Daniel 1:9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.
God Will Equip
If you find yourself feeling less and less at home in this world, then you are not alone. A lot of God’s people today feel less like they are living in some Promised Land and more like they are living as pilgrims and strangers in Babylon. If that is the case for you, be encouraged that so much of the Bible is written to people who have this perspective. Think about Daniel. Daniel had been taken far from his home to the land of Babylon where his name was changed, his diet was changed, and his entire life was structured around the man the Babylonians wanted him to be instead of the man God made him to be.
There is a wonderful truth that we find in Daniel 1. God will equip those who trust Him to thrive in a hostile world. I’m not talking about health and wealth. I am talking about the power to do what is right and make a difference regardless of the world in which you find yourself.
For instance, in Daniel 1:2 it says, “And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God.” The Bible is talking about when Nebuchadnezzar, the conqueror of Babylon, took the temple treasures back to the house of his god as if to say, “Our god has given us victory over the God of Israel.”
He was very wrong because the Bible says that the Lord gave Jehoiakim into his hand. In other words, despite all the heartache that came from the Babylonian captivity, this was part of God’s plan. God was in control.
Daniel 1:9 says about Daniel, “Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.” Now Daniel was a hard worker and a man of integrity, but he did not outlive kings and kingdoms merely because of his natural ability. That favor was God-given. It is wonderful to know that I do not have to make it my life’s goal to be liked by everyone. At the end of the day favor is God-given.
Another example of God’s sovereignty in dark days is found in verse 17 where it says, “As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning.” Later, Daniel told the king who was concerned about a dream that he could neither remember nor interpret that no one could do this for him. There was not a wise man or a magician who could interpret his dream, but there is a God.
Friend, there is a God. Because there is a God, I don’t have to have everything exactly to my liking. God has put us in this world as pilgrims and strangers in order to make a difference and to show the love and power of God in dark days.