The stories of the early chapters of Daniel are captivating in plot, character, action, and scope. Lovers of God over the centuries have taken encouragement from the example set by Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We can observe six tests encountered by these Hebrew youth that proved they were true and blameless followers of the one true God.
Daniel and his three friends were amongst those exiled to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar seized control of Jerusalem. They had been members of the Israelite royal court, the cream of the crop, “young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace” (1:4).
Upon arrival in this strange new land, they were trained for three years in all aspects of Babylonian language and culture to prepare them for service. What no one realized at that point was that the God they served was about to guide them through several significant tests. Their responses to these tests under severe pressure and persecution would confirm their qualification to be more than mere bureaucrats in Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. They were refined like pure gold, fit for the noblest uses in the kingdom of Almighty God. These are the tests:
Daniel’s Test of Purity. Nebuchadnezzar expected the Hebrew immigrants to conform to his “exalted” Babylonian culture, including their diet. But Daniel, in his heart, determined “that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or with the wine he drank” (1:8). After ten days of consuming a plainer diet of vegetables and water, the boys were as healthy or even healthier than those who ate the king’s food. They were granted permission to keep to this regimen. The text doesn’t reveal the reason for their self-imposed dietary restrictions, but we trust that they had good reasons. We know that Daniel believed that this was essential to protect him from defilement. He trusted that God would help him to maintain his purity, and he did.
OUR TEST OF PURITY. Many people inside and outside the church have strong ideas about food, what we should and should not eat, and
why. While diet is a crucial aspect of the stewardship of our bodies, this is not necessarily a primary test of our purity as it was for Daniel.
As New Testament believers, we are not bound by religious dietary restrictions. Jesus (and, later, Peter and Paul) confirmed that purity
is a matter of the heart, and not dependent on what we eat.
What, then, are the elements of contemporary Western culture that compromise and interfere with our purity before God? Mostly, it is
what we see and hear that is blatantly or subtly immoral, corrupt, or perverse. We can become so desensitized to profanity, barbarity, violence, and pornography that we don’t even realize it may be defiling us. When we experience spiritual conviction to turn away from this
kind of content, are we not being tested in our desire for purity? Doesn’t everyone watch and listen to these things and talk about
them when they get together socially? Are we willing to face exclusion from parts of the cultural conversation? Daniel didn’t seem to
care about that. His priority was to stand before God with no shame. Can we courageously do the same?
Test of Spiritual knowledge. King Nebuchadnezzar had a complex dream he wanted interpreted. He demanded that the magicians and wise men not only interpret the dream, but tell the dream itself, which they deemed impossible. When Nebuchadnezzar didn’t get his way, he was enraged and threatened to starting killing his advisors if they couldn’t give him an answer. Daniel heard of this, and implored his three friends to pray with him, asking “the God of the heavens for mercy concerning this mystery” (2:18) so their lives would be spared. Daniel received revelation of both the dream and its interpretation. Daniel passed the test, trusting Almighty God to give the knowledge and understanding necessary to accomplish what seemed an impossible assignment.
OUR TEST OF SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE. If we desire to influence others for Christ, we must pray, as Daniel did, that the Lord would give
us spiritual discernment and wisdom. We often look to the wrong sources of information. We trust worldly voices and sources with
greedy motives, people who covet power more than truth. When under pressure, we must turn to the Spirit of God and the Word of
God for wisdom and knowledge. Trusting God to give us the revelation we need may not be the easy way, but it is the right way. That’s
why it is a test.
Worship. The king set up a gargantuan likeness of himself and commanded that whenever music was heard in the land, all citizens must bow down and worship the statue. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego adamantly refused. Their civil disobedience got them thrown into a furnace so hot that it burned up the soldiers throwing them in. Strangely, they were completely unharmed. They passed the test of rejecting idolatry and worshipping only Almighty God, and their devotion was rewarded.
OUR TEST OF WORSHIP. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted that God would rescue them from the flames if they reserved their
worship only for him. They went even further, declaring that even if he chose not to rescue them, they weren’t going to bow down to any
idol. This is a courageous choice that God promises to bless. Temptation and testing in this area are ubiquitous but can be subtle
enough that even mature believers are deceived. We may not bow down to statues, but don’t we often divide our affection for God with
so many other loves in our lives—possessions, activities, ministries, relationships, entertainments? Doesn’t he often get a paltry share of
our time and devotion? Aren’t we tested daily to choose worshipping God when surrounded by an array of other colorful, shiny options?
The character and conduct of these Hebrew youths while captive in Babylon is worth of our attention and emulation. I am convicted when I think of the compromises I have often allowed in my purity, spiritual knowledge, and worship. How about you? This conviction can stir a desire to stop conforming to the world’s ways and to renew our minds, becoming transformed by the good and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:2).
