“He Would Not Defile Himself”

DANIEL was far from home. His family was one of many that had been taken from their homeland of Judah and led off to faraway Babylon, a journey that might have taken some four months. From among these exiles, Daniel and other youths were taken away from their families and brought to the capital city. Daniel became friends with three other Hebrew youths: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They soon learned what their Babylonian conquerors wanted from them: to conform.

To start with, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had his chief court official, Ashpenaz, change their names. Many Hebrew names praised the true God. “Daniel,” for example, means “My Judge Is God.” But it was common for Babylonian names to praise the gods of the land. So Daniel was given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar, which was evidently part of a prayer asking the false god Bel to protect the life of the king. At the same time, the king also sought to indoctrinate these youths. He decreed that they were to be trained to speak and write the Chaldean language so that they could serve him in the royal palace. That was only the beginning.

The king appointed Ashpenaz to supervise the training of these young captives. They were to eat from the king’s delicacies, the choicest foods available, and to drink his fine wine. Perhaps some youths felt honored by such special treatment. But Daniel saw that such privileges presented a real danger for him and his three Hebrew companions. What concerned him?

Daniel may have reasoned along these lines: ‘Our captors know that we do not eat certain foods because of Jehovah’s Law. Will they try to get us to disobey Jehovah by serving us foods that God has declared unclean? And if they serve us meat, will it be bled properly or will they try to fool us into breaking Jehovah’s law against eating blood? Or would eating it be viewed as part of the worship of a false god? Also, if they give us a lot of wine to drink, will it be hard to keep our senses?’a

Daniel surely prayed a great deal and consulted with his three friends. He “resolved in his heart” what he had to do in order to please Jehovah. Then he approached Ashpenaz. With great tact, Daniel asked that he and his friends be allowed to avoid all foods that might defile them. Jehovah was with Daniel, and He caused the principal court official to show favor to Daniel. Still, the man was worried that their health might suffer if they did not eat what they were given. He knew that Nebuchadnezzar would hold him responsible. Daniel did not argue. But later, he courageously offered a solution to the guardian whom Ashpenaz had appointed over the boys: Allow them to eat only vegetables and drink only water for the next ten days, and then compare the four of them to the other youths. The guardian agreed to this test!

Ten days later, the result was clear​—those four youths looked better than all the others did! In fact, this trial was so successful that they were allowed to follow the same diet from then on. Clearly, Jehovah had blessed the faith and courage of Daniel and his friends. It was a lesson that they never forgot.

As the following chapter will show, Daniel’s three friends later faced a terrifying test of their courage. As for Daniel, he lived for about 100 years, and his courage, too, was tested. He had to reveal the meaning of dreams that Jehovah had sent to Nebuchadnezzar, even when those dreams foretold bad news for that proud king and his kingdom. Decades later, Daniel interpreted divine handwriting on a wall, though that message condemned Belshazzar, the king ruling at that time. And, as a very old man, Daniel even faced deadly peril in a pit full of hungry lions. In each case, he showed the same courage that he had shown as a boy. No wonder that one of Jehovah’s angels called Daniel a “very precious man”!

Read the Bible account:

• Daniel 1:1-21; 5:12; 10:11

For discussion:

In what ways did Daniel show courage?

Dig Deeper

1. 1. Does Daniel 1:1 contradict Jeremiah 25:1? (dp 18-19 ¶14-15)

   Your answer

2. 2. How does a Babylonian inscription confirm the existence of “the treasury of [Nebuchadnezzar’s] god”? (Dan. 1:2; it “Treasury” ¶3) A

   Your answer

   

   © The Trustees of the British Museum. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Source. Modifications: Box added

3. 3. What was the role of “the magic-practicing priests”? (Dan. 1:20; it “Magic and Sorcery” ¶2-6) B

   Your answer

   

4. 4. What were likely included in the vegetables served to Daniel and his three friends? (Dan. 1:12; dp 40 ¶25)

   Your answer

Reflect on the Lessons

• What can young people learn from Daniel about being faithful to Jehovah, even when they are not with their family?

  Your answer

• How did being “resolved in his heart” beforehand help Daniel to be courageous? (Dan. 1:8) How can we imitate him? C

  Your answer

  

• In what other ways might you imitate the courage of Daniel in your life?

  Your answer

Meditate on the Bigger Picture

• What does this account teach me about Jehovah?

  Your answer

• How does the account tie in with Jehovah’s purposes?

  Your answer

• What would I like to ask Daniel in the resurrection?

  Your answer

Learn More

Watch a dramatization of the events in this Bible account.

Daniel: A Lifetime of Faith​—Part 1—​Excerpt (13:07)

How can young ones today imitate Daniel’s courage and loyalty?

“Learn From Daniel’s Example” (w23.08 2-7)