31. Dan 1:18-20 "None were equal" & "10 Times Better" Part 1

Time:  605 BC
Place:  King's Court
Scripture:  Daniel 1:18-20


Daniel 1:18-20

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar.  The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service.  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.

 
The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah;


Chapter 1  tells us that Daniel and his friends are on a different level from the others.  

• These 4 people go past the minimum and they reach standards for themselves that exceed the norm.  
• These 4 people stand above the crowd.  
• These 4 people don't choose the good.  They choose the best.  
• These 4 people  stand firm in their convictions and beliefs to please God above all else.  
• They are uncompromising people that go past the crowd.  
• Their performance and wisdom are a cut above the rest because they choose to live at a level of total commitment to God that is beyond the rest of the other Israelites who were also there for the 3 years of training.  
• Even the older magicians and enchanters with all their experiences in the whole kingdom do not match up to them.

What a testimony!  

They just shine out like the stars forever.

• The king only needed to talk to these young men to recognize their great character and quality of life.  From his conversation with them, he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

• The king questioned them in every matter of wisdom and understanding and discovered they were 10 times better than the others.

Tomorrow, we will look at Part 2 :)

29. Daniel 1:10-26 TEST your servants for 10 Days Part 1

Time:  605 BC

Place:  King's court

Daniel 1:10-16

10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.”

11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 

12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 

13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 

14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 

15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 

16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

Notice Daniel was NOT passive in this matter of 'not defiling himself.'

• Daniel saw through the difficult situation of the steward and then addressed his legitimate concerns

• Daniel was not unreasonable and insistent

• Daniel was firm, gracious and persistent with his principle

• Daniel took the initiative to suggest a workable plan that would not put the steward in crisis

• Daniel was a man of faith.  This seed of faith springs forth from a pure heart of 'not defiling' himself. 

How is Daniel's Faith manifested?

1. 'put us to the test' - our faith needs to be put to the tested
2. time is needed for the test - 10 days
3. he gives a proposal: instead give us vegetables and water 

The steward then consented to Daniel regarding this new proposal.

When we face awkward situations, we must look to God for wisdom not to be insistent, but have the wisdom to be flexible enough to let our faith be tested and come up with a wise proposal.

:)