Lesson 1
Daniel 1:1-5

(1) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. (2) And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure of his God. (3) Then the king ordered Ashpenez, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility- (4) young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. (5) The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. (NIV)

  The book of Daniel begins blazing the glory of God in just a very few words. God, in response to Israel’s continual disobedience, which God repeatedly refers to as idolatry, resounds as a capable and loving father disciplining His children. The Babylonian captivity that had been bellowed for so many years to Israel as a consequence of its purposeful avoidance of following God’s call had now been disposed on Israel. The beginning of the book of Daniel describes how God handed His children over to the enemy. It was not due to Israel’s militarial weakness that they fell prey to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; it was due to nothing other than God stepping aside, removing His victorious and protective hand from Israel, and allowing them to experience the consequences of a life of adultery, witchcraft, and false religion. God’s habitual and faithful mercy and grace had ended. Why? Because God only “winks” at our sin for so long before He judges it and because He is also just and sovereign, He has to do what He promises.

  God promises throughout His Word that He will judge that which is contrary to His will. Through the judgment, however, He was still faithful to draw out those who would seek and serve Him even in their nation’s state of captivity. It would seem as though God’s gentleness and goodness was beckoning out through these faithful individuals as to His desire to forgive, console, and deliver His people if they would simply repent for straying from Him in their lives. God purposefully drew out those who were willing to see to it that His will be accomplished. This loudly testifies to their closeness and faithfulness to Him and proves His faithfulness, even to a wayward nation. These young men were not only committed, but relentlessly loyal to God. Four of these individuals, named specifically in the sixth verse of the first chapter of Daniel, were not only drawn and named, but they were called and chosen. Their unshakable dedication to God would prove to be why.

Home | About Us | Booking | Music | Merchandise | Contact Us | Devotional | Guestbook | Links
Copyright © 2005 Among The Thirsty. All rights reserved. Designed & Powered by K3 Designs, Inc.