20. FOUR COLLEGE BOYS WHO KEPT STRONG
(Daniel 1)
Four boys, who were great friends, were taken from their homes and carried far away into a great city in a foreign land to live among strangers. One day the King ordered his officers to select from among the Jewish captive boys four of the brightest, and these four boys were chosen and brought into the King’s palace to be educated for three years in the King’s college for royal service. Thinking it a great honor to them, and that it would make them strong, the King ordered that these boys should be given a daily supply of the rich food and wine, such as he and all his military cadets received. But the very first time the silver tray, with all of these dainties, was brought to these four college boys, one of them, whose name was Daniel, said to the officer who took charge of them, “Please let us not have this rich food and wine, but have plainer food.” The officer laughed and said: “I am afraid that if you do not eat this rich food your faces will become thinner than those of the other college students, and then the King will cut off my head!” But Daniel said: “Try us ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then look at our faces and the faces of the other boys that eat the King’s rich food and drink his wine, and see.” The officer said he would try them for ten days. He did so, and at the end of that time their faces were fatter and rosier, their bodies plumper, and their minds clearer, stronger, and brighter than all the other boys. At the end of the three college years, the King sat upon a golden throne, and all the students were brought before him, and he saw that these four were stronger than all the rest, and that they knew ten times as much as the magicians and astrologers in all his kingdom. So Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these four friends who were true to their principle, showed after all that they kept their health and were stronger and better by going without the rich food and the royal wine.
21. FOUR FRIENDS IN THE FIERY FURNACE
(Daniel 3)
It was a wonderful sight to see the King’s golden image which he had set up in the great plain. The King was a worshiper of images of wood and stone, and he sent forth his herald with a loud trumpet to cry aloud “To you it is commanded, O people, nations and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the King, hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” From all the country and provinces around people came to see this great image and to worship, and at the sound of the instruments of music all fell down and prayed to it, except three young men who stood upright looking before them, without bowing their heads or knees to the golden image. These were the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the friends of Daniel, who must have been away on a journey at that time. When this was told to the King he was very angry and ordered them at once to worship his image or be cast into the furnace, which they saw in front of them glowing with a terrible fire. They said to the King: “Our God is able to save us from your fiery furnace, and he will save us. But if he does not, be it known unto you, O King, we will not worship the golden image you have set up, or serve your gods of gold.” The King was more angry, and ordered his strong men to make the fiery furnace seven times hotter and cast these three friends into the midst of it. But they were not afraid though they were tied with ropes and cast into the fire, which was so hot the flames leaped out and burned up the men who threw them into it. The King was sitting where he could look right into the furnace. A few moments after, he sprang up greatly astonished and cried: “Look, look; did we not cast three friends into the furnace? Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!” The King ran to the mouth of the furnace, crying, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come out!” And they came out of the fire, and not a hair of their heads was singed, nor were their coats scorched, nor was there even the smell of burning on them. And it all came about because these three friends were loyal to the one true God, who had sent the other Friend, “the form of the fourth,” to deliver them out of the burning fiery furnace.
22. THE MAN WHO WAS NOT AFRAID TO PRAY
(Daniel 6)
Daniel was the man who dared to stand alone in work, in worship, and in play. He could be trusted in everything. Because he was so industrious, faithful, and thoughtful, the new King promoted him to be next to him in rule over all the land. The other officers were jealous and set plans for his downfall. They persuaded the King, Darius, to sign this law: “Whosoever shall pray to any god or to man for thirty days, save to thee, O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions.” The King was delighted to think of every one in the city praying to him just as if he were a great god, so he signed this wicked law. Daniel knew what these evil men would do, but when the time came at noonday for him to pray, he went straight to his home, opened wide his windows toward his old home in Jerusalem, as he was accustomed to do, and knelt down and prayed and gave thanks to his God. That night he did the same thing. He could have waited until he was in bed where none could see him say his prayers. Or he could have left his window closed. But he was not afraid of the King or his officers. They were watching down the street, like detectives peeking from behind the corners perhaps, and when they saw Daniel pray they hurried to the King and told him. Darius loved Daniel and was sorry he had signed the law, but as the laws of that land could not be changed, he said that Daniel must die. So Daniel was brought to the great cave of the hungry, roaring lions. The cage was opened at the top and Daniel was thrown right down into the midst of the wild animals. The King was sad and said, “Daniel, your God will deliver you!” Then the King went back to his palace, but he was so sad he could not eat nor hear music. All night long he thought of Daniel, how good and useful he had been, and how cruelly treated. Early in the morning he arose, hurried to the cave, looked in, and there was Daniel—alive and well. The King cried out, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God delivered you from the lions?” “Yes,” answered Daniel, “my God has sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me.” The King was glad. He called his servants to come and take Daniel out of the den. When he was drawn out there was found not even a scratch upon him. The King said, “Bring those mean and jealous men, who tried to kill Daniel, and cast them into the den.” So they were caught and cast into the den, and so hungry were the lions that before the men reached the floor of the den the beasts had seized them and were crunching their bones to pieces. Then the King made a new law that all in his kingdom should pray to Daniel’s God, who had delivered him out of the lions’ den, and who had given him the power to dare to stand and to pray alone.