter is that, Daniel knew who he was in Christ he was very bold about it also as he declined the food. He knew himself and his men were set apart for God’s glory and he didn’t want anything to defile that. He also had the understanding of what could affect their relationship with God, we as Christian are set apart so we can’t behave like the world. And him the the king’s wishes showed the king they served a higher authority and wanted to show who God truly is in their life and in the end the saw that because Daniel and his men were stronger than the men who ate the meat and drank the wine. ( you’re welcome to correct me if I’ve made any mistakes)  – @LionessGrace

I can’t help but be facsinated by Daniel 1:15! I was just speechless. Eating the food the King provided was supposed to be the BEST! Meaning no other food can do the work as much as it does. But when I read verse 15, I was amazed. Just vegetable and water?
God really favoured these men! Because they held God in high reverence, God really lifted them up higher than any of the other people.
Th new environment or surrounding didn’t affect his stand for God. He made a decision in his heart he wasn’t going to join the world to sin. I doubt many of us in these times would be willing to dismiss such opportunity of being treated in a royal way like that.
Makes me realise I should always take my stand for God, no matter what happens or no matter what people have to say about it. Their opinions shouldn’t matter to me. He would lift us up higher and higher as we continue to take our stand for Him! – @Ledo_AN

One thing that stood out to me in this chapter was the fact that Daniel and his friends were employed/involved in what we would now term the ‘secular’ sector (the king’s palace wasn’t a Jewish establishment).. Whilst a lot of Christians may refuse to be associated with the world, especially in regards to arts and the media, I believe this chapter tells us that we can. We can actually work for a generally secular acting/singing etc brand but like Daniel we must PURPOSE not to defile ourselves. Not to get carried away with the things of this world. What we have purposed will guide the way we behave. If I purpose to love God within my job, this love should drive the way that I behave and the borders which i do/refuse to cross.For example, if one purposes to lose 2stone by summer, my behaviour will be shaped by my desires. What fills me controls me. You may be thinking being involved in such industries is dangerous, which I fully agree with but through Daniel’s refusal to compromise, as well as prayer, we will indeed find favour in the sight of our employees and be able to glorify our God (as seen in the way the eunuch bent the rules for our dear friend Danny)! – Michelle (@nomsawrites)