Ready for a Test?

Daniel 1:12-13 “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.”

Tests! We think that when we graduate from high school or college, we are done with tests for the rest of our lives. How quickly we find out that tests will always be a part of life! No matter what the walk of life, there are tests to be taken. Teachers evaluate students by written tests; professionals take tests to keep current in their field; parents are tested by their children, and so on.

Here in this passage, Daniel invites the Babylonian rulers to “prove,” or test, him and his three Jewish companions. On one hand, he had many people vying for influence in his life after he had been taken captive and brought to Babylon. Even as a young man, Daniel was already pressured to conform to the pagan ways of Babylon.

On the other hand, he had the influence of Jehovah-the true God-still following him, even into this pagan land. Though never mentioned in the story, we can assume that Daniel’s parents greatly influenced and trained him for the right, long before he was tested. Their careful training in the things of God back in Jerusalem stayed in Daniel’s heart, even in their absence.

Now he was put to the test-would Daniel conform to the pagan culture or would he stake his future on the name of God? First, Daniel welcomed the test to prove his God. The Babylonians had many gods whom they worshipped, but Daniel needed to show them that his God was the true God. As a matter of fact, it was God who gave King Nebuchadnezzar the victory over Jehoiakim (verse 2); gave Daniel and his companions favor with the rulers (verse 14); and gave them special knowledge, skill, and understanding to stand out above their other classmates (verse 17).

A great lesson to learn from Daniel is that if you rely upon God to prove Himself in your life, the world will see that He is real. If Daniel had not been in this situation, the Babylonians would have never seen the power of God in his life.

Read Daniel 1:18-21 and you will see that God did not fail this test! Daniel and his companions were found to perform far better than their classmates that did not know God, because God was the One enabling them. Are you ready to be tested? Let God be “proven” in your life and your convictions, and He will stand the test every time!