Daniel and the King's Men - The Book of Daniel

In this Bible Story, we were introduced to Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. The three young men are specially chosen out of the Judaen captives to sit under the king as wise men. King Nebuchadnezzar attempts to indoctrinate them into Babylonian ways, however they prove that following the Lord proves to be more useful for human flourishing. This story is inspired by Daniel 1:1-16. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Daniel 1:8 from the King James Version.

Episode 162: The kingdoms of Israel and Judah had fallen and the men of nobility were taken captive. Among these handsome and well educated men were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. These four feared God and though they were brought into the King’s court to be influenced, God used them to skillfully influence the King and his men instead.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

Hosted by: Pastor Jack Graham

Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. But Daniel purposed in his heart that
he would not defile himself with a portion of the
king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank. Therefore,
he requested the Prince of the eunuchs that he might
not defile himself. Daniel one, ate Lord, because my purpose

(00:21):
means more to me than my comfort, I will be
mindful to treat my body in a way that will
allow me to carry out my mission while here on
earth to day. Like Daniel and the young men, I
am making a conscious decision to honor my body by
not defiling it with food or substances that would stop

(00:43):
me from experiencing the fullness of all you have in
store for me. I thank you, Lord for the will
and the fortitude to stand strong when I am tempted
to choose the comfort of laziness and poor health habits.
I declare that health is a top priority. I declare

(01:04):
that through my decision to live a healthy lifestyle, my
mind will be sharper and more creative than ever before.
I praise you and thank you in advance for uncommon
outcomes and alliances that are working on my behalf to
help realize the dreams and destiny You've placed on and

(01:25):
in me. No matter what, I will not be ashamed
of my acceleration because I've made the decision to honor
my body, which is the vehicle needed to take me
to my future in Jesus name, Amen, Thank you for
praying with us today. Continue your time with God by

(01:49):
listening to today's Bible story, brought to you by Bible
in a year dot com.

Speaker 2 (01:55):
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Speaker 3 (02:42):
Daniel and the Kingsmen. In our last story, we were
taken up in the spirit of the Lord with Ezekiel
as he scanned a vast valley of dry bones. As
the spirit of God rushed into the valley, the bones
came to life and were restored. This was an image
of God's plan to restore Israel. And pour out his spirit.

(03:04):
Now we look into the life of Daniel. He, along
with the rest of God's people, was taken captive by Babylon.
Daniel is brought into the fold of King Nebekonezer to
study and serve. Slowly, Daniel begins to influence the wicked
king and his men inspired by the Book of Daniel.

Speaker 4 (03:27):
This is Jack Graham with today's episode of the Bible
in a year. I'm so glad that you've joined us
once again. In our previous reading, we heard how God
spoke to Ezekiel, taking him up in the spirit and
giving him a vision of dry bones that were brought
back to life by the power of God's word and
his spirit. It was a message to Israel that God

(03:48):
would restore them to life and make one nation of
the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah. And ultimately it
is a promise, a greater promise of one who would come,
the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who would not just give life
to Israel, but offer life to the whole world. Today
we'll hear reading about a young exile named Daniel. He,

(04:08):
along with a few of his faithful Israelite captives, is
chosen to serve the Babylonian king. God is placing this
young man, a godly follower of the Lord, into a
place where he can influence evil men for the glory
of God. So let's hear God's word today.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
The kingdoms of Israel and Judah fell to the mighty
hand of King Nebuconezza. Hooks were sewn into their lips
and they were carted off to their captivity in Babylon
along with the people. King Nebuconeza took the vessels in
the temple and placed them in his own treasury with
his gods. King Neberconezza was determined to graft Israel into

(04:48):
Babylonian culture. He would do so first by taking their temple.
Then he would take the best of them, the brightest
and most educated, to serve him. Vo Canezzer gathered young men, strong,
good looking, skilled and wise. He gave them access to
his libraries and the finest tutors Babylon could provide. He

(05:10):
taught them foreign languages and exposed them to different cultures, music,
and art. It was Nebercanezzer's intention to indoctrinate these young
men to become leaders over the captives and loyalty to Babylon.
The king provided a daily portion of food and wine
for them. It was his desire to educate them for
three years, and at the end of their time, they

(05:32):
would stand in front of the king. Among these young
men were Daniel, Hannanaiah, Michel, and Azariah from the tribe
of Judah. Their names were taken from them, and Neberkanezzer
called them Belta, Shazar, Shadrach, Meshak, and Abdnago. Although Neberkanezer
took their names, he could not take their true identities.

(05:56):
Daniel watched closely as the king and some of the
young men yasted on the king's food. It was not
only sacrificed to idols, but it was dirty. The grease
dripped from the Babylonian's chin. He saw many of the
Babylonian nobles. They were overweight and bloated. Daniel purposed in
his heart to not defile himself. He would not eat

(06:18):
the king's food. The chief's servant was concerned for Daniel
and thought that his health and favor would decline if
he did not eat. But Daniel had a challenge for
him and the king test your servants and I. Daniel
challenged for ten days, my friends and I will consume
nothing but vegetables and water. At the end of those
ten days, measure who was in better health. So for

(06:41):
ten days Daniel and his companions ate vegetables and drank water,
while the other young men ate the food sacrificed to idols.
When the ten days passed, Daniel and his friends were
far more healthy and clear in mind than the others,
So the chief's servant ordered for all the men in
the palace to be given vegetables and water. This was

(07:02):
but one example of how Daniel and his friends began
to transform the Babylonian culture. They increased in knowledge, wisdom,
and favor with God. They had visions and dreams, and
began to transform the hearts of those around them. Nebucan
Zer brought them into his presence as counselors and wise men.
In every matter, he found them ten times more insightful

(07:24):
than the Babylonian scholars, magicians, and enchanters.

Speaker 4 (07:32):
In today's reading, we're reminded of the brutality of the
Babylonians when they conquered Israel and Judah. They didn't just
take captives away in chains. Many of the captives were
tortured with hooks sewn into their lips, and as an
act of humiliation, this was meant to crush the spirit
of their vanquished foes. They also carted off precious items

(07:53):
from the temple, signaling that their gods were superior to
those of their enemies. They did not know or fear
the One True God, but among the captives there were
some young men who would begin to change that and
challenge that, showing Nebukanezar and his court who Yahweh is.
Though they were cruel and ruthless, the Babylonians were wise

(08:17):
in how they handled the people they conquered. Understanding that
the best and the brightest in Israel could prove to
be a benefit to Babylon, they selected the cream of
the crop and worked to assimilate them into Babylonian culture.
Among those chosen were Daniel and three of his friends.
Rather than suffer as slaves, Nebukanezar gave these best and

(08:39):
brightest access to the riches of his kingdom, both in
terms of education and training and in comfort and the
finer foods and drinks the land had to offer. They
were given new Babylonian names to replace their Jewish ones.
This was meant to wipe away any former identity, to
make their Jewishness disappear as they were seduced by the

(09:00):
pagan culture. The Bible tells us in the New Testament Romans,
Chapter twelve that we are not to conform to this
world and the patterns and the activities of this world. Unfortunately,
too many Christians often take the path of least resistance.
We don't stand up to the culture that is trying

(09:20):
to conform us. We want to blend into the world,
enjoy the world and what it has to offer. But
we are called to be better than this. We, like
Daniel and his companions, are called to stand apart, even
if we have to stand alone. But as Daniel and
his friends watched others accept the rich foods, including unclean meat,

(09:43):
sacrifice to idols, he resolved not to be defiled. Daniel
chose to honor God and refuse what Nebekanezer offered him.
This wasn't just an act of self denial. It was
a dangerous refusal to abide by the the king's command.
This act could have easily been viewed as rebellion and

(10:05):
rejection and cost Daniel and his friends their lives. But God,
as always is in control, and he has a purpose
and a plan in all of this. Daniel offered the
chief of servants a challenge. He and his friends would
eat only vegetables and drink water, abstaining from the meat
and rich food and wine, for just ten days. If

(10:26):
at the end of that time they were weaker, slower,
less mentally sharp than the others, they would follow the
king's diet. God honored the faithfulness of Daniel, and we
read this in the first chapter of Daniel, verse seventeen.
To these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding
of all kinds of literature and learning, and Daniel could

(10:49):
understand visions and dreams of all kinds. After ten days,
it was apparent that Daniel and his friends were stronger
and brighter than the others. God had big plans for
these young men, and it all began with a simple
yet courageous, confident step of faith. When we choose to
live differently, to dare to be a Daniel, our witness

(11:13):
is powerful and persuasive. It often opens doors for God's
glory to be shown to the world, and often gives
us opportunities to influence those around us. When we stand
up and stand apart. We make a difference. We are
not to be like the world, but we're to be
different from the world. And so with this act of

(11:35):
faithful defiance to the precious of culture, Daniel and his
friends were given access to an inner circle where God
could work through them to reach the hard heart of
even King nevikan Ezer and many others. Dear God, we
are thankful for the courage of Daniel and the young
men who stood with him. Thank You for the inspiration

(11:56):
of their lives, that they purposed in their hearts not
to defile themselves. May we also live devout lives, lives
that are given over to You and not to the world.
May our focus and our faithfulness be strong and true
against all odds. In Jesus' name, Amen, thank you for
listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are

(12:18):
so glad that you have joined us. I'm Pastor Jack
Graham from Dallas, Texas. You can download the Prey dot
com app and join millions of people who are listening
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encourage you to make prayer and Bible study a priority
in your life that you would seek first, the Kingdom
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(12:41):
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God bless you.