Trial
Daniel and his friends were afraid. They probably risked their lives. But obeying God was more important to them. When the official brought them the food, they said, “Sorry, but we cannot eat this food.”
The official was really shocked. Why wouldn’t they want to eat such a delicious dish? They are being very rude! At the same time he was concerned and said, “If you don’t eat this food, you will grow thin and lose weight. When the king sees that, he will get very mad at me and he may even kill me for not feeding you properly.”
Daniel answered him, “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies.”
The official must have thought, “This is not going to work,” but he agreed anyway. And so for ten days these four young men only got vegetables and water. What was the result? The Bible tells us, “And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies.”
