Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah are Blessed for their Obedience to God’s Commands

Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” Daniel 1:9-10

GOD CAUSED NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S OFFICIAL TO SHOW DANIEL FAVOR

Ashpenaz was ordered to teach the language and literature of the Babylonians to the young Israelite men that he had chosen for service to his king. They were selected for their physical attractiveness and mental acuity. He was concerned that Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah would look undernourished and be hampered mentally by not eating their assigned food and drink. If they looked worse than the other captives, the chief official could be put to death for failing to perform his duties.

Although Ashpenaz feared for his life, God caused him to show favor and compassion to Daniel. When Daniel asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself with the royal food, Ashpenaz could have flatly refused Daniel’s request. Instead, he shared his concerns and the possible consequence for granting his permission to Daniel.

DANIEL AND HIS COMPANIONS WERE TESTED FOR TEN DAYS

Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. Daniel 1:11-14

In an effort to obey the Torah and not defile themselves; this ten day period was a time of testing for these Jewish young men and could have been a matter of life and death. They denied themselves by not eating meat and drinking wine and were content with nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

THE TEN DAYS OF AWE

For those who follow the Torah, there is a ten day period that is observed annually in which it is commanded that a person denies oneself, and according to tradition, is a matter of life and death.

The LORD said to Moses, "The tenth day of this seventh month is the Day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourselves, and present an offering made to the LORD by fire. Do no work on that day, because it is the Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the LORD your God. Anyone who does not deny himself on that day must be cut off from his people. I will destroy from among his people anyone who does any work on that day. You shall do no work at all. This is to be a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live. It is a Sabbath of rest for you, and you must deny yourselves. From the evening of the ninth day of the month until the following evening you are to observe your Sabbath." Leviticus 23:26-32

Rosh Hashanah (Yom Teruah - The Day of Trumpets) is held on the first day of the seventh month. Ten days later, on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement is observed.

The ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are commonly known as the Ten Days of Awe. During the Ten Days of Penitence (in Hebrew, Asseret Yemey Tshuva, which, literally translated, means ten days of return).

Yom Kippur is the most holy, most solemn day for the Jewish people. It is the last day of the High Holy Days which began on Rosh Hashanah. Many Jewish people spend the entire day in the synagogue, praying and fasting in the hope that their sins will be forgiven and that they will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life for the coming year.

Yom Kippur is the most holy, most solemn day for the Jewish people. It is the last day of the High Holy Days which began on Rosh Hashanah. Many Jewish people spend the entire day in the synagogue, praying and fasting in the hope that their sins will be forgiven and that they will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life for the coming year.

BLESSED FOR OBEDIENCE TO GOD

At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. Daniel 1:15-16

In Deuteronomy 28, the first fourteen verses speak of blessings for fully obeying the LORD God and obeying all His commands. Daniel and his three companions were captives in a foreign land, yet at great personal risk, were willing to be obedient to the LORD their God. At the end of the time of testing, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. As Joseph prospered in the Land of Egypt because the LORD was with him, so shall Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah prosper in the land of Babylon.