Daniel 1 – Verses 5-17
5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king’s meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.
13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Why did Daniel request vegetables (pulse) and water, rather than the king’s portion of meat and wine?
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Nebuchadnezzar’s Food
As far as we know, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were the only ones that refused the kings food and wine. Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself. All four boy’s character had been set and obedience to God’s commands was a daily practice. God worked through the enemy and brought the prince of the eunuchs in favor of Daniel and he was willing to take a chance with the four Hebrew boys – which is a fulfillment of Jeremiah (cf. Jer. 15:11). A crisis does not produce character, it reveals it, and we see that in their decision. The other young Hebrews that were taken captive and placed in the king’s court succumbed to the mandate. This is a lesson for us to be like those four Hebrews that trusted and obeyed God, and prepare for a crisis before there is one. It is unlikely that one can prepare for the crisis if they are in the crisis. See: Jeremiah 24:1-7.
Daniel and his friends were simply following the dietary laws that God had in place from the beginning and expanding upon them after the flood (Gen.1:29-31; 2:9, 16-17, 24; 7:2,8; 8:20; Lev. 11:1-24,41-47; 20:25-26; Deut. 12:15-16; 14:1-21).
These food laws are as relevant today as they were back then. A pig is a pig, a catfish is still a catfish, a rat is a rat, a snake is a snake, and so on… Unclean animals are scavengers and are filthy creatures. No animal was ever intended for mankind to eat, but after the flood God granted the eating of clean meats due to the destruction that the flood cause to the vegetation. Vegetarianism is one of the healthiest diets as demonstrated in the Loma Linda Universities studies. See post and pages titled:
https://theplainword.com/gods-original-diet-in-genesis-1/
https://theplainword.com/what-we-believe/ (scroll down towards the bottom of the page)
https://theplainword.com/truth-about-healthy-living/
Not only is there a literal application where if we follow the dietary laws we will feel and look better. There is also a spiritual application here that is so powerful, their countenance reflected what they were eating. In Daniel 12:3 it says, “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel and his friends were different because of what they were eating. And, what they were eating was the unadulterated Word of God. They are drinking the true blood of Christ, meaning the true gospel. Christ said that ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’. That is what reflects in their countenance and so it will be when the end people go forth with the three angel’s messages – their faces are lighted up for they are reflecting the image…the character of Jesus Christ.
Notes:
Food, as related to prophecy, symbolizes knowledge. Scripture describes the word of God as ‘bread’; so, Nebuchadnezzar sought to completely transform their mind to Babylonian way of life.
The wine of Babylon is a symbol or concept that will come up later in our study as it relates to the end time scenario (Jer. 25:15-18, 51:7; Rev. 14:8, 18:3). ‘Wine’ in prophecy is false doctrine.
Babylonian Education
What was the impact of the pagan education upon the four Hebrews?
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Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah trained for three years, you might say they received a Babylonian college education. They complied, but did not submit to those things that would violate their relationship with God.
As we will see as we venture further into the chapter, this rings true throughout all of Daniel. Even in the face of death they stand in faith of God regardless of whether they are delivered from the situation or not.
The Hebrew boys would learn the language and literature of the Babylonians. If they performed in the top of the group and successfully went through the “college” they would be given a job in the king’s service. God used this as a blessing, for it gave opportunity for witnessing to a pagan king and nation. God is in the business of saving those that want to be saved, so the witnessing goes forth providing the opportunity for decision making.
Hebrew Name Changed to Babylonian Name
Why were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s names changed?
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The changing of the names is significant. Names are character. Their names reflected God in some manner. Changing their names not only stripped them of their Jewish names, it replaced them with names that was centered on Babylonian gods or the king.
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s names were changed to: Daniel became Belteshazzar meaning ‘Bel will protect the king’, Hananiah became Shadrach meaning ‘inspired of Aku’, Mishael became Meshach meaning ‘belonging to Aku’, and Azariah became Abednego meaning ‘servant of Nego’. Assigning new names was a common court practice in the ancient world. Its blatant intention was to change the entire identity of the bearer until the life matched the title. Nebuchadnezzar sought to change their character.
As Daniel’s relationship with Nebuchadnezzar changed, we find that Nebuchadnezzar eventually called Daniel by his Hebrew name.
Did you know that when we get to heaven, Jesus is going to give us a new name that will be written on a white stone? Our new name will reflect the character that redefined our lives (Rev. 2:17, 3:12; Isaiah 56:5, 62:2, 65:15).
What is the significance of a name? In the Bible, most every name had an important meaning. Some names described a person’s character, memorials of events at birth, and others were prophetic (Nabal = fool: 1 Sam. 25:25, Ichabod: 1 Sam. 4:21; Jesus: Matt. 1:21).
God at times changed someone’s name because of a change in the person’s heart. An example is Jacob (means: supplanter) who stole Esau’s birthright; to Israel (means: prince with God) after he wrestled with an angel and confessed his sin (Genesis 32:27-28). Saul’s name was changed to Paul and Simon’s name to Peter. God wants to do the same for us. He wants to take the bad name we’ve made for ourselves and give us a good new name provided by His Son. Jesus tells us that everyone who is saved will have a new name. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it” (Revelation 2:17).
The apostle John says, “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This is one of God’s names! It is also the best definition of who God is. This is the name God wants to give us, as He did for Jacob. Our new name will reflect the transformation of our nature into the likeness of his Son, to reflect the new and altogether unique identity each has received by grace and the irrevocable destiny we have in Christ.
As far as the white stone, there is not any other text that gives additional insight to its meaning. However, in ancient Greece, jury members would cast a white stone to signify an acquittal, whereas a black stone proclaimed the defendant guilty. If nothing else, it is an interesting thought. It is a fact, that those that are saved have been acquitted from the death penalty for sin and receive life eternal at the resurrection.
Faithfulness
How would you describe Daniel’s faithfulness?
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Daniel, a follower of the one true God, rejected this Babylonian transformation, while becoming proficient in Babylonian culture. It is possible that Daniel was adhering to the instruction given by the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:4-10. We know that Daniel read this passage at some point, because he references Jeremiah 29:10 in chapter nine.
God gave the message beforehand to the generation that would become captives so they would believe and to be encouraged that He was with them. Just as He gives the last generation of Earth’s history a message for the same reasons (Isaiah 44:7, 48:14; Daniel 2:45; Matt. 24:5; Mark 13:23; John 13:19, 14:29, 16:4; 2 Peter 3:2).
This encounter in the four Hebrew’s early life in Babylon provided an opportunity for them to freely choose to follow God and for God to be exalted. As was with Adam and Eve, the situation allowed them to exercise their freedom of choice. All four Hebrew boys chose to follow God’s commands, giving their allegiance to God.
Other Thoughts
This is reminiscent of what Satan attempted to do with Christ in the wilderness. The first temptation had to do with a basic need…food and drink. Satan appears with “helpful” advice just as he did in the story of Zechariah 3. Satan said, “…If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matt. 4:3). Christ replied, “…Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4, cf. Deut. 8:3).
In a literal sense we are living in Babylon meaning, we are in a world that is not friendly to the principles of God and to the principles of righteousness. The question is ‘How do we lie in the world, but not be partakers of the world?’ This is what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did…they lived in Babylon and purposed in their heart to not be of Babylon. When they ‘purposed in his heart’, meaning the deep inner conviction – it manifested itself outwardly in their words and actions. They purposed in their heart not to succumb to pressure in appetite for they refused unclean foods and fermented wine, and later on in the Book of Daniel we will find that in the matter of worship and speaking God’s word boldly they did the same (i.e., food and drink – unclean food and fermented wine, worship – fiery furnace & lion’s den, speaking God’s word boldly).