Intermediate Level, Block 7—Kingdom Degrading
Week 67
Daniel and His Companions—Following God’s Ways
Point to Emphasize: We should follow our parents’ way, even when they are not around, because they take God’s way.
Reading Reference: Daniel 1
Memory Verse: Only, fear Jehovah and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things He has done for you. (1 Samuel 12:24)
Story Sample
Last week we spoke about how the stubbornness of the children of Israel caused them to be taken captive to Babylon, in Chaldea. The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, went to war against the children of Israel. He won the battle, the children of Israel became his captives, and he brought them to Chaldea. Chaldea was a land full of idols. No one there worshipped the true and living God. The children of Israel were captive in Babylon and there was no worship to God. But God can never be defeated. He will always have a way, and He will always have some who worship Him as the true and living God.
Today we want to talk about four young people who had been captured and brought out of Canaan, Daniel and his three companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. They had been brought into the king’s palace because they were of royal seed, had no defect, and were very bright and able to learn many things. A top servant of the king changed their names to Chaldean names which had nothing to do with God. Their Israelite names —Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah— showed that they belonged to God. But their true names were changed by the king’s servant to Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
Now, before Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were brought to the king’s palace, they lived in Canaan with all God’s people. These were boys growing up in Israelite families. Their parents taught them to read God’s Word and to follow God. Their parents taught them that as God’s people they should not have anything to do with idols. This was the way their parents lived and this was their families’ way. And as these boys were growing up, they learned to go along with their parents’ way. These four boys knew that they were special. They were in families who thanked and praised the true and living God.
Growing up in the king’s palace meant that they were expected to eat food that had been offered to idols! What were they to do? They would surely get into trouble if they did not eat it, but how could God’s people eat food that had been offered to idols? God told His people that they should have nothing to do with idols, for only He was God.
But now these four were not with their families. They were on their own. And they were surrounded by people who did not know or worship the true God. What would they do? Would they take their parents’ way, which was God’s way, even though their mom and dad were not around to check on them? Or would they eat the food that had been offered to idols and use the names that were connected to idols?
Sometimes we are in the same spot as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. [Insert a personal story about being invited to a celebration or something we know is different from what we are taught—Will we be those who even when our parents are not with us, will refuse to do something we know is wrong?]
Well, these young people decided to take their parents’ way, God’s way.
There was a lower servant, a steward, who came and brought the food to them. Then Daniel said to the steward, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let vegetables be given to us to eat and water to drink.” (Daniel 1:12)
So the steward went along with Daniel’s request and for ten days Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were given only vegetables and water. After ten days the top servant looked them over, and what do you think he saw? He found that they looked healthier than all the others who had been eating the food offered to idols. So the steward agreed that from then on these four would be given vegetables and water. They would not be given any food offered to idols.
Daniel was young, yet he decided in his heart to take the way he had learned from his parents to have nothing to do with idols. We can do this too. We can choose to follow our parents’ way. In taking this way, we are choosing God and God’s way.