There is a special book in the Old Testament named after a man called Daniel. Let Jesus take you on a journey into the life of this Daniel in the Old Testament. Jesus was there when Daniel’s parents raised him. He had established Biblical training and procedures for Daniel’s parents. He made sure Daniel’s parents were properly trained and changed so they would know how to properly train Daniel. Daniel’s parents didn’t know that things were going to be very different for Daniel than they had been for them. But, because of their relationship with God, they used God’s Word for their own life and for the training of their son. So, let Jesus lead you into seeing the importance of you and your child’s relationship with Him and His Bible.

Dan 1:1 (NIV) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The reason Jerusalem was being attacked was because God’s people weren’t following the principles of God. So, even the families that were supposed to be people who followed Biblical principles, they were neglecting God’s Word; and, they were applying humanistic and worldly concepts. They were still going to the house of God, the temple, and going through the systems that God had laid out; but, they were just doing it as a form and a ritual. Isa 29:13 (NIV) The Lord says: “These people come near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is made up only of rules taught by men.

Dan 1:2 (NIV) And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his (Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon’s) hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylonia and put in the treasure house of his god. As you can see, this place where God’s people are being taken is a very dark and godless place. In other words, things were spiritually bad in Jerusalem; but, the people were being taken to a place that was worse than that! You might assume that all the children coming from Jerusalem were pagans. You would expect the society back home to have such a horrible influence on the children that there was no hope for them; but, there were SOME PARENTS who were living and teaching God’s Word. Their children were being prepared for facing some of the worst things a person could face. They were being helped to live as a child of God IN SPITE of what was going on around them.

Dan 1:3-4 (NIV) Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring in some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility--young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. These young people from Jerusalem were about to get taught information that a lot of it is going to be contrary to what God wanted them to know and believe. If they hadn’t had a solid foundation built in their lives by their parents, they were going to be misled into false gods, world training, and human philosophy. They would be turned into very sinful, unbelieving, and godless young people. They would have been spiritually empty young people who were just waiting for someone to establish their belief system for them.

Dan 1:5 (NIV) The king assigned them a daily amount of food and wine from the king’s table. They were to be trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service. It is easy for parents to feel like they don’t stand a chance of combating the pressures of society, the children’s peer group, satanic temptations, their child’s own physical drives, and a whole bunch of other things. But, parents must not underestimate the power, wisdom, and influence of God and His Word. It is vital for you to believe that if you consistently expose your child to God and the things of God, He will give them power to resist all those influences and pressures.

Dan 1:6 (NIV) Among these were some from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. God focuses in on these young men and makes sure their life is recorded for a very special reason. As you look at all the bad things that pressured these guys, you might feel like they don’t stand a chance. You might see so much pressure against them that if you were their parents, your little efforts of providing them with Biblical teaching wouldn’t make a difference. Sometimes parents give up because they can’t see how powerful, gracious, merciful, and loving God and His Word is. When you start leading your child into a relationship with God, you are equipping them with weapons, tools, and training that is MUCH more effective than all that is going to come against them. As you go through these studies with Jesus, it will no longer just be you training your child. Jesus will be flowing through you and empowering your words and prayers with His supernatural provisions.