God allowed Daniel to be one of the chief’s favorite men so that the chief would let Daniel eat what his God commanded. Because of Daniel’s faithfulness, God bless him and his friends.
Because Daniel and his cohort obeyed God and only ate the food that He commanded (and not the unclean food and drink), they were blessed with healthier appearances after the ten-day trial, and the chief official continued giving them food that did not violate God’s commandment.
This marks the beginning of Daniel’s continued obedience toward God and the blessings God gives him for his faith.
Because of their obedience to God, Daniel and his fellow Israelites were blessed with knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom. The Hebrew word translated “wisdom” is “chokmah”, the same word Solomon uses when requesting wisdom from God. This is also the word translated “wisdom” in verse 20. In addition to this special endowment of wisdom granted to all four Hebrew youths, Daniel was also given the gift to understand and interpret all kinds of visions and dreams, which allows him to find favor with Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 2.
In light of the rough circumstances these Jewish youths had endured, it is amazing the faith they exhibit. There is little doubt their lives are progressing as expected to this point. But they are focusing on being faithful in the circumstances in which they find themselves.
Biblical Text:
14 So he listened to them in this matter and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days their appearance seemed better and they were fatter than all the youths who had been eating the king’s choice food. 16 So the overseer continued to withhold their choice food and the wine they were to drink, and kept giving them vegetables. 17 As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and intelligence in every branch of literature and wisdom; Daniel even understood all kinds of visions and dreams.
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