Daniel 1:17 - 21

Five short verses that highlight Daniel and his compatriot’s success!

17 Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

18 At the end of the days which the king had appointed for bringing them in, the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.

21 Daniel continued even to the first year of king Cyrus.

I have to remind myself that verse five pointed out the length of their training program. They have been eating vegetables and drinking water for three years—all as they have been immersed in a foreign culture—three years.

Standing firm for three years is hard. They were high school or college age youths choosing to take a stand. That meant they were not part of the main group. 

Their choice paid off. Verse 20 tells us that the king found them in every matter ten times better than everyone else.

Here is where I want to suggest we come to a fork in the road regarding how we think about God. 

What is our theological understanding of God, and God working in our lives, especially when we experience success?

One of the forks is a fork that draws short straight lines between our behavior and the results we perceive God bringing about.

Yes God is sovereign. Yes God blesses those who love Him and are obedient. Yet that does not mean we control God. It is not as if we decide to be holy, then do it (as if we could), and then because we have been holy, we expect that God will of course reward us. 

It is amazingly easy to fall into this mistake. We do it all the time. 

Certainly God does bless those who are obedient and faithful. However, when and how He blesses is, shall we say, His business. 

We should, as Jesus’ followers, seek to follow God’s laws. We should, as Jesus’ followers, take seriously the consequences of sinful behavior that we refuse to stop doing (the Bible describes that as refusing to repent). 

We should however not draw short, straight lines.

There is another road in the fork. 

This path sees God’s hand in our lives with a longer trustful view. 

There are times when we are in a season of suffering, and God in fact may be using it to strengthen us (As humans we do this regularly, think “Boot Camp”.)

There are times when we are in a season of success, and God in fact may have planned it as a short season. He may be using it to let us know that He is with us, before we are about to be severely tested.

Imagine if we viewed our success singularly as God’s blessing (vice communication that He is with us right before a severe testing). Then the testing comes. 

We would misunderstand the “shift in season”. We could fall into discouragement, evening doubting God’s presence with us.

As Daniel is on the verge of a career of challenge, God shows Daniel and his colleagues that He is indeed with them. 

What season are you in? How are you processing your success or suffering? What reason are you assigning?  Might God have a different reason?