Daniel 1:18, commentary and pictures

At the end of the days the king had appointed for their training, the prince of the eunuchs brought Daniel and his companions in before Nebuchadnezzar to be examined. The set period of preparation was three years, after which the king found Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah with none like them, ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in his realm, and they stood before him in his service. Their ability came because God had given them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and their success grew out of fellowship with Him. Their strict temperance in refusing the king's meat and wine and living on simple food preserved their physical powers and strengthened their minds for study and examination. Because they honored God and stood firm on principle without defilement or compromise, God honored and advanced them, placing them in Babylon to make His supremacy, holiness, and requirements known to a heathen nation.

Time, Actors, Examination

At the end of the days the king had appointed for their training, the prince of the eunuchs — the chief official, the chief eunuch — brought Daniel and his companions in before Nebuchadnezzar. That bringing-in was their presentation at the close of the set period of preparation, and it led directly to examination by the king. Their appearance before him followed their faithful refusal of the king's meat and wine and their choice of pulse and water, whose vindication was seen in their health and knowledge. It also followed God's gift to them of knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, which made them exceptionally capable.

The appointed period of preparation so ended was three years of training in Babylon. It was the three-year period the king had set for the young men's preparation in ability and acquirements, at whose close Nebuchadnezzar himself was to test them.

The king then examined their ability and learning. He found Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah with none like them among the other young men and candidates, unequaled in understanding and learning. He judged them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in his realm in wisdom and understanding, exceptionally capable. And they stood before the king in his service, faithfully and competently serving in Babylon's kingdom.

God's Gift and Witness

At the close of the king's appointed training the young men were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, and what then appeared in them was God's own gift of knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom. To Daniel in particular was given understanding in visions and dreams, with skill in Chaldean learning, after he had refused to defile himself with the king's food and wine and had withstood corrupting court influences. Their course had been to keep appetite under control so that the mind would be clear and keen to comprehend instruction, to study God's Word, to obey the king in all that did not sacrifice principle, to close the door to temptation, to deny appetite, and to place themselves in right relation to God. God blessed that effort to honor Him, gave favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs and freedom to eat and drink as conscience directed, and then manifested Himself in their examination when they were found ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in the realm. Their success came from fellowship with God, and their experience shows that such earnest, whole-souled determination to be true to principle at any cost brings the manifestation of the Lord.

Their presence in the royal court was not their own choice but came through captivity, for God had placed them there. They were God's chosen servants carried captive to Babylon to be His witnesses among heathen nations, to represent Him without compromising faith. Brought before its rulers at the end of their preparation, they gave God opportunity to make the true God known, to show through their loyalty that He is supreme, that His requirements are holy, and that obedience brings sure results. So their standing before Nebuchadnezzar, exceptional in wisdom and understanding, served to make the God of Israel known among other nations.

When children of faith dedicate themselves to God without reserve with earnest prayer, the Lord honors their faith and blesses them with a clear mind, for them that honor Him He will honor. Daniel and his companions had honored God by standing for principle rather than yielding to the king's conditions, by openly confessing faith even in the royal court, by honoring Him in both prosperity and adversity, and God honored them with wisdom and understanding, advanced them, and set them as faithful witnesses before the king. Their advancement is the pattern of God advancing humble, faithful, praying people who give themselves wholeheartedly to service. As representatives of God among a heathen nation, through their knowledge of Him they could bring blessings to others while honoring their faith without compromise with idolaters.

Temperance Preserved Powers

Their presentation before Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the appointed training came after they had refused the meat from the royal table and the wine from the royal cellar, including spirituous liquor, and had held to pulse and water instead. That refusal was resistance to corrupting court influences and to defilement, a determination to be true to principle at any cost and to keep appetite under control so the mind would be clear and keen to comprehend instruction. They held a course of strict temperance in all things for their present and future good, living on simple wholesome food with few kinds at a meal and nothing to overload the stomach, staying in the course they had laid out for themselves as students. Their intelligence depended on what they ate and drank, and by refusing the rich foods and wine the king had appointed they stood high in clear intellect and in clear presentation of matters that bring a knowledge of God and the truth.

That temperance preserved their physical powers and strengthened their minds, fitting them for the king's examination and for greater usefulness and for taxing labor. Their abstinence kept their minds clear from the oppression of luxurious food, giving clear intellect, strength of thought and retentive memory, so they could think and work vigorously and were never sick. At the close of the three years of training their keen apprehension, choice and exact language, and extensive and varied knowledge testified to unimpaired strength and vigor of mental powers. Their erect form, firm elastic step, fair countenance, undimmed senses, untainted breath and distinct appearance far ahead of those who indulged appetite were certificates of good habits and vindicated their choice of pulse and water over the king's food and wine.

Their history in the court of Babylon gives a comprehensive and forcible illustration of true temperance and its attendant blessings, and of what constitutes a sanctified character, a lesson for all and especially for the young. It teaches that self-denial in eating and drinking honors God, benefits the health of body and mind, and helps students seek knowledge and excel in mental power, requiring care in diet and in how the organs that make blood are treated. Strict compliance with God's requirements and strict temperance in all the habits of life, with wisdom and strength sought from God, is the way to reach the highest standard of moral and intellectual attainments. Their integrity and firmness in standing by firm purpose is the example of Christian temperance, proving the triumph of principle over temptation to indulge appetite and over the lusts of the flesh even at great sacrifice.

Faithful Integrity Tested

The end of the appointed days of training was the moment when the prince of the eunuchs brought Daniel and his companions in before Nebuchadnezzar to be examined by the king. Their course there proves what earnest, whole-souled young men may become when determined to be true to principle at any cost. Reasoning that to fulfill God's purpose for them they must keep appetite under control so the mind would be clear and keen to comprehend instruction, Daniel purposed not to defile himself with the king's meat and wine, and closing the door to temptation brought God's help, favor with the prince of the eunuchs, and freedom to eat and drink as conscience directed. That firm decision to stand on the Lord's side without compromise with idolatry or yielding to appetite and the corrupting influences of a wicked court is an inspired illustration of sanctified character and of Christian temperance, showing that through religious principle young men can triumph over the lusts of the flesh and remain cheerful, faithful, and pure even at the cost of great sacrifice.

God's blessing of knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom did not replace their own work, for their education for service at court required diligent study and strenuous effort. They understood that through God's grace their future depended also on their own will, choices, and actions, so they used every ability and opportunity fully and taxed their powers to the utmost. That faithful use of their powers in preparation enabled them to demonstrate exceptional knowledge and wisdom when brought before the king at the end of the period Nebuchadnezzar had set, and Daniel's success came from God, who valued his pure motive and determination to honor the Lord.

Brought before Nebuchadnezzar in a responsible position, Daniel sought power from God alone in order to represent the truth in righteousness and not himself in selfish practices, having no vestige of pride or self-importance but being weighed with the Spirit of wisdom. His conduct through the preparation reflected courtesy, kindness, obedience, and integrity amid idolatrous surroundings, adapting to court customs that did not dishonor God, while his learning in secular and religious subjects did not corrupt him because he yielded to the Holy Spirit. He gave God the glory for his abilities, represented the sacredness of the work, and presented the holy perfume of Christ's character, and as leader his strong stand for what was right helped keep his companions from failing so that all were honored by God. By that self-denying cooperation with Christ he gained victory over hereditary and cultivated tendencies and made impressions upon other hearts that will never be effaced.

Education and Growth

Hearing and doing God's word with a pure mind enlarged and quickened every intellectual faculty, sharpened understanding, and carried Daniel and his companions forward in every branch of learning beyond Babylon's highest schools. Success in finishing their education and standing before the king at the end of the days was not chance or destiny but from God, who read Daniel's heart and looked with pleasure on purity of motive and determination to honor the Lord. Daniel did not walk in sparks of his own kindling but made the Lord his wisdom, made divine philosophy the foundation of his education, welcomed the counsel of the Lord, and submitted to divine discipline, as all students should do. They were skilled in both secular and religious knowledge, studied science without being corrupted, and remained balanced because they yielded themselves to the Holy Spirit, gave God the glory for their abilities, and through faithful use of their powers received knowledge, skill, and understanding.

Instruction received at home was not displaced at court, for they held fast to it, proved faithful students, and were exalted as representatives of a religion that remained loyal to God under every circumstance. Their early training in knowing God and storing pure, sound, honest principles preserved them through the test of captivity, and truths learned earlier became essential in their time of need and shone with fresh clarity. Their history proves that Christ is willing to reveal Himself to children and youth, and shows what God expects from children and youth when parents treat them as a sacred responsibility from God and teach them from babyhood to keep the commandments of God, to be obedient, and to form characters after the divine similitude.

After the set time devoted to book-knowledge under tutors, study ended and practical service began when they were brought before Nebuchadnezzar to enter the work for which they had studied. Daniel put into practical use the theories he had gained under his tutors instead of entering again upon another line of study, and students are to follow that same course of putting what they have learned into practice in the work.

Pattern for Youth Today

Daniel 1:18 marks the moment at the end of the appointed days of training when Daniel and his companions were brought before Nebuchadnezzar to be examined by the king, and their course proves what earnest, whole-souled young people determined to be true to principle at any cost may become today. To fulfill God's purpose they kept appetite under control so the mind would be clear and keen to comprehend His instruction, closed the door to temptation, denied appetite, placed themselves in right relation to God, and God blessed their effort to honor Him with knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom so that in the examination they were found ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers in the realm. The first chapter of Daniel holds together with consistency and is full of valuable instruction for youth, even when they feel they lack advantages in eating, showing that God's blessing did not replace effort but that they studied diligently, used every ability and opportunity, and their future depended on their own choices and actions as well as God's grace. Daniel's firmness in resisting temptation and adhering to what was right made him an example of faithfulness, and students who follow his example can enjoy God's favor and remain steadfast when tested. Close connection with God, reverence for Him, a sense of responsibility to Him, and willing, diligent use of abilities equip young people to reach a high standard, for they refused to waste time on selfish aims and amusements, and this standard is attainable for every Christian youth.

Those established, rooted, and grounded in the truth, with truth wrought into their being, may enter worldly schools, colleges, and institutions of learning as students and live the truth as Daniel did when he completed his training in a worldly school and was brought before Nebuchadnezzar as one who had kept principle without compromise, with Joseph in Egypt and Paul as fellow examples. They make no pretensions, sacrifice no principle, start no open controversies, respect all rules and regulations, study the situation to see the best way to represent the truth so the light shines forth, and depend on the power of God manifested in the life more than on words spoken. They keep the living principles of the truth, observe the Sabbath, live out what they believe so their principles become known through practice, and prayer is heard. When inquiry is aroused they tell inquirers in simple language the simple Bible doctrines, ask and answer questions on Bible doctrines, and drop seeds of truth in minds and hearts that under the Holy Spirit spring up to bear fruit to the glory of God in the saving of souls, while those without decided connection with God are in danger of being led astray instead of correcting error and diffusing light.

Daniel brought before Nebuchadnezzar at the end of his training was a trained man for the work whom God honored with wisdom and understanding, and those who bear responsibilities must be thinking men bearing God's impress, steadily progressing in holiness, moral dignity, and understanding of their work. Seventh-day Adventist institutions are to represent God to the world as Daniel and his companions did in Babylon, following the pattern given them, securing the best talent, listening to God's voice, catching every ray of light from heaven, pursuing an undeviating course, and growing in wisdom and in favor with God as praying men who come up into the mount to view God's glory. Daniel is an example of one who cultivated every faculty and grew in knowledge and understanding so he could represent God's kingdom, for knowledge is a power for good when used in God's service. Daniel and the other Hebrew youths served God faithfully while meeting their school duties, their love and fear of God shaped how they used their abilities and time, they did not let selfish motives or amusements take the place of diligent study, and close connection with God through prayer enables students to meet their duties under both human teachers and God's oversight. Their pure, correct, and temperate habits made them a good influence and gave them credibility even with unbelievers, God gave Daniel clearness of thought and knowledge and fitted him for His work, and all heaven is enlisted in educating and training the powers of students who study under the eye of God.

Daniel chapter one contains so much instruction that an hour of speaking cannot give it all, and it teaches that religious interest shall be the first and highest study in school, for when the hearts of students are drawn toward heavenly things their words and actions will testify of heavenly things, and spiritual health of the soul creates an atmosphere that is fragrant. The encouragement God gave Daniel when he was brought before Nebuchadnezzar at the end of the appointed days came after his faithfulness in doing the little things entrusted to him gave character to his whole life, which means whatever is worth doing is worth doing well and faithfulness is required in the smallest duties as well as in work requiring the largest sacrifice. Following Daniel's example means not only professing the truth but living the truth and acting in accordance with the principles of temperance, and to all who do so God will give encouragement similar to that He gave Daniel. Their preparation included faithful study of God's Word, which they treated as their authority and obeyed, God gave them wisdom as they studied and prayed, they served in Babylon obediently but would not sacrifice principle, and God helps those who give Him their will, seek understanding, and serve others unselfishly, giving them wisdom, knowledge, hope, and courage. A person should not claim credit for his abilities but acknowledge dependence on God and give Him the honor, and should use every opportunity to develop the abilities God has given him, following the principles of Scripture, so that capacity increases. In like manner Seventh-day Adventists are to witness for God by being in the world but not of the world, standing distinct in manner of dealing, showing purity of character and honesty in dealing so that those with whom they are connected may see that truth conscientiously believed and obeyed sanctifies believers and makes them as sons and daughters of God, children of the heavenly King, members of the royal family, faithful, true, honest and upright in small as well as great acts of life.

Daniel's presentation before Nebuchadnezzar after the period of preparation belongs to the record of his noble, self-denying life, and his exalted position shows what divine grace and power can accomplish and encourages people to resist temptation and stand for what is right even under severe trial. He came off triumphant when brought in before Nebuchadnezzar because he made a friend of God rather than placing himself in association and companionship that fills the mind with cheap nonsense and harms spirituality, and triumph over the powers of darkness arrayed against youth, over Satan's desire to turn footsteps from self-denial and warp character so that no influence in favor of the truth is exerted, comes by fighting bravely against the suggestions and temptations of the enemy in God's strength. Those brought into trial in the way of duty may be sure that God will protect them, as Daniel in the king's court meeting trial in the way of duty was protected, but those who place themselves under temptation by choosing association with the servants of Satan will fall sooner or later. Daniel and the three worthies brought before Nebuchadnezzar are examples of self-denial and self-sacrifice whose influence made lasting impressions on others and spread throughout the world. Their course means having the attributes of Christ, ruling animal passions, appetites, and hereditary or cultivated habits instead of being enslaved by them, making all circumstances, appetites and passions servants and not rulers, and controlling circumstances by an inwrought principle learned from the greatest Teacher, which cuts like a plowshare through hereditary and cultivated habits and through all circumstances and surroundings, so that no excuse from circumstances, appetite or passion is of any value against it.