T-42: God's Equipping

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah lived in Babylon and were prepared for service to King Nebuchadnezzar. Scripture teaches us that the period of training and preparation was three years in length yet it does not tell us anything about how they were prepared by their Babylonian captors.

Our text today does give us great insight into this period though…

Daniel 1:17 (NIV)
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.
[1]

During the period of training, God was busy preparing these young men. I’m quite certain that the Babylonians thought that the young men were being prepared for the purposes of Babylon but apparently, God was preparing them for service to Him.

Our text reveals that ‘To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning.’ I find it interesting to note that God had not ‘given’ as in ‘prior to their captivity’ but rather that ‘God gave’ which connotes a contemporaneous giving during the time of their training. In their situation, God gave them exactly what they needed.

Our passage begins by speaking of how God met their physical needs by means of vegetables and water. Too, it speaks of how God honored their obedience to his commandments by giving them increased health and a visibly superior countenance. Having delivered these young men into the hands of their captors (and indeed the entire country of Judah) God continued to refine and to provide for these young men in the way that accomplished the will of God. How fortunate for King Nebuchadnezzar!

God, the source of all things, all knowledge and all wisdom saw fit to impart knowledge and understanding to these young men. In considering my own experiences with education I remember how often I would read or study something and just ‘not get it.’ I now understand that was because I was outside of God’s will and that no amount of intellect can make up for that deficiency. But now that I surrender to God (every day), He sees fit to give me knowledge and understanding in ways that I cannot explain. Rather, I cannot explain them in earthly terms, I can only explain them as being by His hand. So these young men set their minds and bodies towards the task of learning the ways, culture and knowledge of Babylon. God favored them and gave them knowledge and understanding such that they excelled all others. TSUNGANI!

“And Daniel received the ability to understand visions and dreams of all kinds.” The portion poured out to Daniel exceeded that of the other three and pleased God.

From these two sentences, rightly contextualized, we can learn that even in dire circumstances God equips his servants to not only survive but to excel. We learn from the context that obedience is an enabling posture before God and that we must be in the correct posture before the King in order to receive His blessing. First, obedience, then… blessing. Our God is an extravagant God whose riches surpass definition and who pours out gifts upon His people. In the case of Daniel and his friends, He poured out gifts of knowledge, understanding and interpretation. What gifts has God poured into you? Certainly, if you live a life of obedience to God you have been enabled. Having been enabled, God has equipped you to accomplish His plans for your life.

If you know the gifts God has given unto you, I challenge you to consider whether you have put them to work for His glory. If you have not yet discovered your gifts, I challenge you to seek them out and identify them that you may praise Him for His rich blessing. If you have not yet exchanged the yoke of sinfulness for the yoke of Christ, I challenge you to repent right now and begin a new life in service to the King.

Regards,
Carl

[1] The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.