I am intrigued by the young lads that we meet in the first few chapters of Daniel. We meet them as teenage captives, and hear snippets of their experiences as they have become embedded in the court of the Babylonian king. First off we meet them as captive trainees, then see them as graduates from the enforced leadership program, and we watch as they develop into young men entering the kings court as his servants - all in the first couple of chapters!
One of the things I am struck by as I read about Daniel and his friends, is their courage. They, as teenage boys have been through so much, but they seem to know what is worth standing up for. Reading through these passages it is easy to forget that they are captive Jewish boys. Yet we see boldness in them which is produced by the faith they have in God.
We first see this displayed when Daniel asks the chief of the eunuchs (who is responsible for the captive trainees welfare) if he can be excused from eating the king’s food - He, a captive boy, approaches the chief to make a request, don’t you think that’s a bit cheeky, even presumptuous?
Then, even when the request is denied, Daniel doesn’t give up. Instead, he rethinks, reprocesses and tries again. This time he has the courage to ask the steward for he and his friends to have a vegetable only diet for 10 days. That took courage, he must have been disappointed and a bit scared by the chief’s response, but he did not give up. He continued to pursue his request because he so desired to honour God. This overtook the fear and worry he must have felt. I admire him for standing up in the first place, let alone trying a second time. He did not give up. Sometimes we can, can’t we. Sometimes when we have built ourselves up to do something that terrifies us, and then it doesn’t work out, who then thinks, ‘well, I tried it, didn’t work, I’m done’?! Some of us do. Daniel didn’t. He built himself up again, and thoughtfully considered another way to achieve what he needed.
I have had to conquer fear a lot in my life. Growing up I was know as a ‘worry wart’ and i was told ‘you worry about worrying’. Maybe that’s why I admire Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah so much, because they do not hide away from the scary stuff, but they confront the problems and trust that something will happen and that God will help them. I could not imagine myself as a young teenager standing up to any authority, especially not any cruel institution like the Babylonians.
This isn’t the only instance that we see these four young men show courage either.
When the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, is outraged with some of the ‘wise’ advisers in his kingdom, (the; enchanters, astrologers, astronomers) he directs his captain to slaughter all of them. This includes the Jewish young men; Daniel, Mishael, Azaraih and Hananiah. The first they know about it, is that the captain comes along to get Daniel to kill him.
Daniel responds quickly and bravely. He asks the chief of the kings guard what is going on and why is it so important that the order is completed right away? He doesn’t stop there either - he is even brave enough to ask to go straight into the king and ask for more time!
Don’t you think that’s a bit outrageous?! Daniel is handed a death sentence and asks to see the king first and to ask for an extension of time! Daniel does not just accept the order, he challenges it. He stands up and speaks out. How brave is that?! When others would have been terrified and confused about what is happening, Daniel is gifted with courage and wisdom in his response. As a result of his courage to ask and put himself forward, he saved the lives of himself and his friends as they trusted in God to solve the problem.
These examples may seem extreme. Many of us are not captives or threatened with murder, but that does not mean that we cannot learn from the faith of these lads. Surely we can learn a lot. None of us are likely to experience the trials they faced, and yet, how many times have you or I given into fear rather than stand up for what we know is right, even if it could cost us?
We could pay the cost of losing favour, losing friends, even losing a job. These young men could have lost their lives. But, as Jesus says, ‘Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.’ (Luke 17:33).
Daniel, Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah did not value their own lives more that following God. They were prepared to lose their lives in order to continue honouring him. Another great example of this is when they were headed to the fiery furnace;
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Azariah, Mishael and Hananiah) replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. *17*If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us[] from Your Majesty’s hand. *18*But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-20
These men were more concerned about worshipping their God than anything else, that is evident, even when they had no clue about what was going to happen. They all stood up and stood out when others didn’t. They displayed great courage because they knew their God was greater than their circumstances. They didn’t know what was coming or how these situations would pan out, but they stepped out anyway.
Are you willing and prepared to step out in faith, boldly standing up for what you know is right in the face of adversity? Is there some area that you can begin trusting God in where you need courage? Ask God to help you, and trust that He will.
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