Daniel lived at a crucial time in the history of God's people. Satan had seduced them to worship idols again and again to the extent that God was forced to remove them from the good land. The temple was destroyed, the remainder of God's people were taken captive, and the land was desolate. It seemed like God's testimony on the earth had been destroyed. It seemed like Satan had defeated God in their struggle for men's hearts. It seemed like God's interest on earth was over.

Actually God was not defeated. He still had some who loved Him. God sovereignly arranged that four young men who were willing to pay any price to be faithful to Him were brought into the king's palace in Babylon. There they faced severe tests of their faithfulness to God. Every time they passed the test and overcame Satan's temptation God's testimony was strengthened.

These young men had already been tested before they came to Babylon. They had learned to love God while growing up in a time of degradation and unfaithfulness in Israel. Then they faced the trials of being taken captive and into exile not knowing what their future would be. Their faith in and love for God overcame these trials.

When they arrived in Babylon they were treated royally instead of being forced into slavery. They were brought into the palace and even given food and wine from the king's table. No doubt that food was very tasty and enticing but it probably had been offered to idols. It was certainly not prepared according to the regulations of the law that distinguished between foods that are clean and foods that are unclean. So that food and the palace life that it was a part of became a big temptation to the young men from Israel. Were they going to be assimilated into Babylonian society or were they going to maintain their stand as God's people? If they could not overcome in the matter of eating their separation from the world was gone.

Praise the Lord that He had some young overcomers who were willing to live on vegetables and water rather than compromise their position as men of God. During the entire time when the Lord's testimony was gone from the land of Israel He still had a testimony in the palace in the land of their captivity.