"Obedience is a Good Word!"
Click below to download the Cornerstone Connections leader’s guide and student lesson. This week’s resources also include two lesson plans and a discussion starter video which offer different ways of looking at the topic. Each lesson plan includes opening activities, scripture passages, discussion questions, and real-life applications.
Four young men are taken from their homeland to help rule a foreign country. But can they fulfill their obligations without disobeying their God?
Royalty and Ruin (Prophets and Kings)
Chapter 39 - Daniel a Captive in Babylon
When our story begins, the sound of war permeated the land of Judah, and Nebuchadnezzar’s army was at the door. Jerusalem was besieged, the people starving, and all hope was lost. However, the story doesn’t end there. In fact, it is the beginning of a new adventure. Daniel chapter one tells the story about the fall of Jerusalem and the capture of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and the journey into a foreign country.
Text, email, or message all of you students Friday evening asking them to bring their favorite hat to Sabbath School.
Have everyone grab their favorite hat and show it to the group. Have each student describe the hat and why the one they have is their favorite. Some of these hats may be outrageous, but this is a discussion starter that helps you to get to know your students better.
How does one trust God when everything one knows has either changed or been destroyed. What happens when one is dragged off to a foreign country without knowing whether one will be a slave or worse? This is where we find Daniel and his three friends in this week’s story.
Read Daniel 1:1-2.
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 house of his god.
Read Daniel 1:3-6.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service 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.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.
Now let’s read Prophet and Kings, page 481.
“The names of Daniel and his companions were changed to names representing Chaldean deities. Great significance was attached to the names given by Hebrew parents to their children. Often these stood for traits of character that the parent desired to see developed in the child. The prince in whose charge the captive youth were placed, “gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego.
“The king did not compel the Hebrew youth to renounce their faith in favor of idolatry, but he hoped to bring this about gradually. By giving them names significant of idolatry, by bringing them daily into close association with idolatrous customs, and under the influence of the seductive rites of heathen worship, he hoped to induce them to renounce the religion of their nation and to unite with the worship of the Babylonians.”
Read Daniel 1:8-14.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
Read Daniel 1:15-16.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
Read Daniel 1:17-21.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
It is sometimes easy to think that what we eat, drink, read, or how much exercise we get doesn’t matter. This story in Daniel chapter 1 seems to be written in order to remind us that everything we do matters. God allowed four young men from Judah to be taken to a foreign land into what could have been slavery, but instead put them in a position where they could influence a king about the ways of the Lord of the universe.
What do you think would have happened if Daniel and his friends hadn’t stood up for God? Would God have suffered? God placed those young men in a position where they could be witnesses that could change the world. If God was willing to do this over and over in the scriptures, what make you think that God wouldn’t want to use you? What would the outcome have been if the four Hebrews had chosen to just blend in with the others? What happens when you just blend in with the others?
Read John 15:16.
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.God has chosen you and empowered you to be His representative here on earth. It is your privilege to be a light in the darkness so that others can see the wonderful love of Christ and be drawn closer to a loving God who wants only their best. So go ahead, spread the love of Jesus with abandon.
This week’s follow-up may be a little more difficult to do than some of the other things you have been asked to do. Over the next couple of days, pray and ask God to shine a light on areas of your life that He needs to help you fix. Make a list of those areas and pick one to focus on for the next two weeks. For example, if you are struggling with discouragement because of the news or social media, what would happen if you gave that item up for a week? How would that change your life? Ask God to change your habits and outlook on life. Give it a shot—what do you have to lose?
Find someone who is willing to do this follow-up as well, someone you can completely trust to keep your discussions private, and talk about holding each other accountable.
For a Relational Bible Study (RBS) you’ll want to get into the Scripture passage and encourage the youth to imagine participating in the story while it’s happening. Then you will be able to better apply it to your own situation today.
You will need to ask God for the Holy Spirit to be present as your small group discusses the questions (no more than 3-6 people in a group is recommended). Start with the opening
question. It is a personal question and the answer is unique for each individual. There is no right answer and nobody is an expert here, so don’t be surprised when you hear different responses. You are depending on the Holy Spirit to be present and to speak through your group. Say what God prompts you to say, and listen to what others share.
Take turns reading the chapter out loud. Follow that with giving the students some time to individually mark their responses to the questions (a PDF version of the handout is available as a download). This gives each person a starting point for responding when you start to share as a group. Next, begin the discussion by asking the students to share what they marked and why on each question as you work your way through. Feel free to take more time on some questions than others as discussion warrants.
Encourage each person in the group to apply what is discussed to their personal lives and to share with the group what they believe God wants them to do. Then ask them to pray that God will help each of them to follow through in doing so. Remind them to expect that God will show them ways to live out the message of this passage in the coming week, and that they are free to ask others in the group to help hold them accountable.
Be sure everyone takes time for personal applications before you end your Sabbath School time together.
Download Handout
For several weeks we have followed the demise of God’s people in the Southern Kingdom of Judah. God’s messages through Jeremiah to return to the covenant by being faithful to God were ignored or repressed. This led to God’s people being taken into Babylonian captivity and the destruction of the sanctuary in Jerusalem.
The first wave of captives left Jerusalem for Babylon in 605 BC. The nobles and ruling class were taken in this group, including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Nebuchadnezzar raided Solomon’s temple at that time, but didn’t destroy it. Taking the goods of a country’s god(s) and adding them to one’s own stockpile of wealth was thought to add more power to one’s growing collection of gods (see Daniel 1:2).
Nebuchadnezzar took a second group of captives to Babylon in 597 BC (2 Kings 24:13), and the last group in 586 BC when Solomon’s temple was decimated and Jerusalem left as rubble (2 Kings 25:8-15).
When one kingdom overpowered another kingdom, it was thought the gods of the conquering kingdom overpowered the god(s) of the conquered kingdom. That’s why the conquering kingdom would ransack the temples and take the defeated gods and just add them to their collection of gods—they gained more power by having even more gods.
Daniel and his friends entered Babylon with the narrative that their one super-god, Yahweh, had been defeated by the Babylonian gods. But they didn’t see it that way. They saw it as the predicted discipline because they, as a people, had continued to break Yahweh’s covenant. Daniel and his friends chose to remain true to Yahweh, staying in covenant with Yahweh even as captives in hostile Babylon. Ask the youth to think of contemporary examples of that kind of situation for young people today.
It is in this setting that we start the book of Daniel, God’s prophet in Babylonian captivity.
What would you include in your favorite meal?
Read Daniel 1:1-21.
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 house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service 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.
6 Among those who were chosen were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 The chief official gave them new names: to Daniel, the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.
8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.”
11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them into his service, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
1. Why were Daniel and three others (Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah) picked for training?
A. They were the cream of the crop from Judea.
B. Their SAT scores were higher than most.
C. Their values matched those of Babylon.
D. They had perfect physiques and were handsome as well.
E. The first group taken captive to Babylon were from Judea’s nobility.
F. They were simply part of Babylon’s experimental testing of captives.
G. God had a plan to infiltrate Babylon’s palace with His own people.
H. Nebuchadnezzar took the best and brightest and brainwashed them.
I. Other.
2. Why did Daniel and friends choose not to eat the king’s best food and drink the wine?
A. It wasn’t all that good.
B. This provided them a personal sense of control as captives.
C. They believed God wouldn’t approve of such a diet.
D. Meat freaked them out.
E. They remained faithful to their covenant with God, including diet.
F. Going with the flow was not the way they rolled.
G. It wasn’t healthy, which would harm them mentally and spiritually.
H. They saw this as a trial run for bigger tests they would face later.
I. Other.
3. Why did Ashpenaz agree to the 10-day dietary testing?
A. What could go wrong in just 10 days?
B. Daniel was highly persuasive.
C. God made him favorable to Daniel.
D. He couldn’t really make them eat from the king’s table.
E. Daniel was really cute.
F. There were enough other candidates; he could afford to lose these.
G. It was a test, and personally challenging for Ashpenaz as well.
H. He saw it as a short detour until they would yield full compliance.
I. Other.
4. Why did these four Hebrew captives have their names changed?
A. When in Babylon, do as the Babylonians do.
B. They didn’t change them; the Babylonians changed them.
C. This was part of the plan to change their identities.
D. They are called by their Hebrew names throughout this chapter.
E. The Babylonian names call on Babylonian gods.
F. Hebrew names wouldn’t be welcomed in Babylon.
G. They just didn’t like the names their parents had given them.
H. The Hebrew names testified of the Hebrews’ God.
I. Other.
5. What difference could 10 days make?
A. A lot.
B. Not much.
C. Enough.
D. The number 10 symbolizes testing and/or completeness.
E. When it comes to diet, some changes are noticeable by 10 days.
F. The length of time didn’t matter as much as taking a stand for God.
G. Ashpenaz, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would find out.
H. Other.
6. Why did Daniel and friends outscore all the others after three years?
A. They were smarter.
B. They were lucky.
C. This was part of God’s special blessing.
D. God intervened to make it happen.
E. Their diet was consistently better than all the others.
F. They were 10 times better; tested and completely better.
G. They got an advance copy of the final test.
H. Other.
7. What tests have you already faced in your life? What tests are you likely to face in the future?
8. How would you have done if you had had to face Daniel’s tests?
Daniel and his three friends faced major tests when they arrived in Babylonian captivity. They passed the first test, which placed them in the favored group to begin their graduate education in Babylonian studies, to possibly be included in the esteemed group of the king’s advisors. Much more could be discussed about their 10-day dietary test. It’s miraculous that they were even able to do this test. The outcome also seemed miraculous. And God’s hand was seen in their graduation results—ten times better than all the others in their classes, as well as the most learned advisors already in Babylon. And Daniel, a Hebrew from Judah, continued as a top government advisor for 70 more years, including advising Medo-Persian kings who conquered Babylon. If Daniel served 70 years, this also means Daniel was probably a teenager when the events in Daniel 1 took place—a challenge and an invitation for teens today to be true in following God.
As a child you may have sung the song “Dare to be a Daniel.” This teen provides an inspiring and worthy role model for teens and adults today. Here are some ways for you to apply the example of Daniel to your life this coming week.
Of all the captives from Judah taken to Babylon in 605 BC, Daniel found three friends who were ready and willing to commit their lives and all they did to faithfully follow Yahweh. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah joined Daniel by staying true in an environment hostile to their beliefs. Who are your “+3” friends who you can count on to be true to God and stick with you through thick and thin? Take some time to reflect on this. Pray about it. Then make contact this week with each of those “+3” faithful and Godly friends. Tell them they are part of your “+3” and thank them for that. (For an example of King David’s “+3” see 2 Samuel 23:8-17.)
It’s likely that Daniel and his friends were teens when they experienced their testing in Daniel 1. This week, contact two different people and ask them about tests they have faced in their lives. Ask how they fared and what they are willing to pass along to you to help you in tests you might face. For one of the people, choose someone about your own age. For the second person, choose someone older than you—preferably someone you look up to as a role model or mentor who has faced multiple tests over the years. You may want to end your listening by asking for permission to make future contact with them for counsel and prayer when you face tests in your future.
What do you eat? What do you not eat? Try the Daniel diet for 10 days and see what you notice. Some people think 10 days isn’t that long, while others find it extremely difficult to stick to anything for 10 days. This might be especially true if you lack self-control or if your current diet is quite different from Daniel’s diet. What did Daniel and his three friends eat for those 10 days? Vegetables and water is what most English translations say. Water is pretty simple to understand. The word translated “vegetables” is the Hebrew word zeroim which literally means “seed-food”—food grown from seeds. This would include vegetables, but also other plants and grains—basically a vegan diet. If you’re already vegan, this has been your diet. If you’re not, give it a try and see if you notice any differences after 10 days. Who knows, you may want to do it for three years (and beyond)!
