Read Daniel 1:1-21. What pressures are put on these young men to conform?

Upon arrival in Babylon, these four young men have to face a most serious challenge to their faith and convictions: they are selected to undergo special training in order to serve the king. Ancient kings would often recruit some of their best captives to serve in the royal palace, and, thereby, switch their loyalty to the king and the gods of the empire that captured them.

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Indeed, the whole process was intended to effect some kind of conversion and indoctrination that would result in a change of worldview. As part of that process, the Hebrew captives have their names changed. A new name signals a change of ownership and a change of destiny. Thus, by renaming the captives, the Babylonians intend to assert authority over them and force them to assimilate the values and culture of Babylon. Their original names, which point to the God of Israel, are replaced with names honoring foreign deities. In addition, the king determines that the young men should eat from his table. Eating from the king’s food had deep implications in antiquity. It meant undivided allegiance to the king and reflected dependence on him. And as the food was usually offered to the god or gods of the empire, eating also had a profound religious meaning. It obviously meant acceptance of and participation in the king’s worship system.

Thus, Daniel and his companions find themselves in challenging circumstances. For them to remain loyal to God and survive the overwhelming power of the imperial system demands nothing less than a miracle. To further complicate matters, the city of Babylon itself also stood as a monumental expression of human achievement. The architectural beauty of the Babylonian temples, the hanging gardens, and the Euphrates River meandering across the city conveyed an image of unsurpassable might and glory. So, Daniel and his friends are offered an opportunity for promotion and the chance to enjoy the benefits and prosperity of this system. They can cease to be Hebrew captives and become royal officers. Will they compromise their principles to tread the easy path to glory?

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At first glance the book of Daniel begins with a somber note of defeat. Judah has capitulated to Nebuchadnezzar and the temple vessels have been taken from Jerusalem to the land of Shinar. The word Shinar appears in the Bible in Genesis 11:2 as the location of the tower of Babel. Shinar is an ominous sign, as it alludes to a project rooted in open defiance of God. But even if the builders of Babel failed in their attempt to reach the heavens, external appearances suggested that Nebuchadnezzar and his gods — located in the land of Shinar — had overpowered the covenant God of Israel.

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Still, the opening lines of Daniel make it clear that the defeat of Jerusalem is not credited to the superior power of the Babylonian king; rather, it has occurred because “the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his [Nebuchadnezzar’s] hand” (Dan. 1:2, NKJV). Much earlier, God announces that should His people forget Him and break the covenant, He would send them as captives to a foreign land. So, Daniel knows that behind and beyond the military power of Babylon, the God of heaven is leading the march of history. It is this clear view of God’s sovereignty that sustains these young men and gives them strength and courage to face the temptation and pressure of the Babylonian empire.

Read 2 Kings 21:10-16, 2 Kings 24:18-20, and Jeremiah 3:13. Why does God give Judah and Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians?

As we face the challenges of the twenty-first century, we need to recapture the perception of God that is so vividly reflected in the book of Daniel. According to this book, the God whom we serve not only drives the forces of history through His sovereignty but also mercifully intervenes in the lives of His people to provide them with crucial help in times of need. And as we shall see later, what God did for the Hebrew captives He will do for His people in the end time, regardless of the various attacks on them and their faith.

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Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Kings 21:10-16; Daniel 1:1-21; Gal. 2:19-20; Matt. 16:24-26, 2 Cor. 4:17; James 1:5.

Memory Text: “As for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and skill in all literature and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams” (Daniel 1:17, NKJV).

The Bible does not shy away from showing the weaknesses of fallen humanity. From Genesis 3 onward, human sinfulness and its sad results are prominently displayed. At the same time, too, we also see cases of those who show great faithfulness to God, even when faced with powerful incentives to be anything but faithful. And some of the most poignant examples of such faithfulness are seen in the book of Daniel.

However, as we study Daniel, let us keep in mind that the true hero of the book is God. We are so used to stories that stress the faithfulness of Daniel and his friends that we may forget to exalt the faithfulness of the One who guided and sustained those four young men as they confronted the power and allure of the Babylonian Empire. To be faithful is enough of a challenge in one’s own land and place, let alone when facing the pressure of a foreign land, culture, and religion. But the human protagonists meet the challenges because, like the apostle Paul, they “know whom [they] have believed” (2 Tim. 1:12), and in Him they trust.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, January 11.

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Make Friends, Not Adventists

By Andrew McChesney, Adventist Mission

Igor Gospodarets ordered 800 colorful evangelistic posters reading “Bible Opens the Path to a Healthy and Happy Life” from Moscow. He plastered the advertisements around his city in a former Soviet republic where a majority of the population is not Christian.

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Then an elderly evangelist told him to start over.

“Order 800 new posters advertising the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s five-day stop smoking program”, said Arturo Schmidt, the evangelist from Argentina.

Igor couldn’t believe his ears. The posters had taken considerable money and time, and he didn’t want to start from scratch again. “Why?” he asked.

“Our goal is not to make Adventists out of non-Christians”, Schmidt said. “Our goal is to make friends”.

It was 1992, only a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Igor, a young Adventist pastor, was eager to take advantage of new-found religious freedom to share his love for Jesus.

He didn’t like Schmidt’s advice. It didn’t make sense to him to not preach Jesus. He didn’t see the logic of offering stop-smoking classes. He didn’t want to lose the money invested in the evangelistic posters. He prayed.

Finally, Igor decided to take a chance. Perhaps the elderly evangelist knew something that he didn’t. Igor ordered 800 stop-smoking posters from Moscow and placed them over the old posters.

A surprise greeted Igor’s eyes when he showed up for the first stop-smoking seminar. The rented hall was packed with 1,000 people. Most of the visitors were not Christians. Igor realized that the original posters never would have attracted such a large turnout.

Five years passed. After a Sabbath sermon, a stranger reached out to shake Igor’s hand in church.

“Do you remember me?” the man asked.

Igor didn’t.

“I was in that crowd of 1,000 people who took the stop-smoking class five years ago”, the man said. “I heard you and Pastor Schmidt speak”.

The man explained that he had been raised in a non-Christian home and had struggled to quit smoking. The seminars had helped him stop and, realizing that the Adventists were his friends, he had started attending church every Sabbath.

Igor couldn’t believe his ears.

“It was at that moment that I understood the importance of friendship evangelism”, said Igor, now 59 and a church leader in southern Russia. “Our goal is not to make Adventists out of non-Christians. Our goal is to make friends for Jesus”.

Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission. Find more mission stories at adventistmission[dot]org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

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Further Thought: From Reading to Understanding

 “The Bible was designed to be a guide to all who wish to become acquainted with the will of their Maker. God gave to men the sure word of prophecy; angels and even Christ Himself came to make known to Daniel and John the things that must shortly come to pass. Those important matters that concern our salvation were not left involved in mystery.

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They were not revealed in such a way as to perplex and mislead the honest seeker after truth. Said the Lord by the prophet Habakkuk: ‘Write the vision, and make it plain, … that he may run that readeth it’. Habakkuk 2:2. The word of God is plain to all who study it with a prayerful heart. Every truly honest soul will come to the light of truth. ‘Light is sown for the righteous’. Psalm 97:11. And no church can advance in holiness unless its members are earnestly seeking for truth as for hid treasure”. — Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, pages 521, 522. “Study the history of Daniel and his fellows. Though living where they were, met on every side by the temptation to indulge self, they honored and glorified God in the daily life. They determined to avoid all evil. They refused to place themselves in the enemy’s path. And with rich blessings God rewarded their steadfast loyalty”. — Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases [No. 224], vol. 4, pages 169, 170.

Discussion Questions:

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