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True Education
the king’s special service. Strong temptations surrounded them in
that corrupt and luxurious court. The fact that they, the worshipers of
Jehovah, were captives to Babylon, that the vessels of God’s house
had been placed in the temple of the gods of Babylon, that the king
of Israel was himself a prisoner in the hands of the Babylonians,
was boastfully cited by the victors as evidence that their religion and
customs were superior to the religion and customs of the Hebrews.
Under such circumstances, through the very humiliations that Israel’s
departure from His commandments had invited, God gave Babylon
evidence of His supremacy, of the holiness of His requirements, and
of the sure result of obedience. This testimony He gave through
those who still held fast their loyalty.
To Daniel and his companions, at the very outset of their career,
came a decisive test. The order that their food should be supplied
from the royal table was an expression both of the king’s favor and
of his interest in their welfare. But a portion of the food had been
offered to idols, and by partaking of the king’s bounty these young
men would be regarded as uniting in homage to false gods. Loyalty
to Jehovah forbade them to participate in such homage.
Daniel and his companions had been faithfully instructed in the
principles of the Word of God. They had learned to sacrifice the
earthly to the spiritual, and they reaped the reward. At the end of
their training, in their examination with other candidates for the
honors of the kingdom, “none was found like Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah.”
Daniel 1:19
.
At the court of Babylon were gathered talented representatives
from all lands, with the highest culture this world could bestow.
Yet amidst them all, the Hebrew captives were without a peer. In
physical strength and beauty, in mental vigor and literary attainment,
they stood unrivaled. “In all matters of wisdom and understanding
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about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better
than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.”
Daniel 1:20
.
Unwavering in allegiance to God, unyielding in the mastery of
himself, Daniel’s noble dignity and courteous deference won for him
the “favor and tender love” of the heathen officer who was in charge
of him. The same characteristics marked all aspects of his life. Soon
he rose to the position of prime minister of the kingdom. Throughout