Scripture Reference:
Daniel 1
Suggested Emphasis:
Say “no” to anything that will harm our bodies.
Memory Verse: “So if you eat, or if you drink, or if you do anything, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31, ICB
Story Overview:
When Judah turned away from God, he allowed the enemy nation of Babylon to capture the Jews and take them away to Babylon. The temple and the city walls of Jerusalem were destroyed. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon commanded that the brightest and most handsome captives be educated and taught to serve in the Babylonian courts. When Daniel and three other young Jews were told to eat the king’s food, they refused because it was food that God had forbidden Jews to eat. When the officials saw that these young men were healthier and stronger when they obeyed God’s food laws, they allowed them to continue obeying the Lord. These four young men impressed the king because they were smarter than all the men in the king’s court.
Background Study:
God’s People Taken Captive and Deported to Babylon
Jehoiakim was still king of Judah when Daniel and others were taken captive by the king of Babylon in 605 BC. During Daniel’s first years in Babylon, things did not get better back in Judah. Daniel and his friends watched as many other Jews joined them in this foreign city.
When Jehoiakim died, his son, Jehoiachin, was king for only three months when Babylon’s King, Nebuchadnezzar, attacked Jerusalem. Jehoiachin and 10,000 of the most prominent Jews were taken to Babylon. Jehoiachin’s 21-year-old uncle was put on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, and his name was changed to Zedekiah.
Eventually, Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, and the great city of Jerusalem finally fell (2 Kings 25). Zedekiah was cruelly made to watch the execution of his sons, and then his eyes were put out. Priests were slaughtered, and the temple was destroyed. Jerusalem was left in ruins, and the final captives were taken to Babylon. This happened in 587 BC.
Background Information on the Divided Kingdom.
Life in Babylon for Daniel and the Other Captives
Meanwhile, Daniel and the Jewish captives in Babylon had to survive and try to make the best of their new lives. They had to learn how to follow Jewish law in a place where the people in charge did not honour God. The Law of Moses was meant to shape worship, relationships, work and even what one could and could not eat.
Daniel and other young men were chosen to live at the palace and be educated. Nebuchadnezzar had conquered many nations besides Judah, and he was gathering the best brains from all of them to be trained as helpers in his government.
The king planned a three-year course of study for these young men so Daniel had the opportunity to acquire the best possible education of the day. The Babylonians knew math, astronomy, and medicine. Chemistry and metallurgy were established “sciences” of Daniel’s time, and theology and philosophy would also have been included.
The man in charge of the students gave them Babylonian names. “Daniel” was Hebrew for “my judge is God”. His new name, “Belteshazzar” meant “protect his life” and honoured a Babylonian god, Bel.
He ordered for them what he thought was the very best of food and drink. The food and wine assigned to the young men from the king’s table were probably very rich, luxurious, rare foods that only the wealthy could afford. But the problem with the king’s food and wine was that they had all been involved in worship ceremonies to heathen idols, and anyone who ate them was honouring the idol.
Also, God had given the Hebrews strict laws about food. Even in what they ate, Jews showed that God was to be honoured. Pork and some other kinds of meat were not to be used at all, and when cattle or sheep were killed, the blood was to be carefully drained from them. These rules were not followed in Babylon. Daniel felt he would be defiled and dishonour God if he did not keep God’s laws.
The man in charge of the young scholars considered Daniel’s refusal to eat the king’s food. However, the man was afraid to disobey the king. What if he gave the Hebrew boys some other kind of food, and then they were not as strong and handsome as the rest of the students? Then, the king might be angry and cut off the head of the man who disobeyed him.
Daniel suggested a ten-day test. The Hebrew boys would eat vegetables and drink water instead of sharing the king’s food and wine. The man agreed to try it. If the boys became weaker in ten days, he would insist they eat what the king ordered. The test proved that the Hebrew diet was best, so it was continued.
God wanted these Hebrew boys to be His witnesses in Babylon. He helped them become the best of the students. To Daniel, He gave a special ability to understand the messages that He sometimes gave in dreams. The king gave the final examination at the end of the three years of training. He found that the Hebrew boys were not only the best of the students but also even wiser than the great scholars of Babylon. Daniel stayed in Babylon for the rest of his life. He grew to be an old man in Babylon.
It was not up to the royal courts of Babylon to decide what food could be eaten. Daniel knew that God’s reign was above all earthly kingdoms. He is the king, and even our bodies belong to Him.
“Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep he tends.” Psalm 100:3, ICB
New Testament References to the Body
The New Testament does not contain specific food commands and yet the “body” is used many times to help us understand important concepts.
- Our bodies are to be used to glorify God (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).
- God’s Spirit lives within our bodies (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).
- Our lives (most versions translate this as “bodies”) are a living sacrifice to God (Romans 12:1).
- The church is the Body of Christ, and He is the head (Ephesians 1:22-23).
- Individual Christians are part of one body, the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).
Way to Introduce the Story:
Bring some healthy and yummy food to class today. As you share the food with the children, discuss the importance of a healthy diet. Talk about the fact that there were rules about food in the Old Testament. Jews were not allowed to eat some things (like pork). Think of why God had rules about food (health, cleanliness, no refrigerators, etc.) In today’s story, we are going to learn about a young boy who always tried to obey God’s laws about special foods.
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The Story:
God repeatedly warned his people that he would not protect them from their enemies if they did not obey him. One of the enemies was King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the powerful country of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar wanted to destroy the special city of Jerusalem and destroy the beautiful temple of God. Because the kings and many people did not obey God – he let King Nebuchadnezzar win.
King Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem three times. The first time, he took many people as prisoners, including many young people. The second time, he captured the King and army and took 10,000 people as prisoners. Finally, on the third capture, King Nebuchadnezzar broke down the temple and destroyed the city of Jerusalem. He took away almost all the rest of the people. They all had to move to the country of Babylon. Now, God’s people could not live in their own country. Bad things happened because most people had chosen not to obey God.
Not all the people were bad. Four good young Jewish boys, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were taken as prisoners during the first capture. They were good boys who loved God, obeyed God’s laws, worshipped God, and prayed. They were also careful to obey God’s rules about which foods they could eat and which foods they could not eat. Now they were prisoners! They had to leave their parents and live far away in the city of Babylon.
While these boys were living in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar decided to choose all the smartest and healthiest young prisoners to be his special helpers. Daniel and his three friends were chosen. The king wanted the prisoners to learn to like Babylon and to help the king. They were taken to the palace and taught all the laws of Babylon.
Their names were changed to Babylonian names: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They learned sciences, maths, and all about the stars. While the boys were learning, the king put an official in charge of them. He told the official to give the young men the best food in Babylon.
There was one very big problem. Daniel and his friends knew that the king’s food was food God did not allow. The food had probably even been used in the worship of idols. If they ate the food, they would disobey God’s law. Daniel told the king’s officials they would not eat the king’s food.
The official liked Daniel and his friends. He noticed that they were good boys and always tried their best. He did not want to make them eat the king’s food, but he was afraid that the king would get mad at him. Daniel had a good idea. He told the official to perform a test. Daniel and his friends only ate vegetables and drank water for ten days. At the end of ten days, the official could judge to see if they were as healthy as the other young men at the palace.
Daniel and the other three boys ate healthy vegetables and drank only water for ten days. At the end of ten days, the official noticed that these four boys were healthier than all the other young men at the palace. From then on, he allowed them to eat the food God allowed. They did not have to eat the king’s food.
At the end of the study time, the young men were brought before the king so he could test them with questions. The king decided that Daniel and his friends were the best of all the young men in the palace. They were wise and intelligent, ten times better than all the magicians and wise men in the entire kingdom.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego became wise men of the king’s court. They always loved God and tried to obey his laws. Even though they were prisoners, God blessed and cared for them.
It was not up to the royal courts of Babylon to decide what food could be eaten. Daniel knew that God’s reign was above all earthly kingdoms. He is the king of the entire world, and even our bodies belong to Him.
Ways to Tell the Story:
This story can be told using various methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible, but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection, student interaction, or emotion.
Click here for visual aids and story-telling methods.
Click here to download these illustrations and slideshow. Be selective. Each teacher is unique, so only use the illustrations that best relate to how YOU tell the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing, so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.
Review Questions:
- What happened to Jerusalem after the kings all stopped obeying God? It was destroyed, and the people were taken captive.
- Who were the four young men chosen to live in the palace? Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
- What was the only kind of food and drink the boys had? Vegetables and water
- How did the boys do when King Nebuchadnezzar tested them with questions? They were ten times smarter than all the wise men in the kingdom.
Song Suggestions:
- Shake the Devil Off Song
- 1-2-3 The Devil’s After Me Song
- Refer to the Song Page on this website for more options.
Learning Activities and Crafts:
(How to choose the best learning activities for my teaching situation)
Activities:
- Printable Visual Aid: Try telling the story using the following pictures:
Daniel and the King’s Food Printable Flip Chart - Make and eat some healthy snacks in class today.
- Thank God for making our bodies, and then do some exercises and talk about how we can take care of God’s gift. You might even try an exercise tape or take a walk.
- Daniel and his friends chose to obey God even when their parents were not with them. Talk about good things you would do even if your parents were not with you.
- Click here for ideas to help children memorise Scripture.
Crafts:
- Make a poster depicting 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Cut and paste pictures from magazines depicting people exercising and eating healthy food.
- There were particular Old Testament Jewish laws about what food could and could not be eaten. Those laws are not found in the New Testament, but God is still concerned with how we treat our bodies. Make a poster depicting how we take care of the bodies God made. This could relate to food, exercise, harmful substances and more.
Print bookmarks, trading cards or timelines (printable pages).- Visit the Teaching Ideas page for additional activities and crafts.
Very helpful and engaging, thanks for sharing
I enjoyed rreading your post