Daniel’s Three Friends

Daniel’s ThreeFriends

by David Treybig

Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego served as advisers to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. What lessons can we learn from theirexperiences?

The Scriptural story of three Hebrew lads—Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah—and their friend, Daniel, begins with the four of them being taken captive from their homes in Jerusalem in 605 B.C. during a siege by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. All four were intelligent, good-looking young men at the time of their capture, and they were likely of the royal family or nobility of Yahudah (Judah) (Daniel 1:3-4).

Three-year training program

Unlike most victorious kings, who typically only allowed people of their own ethnicity to rule while enslaving all subjugated peoples, King Nebuchadnezzar determined to train for governmental service those with the best minds among the people within his kingdom, regardless of their race. On this basis, Daniel and his three friends were selected by Ashpenaz…