3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—

4 young men without blemish, handsome, gifted in all wisdom, knowledgeable, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace—and to teach them the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

5 The king assigned them daily provisions of the royal food and wine. They were to be trained for three years, after which they were to enter the king’s service.

6 Among these young men were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

7 The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

— Daniel 1:3-8

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Bountiful grace and mercy to you from God.

In 605 BC, Babylon conquered Judah and carried out the first of three deportations of its leading citizens. Along with others from prominent families, Daniel was exiled in Babylon and then Daniel and his three friends were brought into king’s palace. King Nebuchadnezzar regularly chose the most capable young men from throughout his empire and brought them into royal service. This strengthened his court with men of intelligence and talent but also robbed subject nations of future leaders. The brightest minds of the next generation entered intensive study of Babylonian language, literature and culture.

Daniel and his friends began a three-year program designed to strip them of their cultural identity and allegiance to God. First of all their names were changed to be tied to Babylon’s false gods. When Nebuchadnezzar developed Babylon into a great ancient wonder and a powerful empire full of false gods, Daniel and his three friends, full of God’s mercy and wisdom, were determined to be committed to their God, instead of the false gods in Babylon.