I hope many of you have had an opportunity to read through the entire book of Daniel.  Some of you have posted comments about the book.  If you have not yet read through the book I would encourage you to do so this weekend.  If you have read through the book, then let's dive into chapter 1.

Daniel and his three friends (Hananiah, Mishael and Asariah) have been carried of to Babylon as exiles when Jerusalem was taken.  These young men were chosen by the King's officials to be trained for 3 years and after that to enter into the king's service.  They we well taken care of.  They were to be well fed and nourished because they would be serving the king.  The problem came though when the food and wine were brought out.  It would be against God's laws to eat and drink and so defile themselves, so Daniel proposes to be served only vegetables and water for 10 days and then compare them with the others.  That's a bold proposal, but Daniel had faith that God would take care of them.  Not only did God take care of them, but in verse 20 it says that the king found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.  God rewarded them for their faithfulness to Him.

What do you see in this chapter?  What does the example of these 4 men say to you?  Would you be able to take a stand like they did, knowing they could be killed for taking that kind of stand and refusing not to eat what was given to them?  What does this type of stand say to the king and his officials?  What kind of test is God taking you through right now?  What does this say about His response to those who faithfully obey?  I'd love to hear some of your insights.