Daniel grew up in Judea. To his west, the Mediterranean Sea extended past the grassy plains and sandy shores for as far as the eye could see. On his east, the mountains dropped sharply into the Jordan River and the Dead Sea. On the other side of their waters lay the Arabian desert. The only road to Egypt passed through the dry wastelands of the Sinai peninsula. North of him lay the nations of Assyria and Babylon. Between him and these nations lived several tribes that practiced a half-Jewish/half-heathen religion. Many of his own nation had forsaken God and had begun to accept heathen ways.

A stone wall surrounded the collection of shops and one-story houses of Daniel’s city. Beyond the city walls, fields of rye, spelt, and wheat were scattered among the fig and olive orchards. Pomegranate trees loaded with lush red fruit dotted the hillsides. Day by day, Daniel’s father and mother taught him to worship the only true God, rather than the sun, stars, and animals. Daniel realized that he was accountable to God for all his capabilities, and he was careful not to weaken his powers. God’s moral and health laws were important to him, and he reverenced them in his heart.

Growing up in Judea, at the same time, were three other boys, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Their parents gave them the same kind of education that Daniel was receiving. All four knew the history of Abel, Seth, Enoch, and Noah. They loved these stories of ancient men and how God had treated them.

Judah was deep in apostasy while these young people were growing up. Many of their own people openly rebelled against God, giving up the Sabbath and worshipping idols. Some went so far as to sacrifice their own children to idols. God’s prophets were hated and ignored and even killed. So Jehovah kept His promise: “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. . . .

The Lord shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone. And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the Lord shall lead thee. . . . Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity. . . . Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things” (Deuteronomy 28:15, 36, 37, 41, 47). And so it was that Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army came to camp in the valley of the Jews’ capital city, to surround their walls and to demand their surrender. Daniel and his friends were taken, along with others, as captives to Babylon. How would you like to be taken captive as a slave—when your people indeed deserve to be punished, but you yourself are an innocent person? It must not have been easy. But these faithful boys did not become angry or resentful at all. The forgiving Spirit of Christ was in their hearts.

Mile after mile they marched across the plain toward Babylon. As they approached that magnificent city, they could see the canals bringing the murky waters of the Euphrates to the fields of wheat, barley, and millet with their large blades of grain. Date palms dwarfed the travellers. In the distance, Babylon’s walls towered above the flat earth. Above its walls could be seen the top of one of the city’s many temples.

Passing through the mighty city gates, Babylon lay before them. Straight city streets narrowed to a point at their distant end. Gardens and four to five-story brick homes lined these broad roads. The palace and magnificent temples loomed above these houses. The city had just finished the ceremonies and celebrations of crowning the new king, Nebuchadnezzar. One of the king’s first acts in office was to assign the mass of men, women, and children brought back by his army to live in one of the best parts of the city. As monarch, he saw potential in some of the young captives. Selecting those who had received a good education and were capable of government work, he placed them in the royal university to learn the Chaldean language, astronomy, mathematics, and geography. Their teachers were some of the best educated men in the world and were leaders in the mysterious Babylonian worship.

As these boys studied in the schools of the Chaldeans, they accepted only what agreed with the Holy Scriptures. They prayed daily. They visited with God often. They put forth effort, completing their assignments to the best of their ability. They chose not to be afraid of what others would say about them. They would not argue with their consciences and were faithful in the little things. They made it their aim to gain as much knowledge as they could and to be as useful as possible while remaining loyal to God. They put forth much effort to accomplish this goal. This was their secret to becoming ten times wiser than the world’s wisest men.

The king provided the captive students with food and lodging. They were served grapes, figs, pomegranates, and melons. Cucumbers, onions, and flesh found its way to their tables. Sesame oil was used for cooking.

The four Hebrew boys, as we learned earlier, were not free to make many of their own decisions. Even under these circumstances they determined that they would never sin, even if they were commanded to do so or were threatened with death. So, when given meat and wine, they asked to be excused from partaking of it. The government official in charge replied that he feared he would be executed if, because of a different diet, they were to become sickly. They then requested a lesser official to test what effect a simple, healthful, vegetarian diet would have on their appearance. They were given a brief trial period. Ten days later, they looked healthier and felt better than any of the other captives. Therefore they were allowed the diet of their choice which they continued, along with exercise.

“Daniel was subjected to the fiercest temptations that can assail the youth of today; yet he was true to the religious instruction received in early life. . . . Daniel dared not trust to his own moral power. Prayer was to him a necessity. He made God his strength, and the fear of God was continually before him.”—The Sanctified Life, p. 20.

Dear young people: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah made up their mind to serve God. They studied the Bible to learn what they should or should not do. They prayed often. They put forth effort. They did only what was right, and they did it well. They did all this when no one else was willing to stand for the truth. They continued even when they were threatened with death.

What was their reward later on? They became the wisest men in Babylon. They were given great responsibilities in the government. God entrusted Daniel with some of His most important messages, and He helped Daniel to understand much from these messages. Are you like Daniel and his three friends? Are you the best you can be? Do you do your best at home, at school, at work? Do you study hard? Are you ten times wiser because of your faith and health practices? Many of us would like to brag that we are ten times wiser, or we only pretend that we are ten times better. But are you really wise enough? Are you wise enough to think of others? Are you wise enough to always know good from bad? Are you wise enough to know the best way to live? Are you wise enough to be humble about your wisdom? Maybe you are not like this. How can you change? Ask Jesus to help you. He says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). He wants to help you. He will give you ability and wisdom if you ask Him and choose to do what He says. Then you will be as great in your sphere of influence as Daniel was in his.