The Hebrew Boys

THE HEBREW BOYS
(Daniel 1:3-15)
“Dan, what’s going on? 
I understand you told the Officer 
you don’t want to eat any of the food. 
Why?” Hananiah asked.
“I don’t want to defile myself, 
that’s why”, Daniel replied.
Mishael chipped in, “Defile? How? 
We don’t eat this kind of food in our
 country. 
We don’t even see it! How does eating 
this defile one? Seriously, what’s wrong 
with it?”
Daniel sighed. 
Apparently, his friends don’t know 
God as much as he does.
“But what did the Officer say when 
you told him you didn’t want to defile 
yourself with their King’s food? 
I’m sure he felt insulted! 
I’d feel insulted if I were him! 
Like the King’s food is trash…”, 
Azariah submitted. 
“Well, he didn’t feel insulted- and 
he agreed with me not to eat the 
food!”
The other 3 were amazed! 
“He agreed? 
You told a Babylonian officer 
(whose job function is to see that
we all get the best treatment and 
best food so we could function in 
the King’s court) that you didn’t 
want to eat of the King’s food 
and the officer agreed with you? 
Amazing!” Daniel laughed. 
“Guys, it’s no big deal, honestly. 
I just asked him nicely…”
They all laughed. 
“But how did it happen? 
Did you use magic on him? 
Or he was drunk when you asked…”, 
Azariah questioned Daniel. 
“No, I just prayed about it and asked 
God to take charge. I guess he did”, 
Daniel replied. 
“See, God does not want his people 
to indulge in these foods. 
They’re usually offered in sacrifice 
to their gods. 
They have been consecrated to their idols, 
eating them would defile us as Hebrews.”
Mishael’s eyes were wide open like saucers: 
“Seriously? Eating these delicacies will 
defile us? Damn! See all this spread! 
It is so tempting…!”
“You must learn to hold your appetite, Mish. 
Man must not eat by bread alone, remember?”
“Ok, but if we don’t eat this, what will we eat? 
Will God rain down manna from heaven again, 
as we were told he did for our forefathers in 
the wilderness?” Hananiah asked.
“No, he won’t do that. 
I’ve asked the officer to give me just 
vegetables. 
I can survive on that alone. 
I told him to try me on vegetables only 
for 10 days and see who would look 
fresher, me the vegetable eater or 
them who eat royal delicacies.”
His friends stared at him for a while. 
And looked at the food on the tables. 
They looked at the other Hebrews in 
the hall, waiting for the instruction 
to go out before they start their meal. 
And in that moment, they took a 
decision: “We think you’re right. 
We will join you, Dan. 
We won’t eat these stuff too. 
Vegetables it is!”
“Ah… I was hoping you’d say that! 
But let’s go see the Officer and inform 
him you have also decided not to 
partake of the King’s food. 
I just hope there will be enough 
vegetables for 4!”
Daniel led his friends to see the Officer. 
“Dan! I was just talking about you. 
The vegetables you asked for is being 
prepared- you should get it in a few minutes.”
“Erm… about that sir…”
“What? Did you change your mind? 
You don’t want the vegetables again, 
I guess?”
“No sir. I want it. Actually my friends 
also want vegetables too- 
I don’t know if the ration can be 
increased for the 4 of us? 
That is if you agree to this sir. 
I know you may feel it is against the 
instructions of the king…”
The officer looked at the 4 young 
men before him. He was very puzzled. 
#Babylon had captured boys like them 
from several other countries before, 
and when boys like these were brought 
to be trained for service in the King’s court, 
they were always very eager to eat the 
food served them. 
There had never been a time when 
anyone would refuse the food and 
ask for vegetables instead! #
Curiosity got the better of him and 
he agreed with them it is just for 10 days, 
anyway. Let’s see how this plays out…
So the 4 young men ate vegetables 
while their other colleagues ate the 
King’s food. Their colleagues couldn’t 
understand them. “Hey, guys! What’s up? 
Why are you eating only vegetables? 
What’s wrong with you? 
Don’t bring your holier-than-thou here, 
please! 
We’re in Babylon, not Israel! 
When you are in Rome, you behave 
like the Romans!”
But the 4 young men refused to be 
intimidated, neither did they shift 
from their positions. 
They stood their grounds despite the 
ridicule and mockery from their 
colleagues.

And 10 days later, they were vindicated…