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Daniel 1:11-14

¹¹Daniel talked it over with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief official to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ¹²“Test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. ¹³“At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s rich food. Then you can decide whether or not to let us continue eating our diet.” ¹⁴So the attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

Reflect

It was important for Daniel to hold on to his convictions. Faced with a situation that could have him defile himself, Daniel chose to “negotiate” with his superiors rather than compromise his convictions. If you look at this situation more closely, you begin to realize the amount of faith Daniel had to have. The common consequence for disobeying the kings orders was immediate death, so Daniel was asking his supervisor to risk death so Daniel wouldn’t have to compromise his convictions.

Have you ever held to a conviction so much that you would ask others to risk their life to accommodate you? It isn’t likely that the supervisor did this on his own. You see, God was always in control and knowing this, Daniel knew that as long as he was faithful to God, God would be faithful to him. So, God caused the supervisor to accept Daniels proposal. Daniel had enough faith to ask and then let God do the rest.

Respond

1. Have you ever been in a situation where you had to take a stand on your convictions? If so, did you ask God to help you?
2. Why did Daniel think he could ask the attendant to agree to this test?
3. What proof did Daniel have that God was with him?

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