STUDY ARTICLE 33
Learn From Daniel Example
“You are someone very precious.”—DAN. 9:23.
SONG 73 Grant Us Boldness
WETIN WE COMING LEARN? a
1. Wetin the Babylonians like about the prophet Daniel?
THE prophet Daniel was young when the Babylonians capture him. The place they carry him was far from Jerusalem. Even though Daniel was young but the people that capture him like something about him. They saw that he was fine and looking good and that he came from good family. (1 Sam. 16:7) So they train him to serve in the king house.—Dan. 1:3, 4, 6.
2. How Jehovah was feeling about Daniel? (Ezekiel 14:14)
2 Jehovah love Daniel not because of the way he was looking or because he was having important work in the king house. But it was because of the kind na person Daniel choose to be. In fact, when Jehovah said that Daniel was like Noah and Job, maybe Daniel was just about 20 years old. So Jehovah take Daniel to be righteous like Noah and Job who were faithful to him for plenty years. (Gen. 5:32; 6:9, 10; Job 42:16, 17; read Ezekiel 14:14.) And Jehovah continue to love Daniel throughout his long and wonderful life.—Dan. 10:11, 19.
3. Wetin we will learn in this article?
3 In this article, we will talk about two qualities that Daniel was having that make Jehovah to love him. First, we will talk about them one by one and see the different-different time Daniel show them. After that, we will see what help Daniel to show this quality them. Finally, we will talk about how we can follow his example. Even though they write this article for young people, all of us can learn from Daniel example.
SHOW COURAGE LIKE DANIEL
4. How Daniel show courage? Give one example.
4 Brave people can get scare sometime. But they can’t allow it to stop them from doing the right thing. Daniel was really brave when he was young. Let look at two example where Daniel show courage. Maybe the first one happen about two years after the Babylonians destroy Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar, the king for Babylon, dream about one big statue that make him scary. He tell his wise men them and Daniel to tell him the dream and what it mean. He say if they not do it he will kill all of them. (Dan. 2:3-5) Daniel needed to do something about it quick or else plenty people were going to die. He went to the king and ask the king to gave him some time so he can give the meaning of the dream. (Dan. 2:16) This one show that he was having courage and faith. Why? Because nowhere in the Bible say Daniel na give meaning for dream before. He ask his friend them, who Babylonian names were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego “to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this secret.” (Dan. 2:18) Jehovah answer their prayers. Jehovah help Daniel to gave the meaning for Nebuchadnezzar dream. Because of that Daniel and his friend them not die.
5. Wetin happen again that test Daniel courage?
5 After Daniel gave the meaning of the dream about the big statue, something happen again where he needed to show more courage. Nebuchadnezzar have another dream that made him scary. He dream about one big tree. Daniel show courage by explaining the meaning of the dream to the king. Daniel even told the king that he will get crazy and he will not be king for some time. (Dan. 4:25) It was easy for the king to start thinking that Daniel was against him and even kill Daniel. But Daniel show that he was brave by still explaining the dream to the king.
6. Wetin help Daniel to show courage?
6 Wetin help Daniel to be brave throughout his life? When he was young, he learn from his ma and pa example. We sure they use to obey the direction Jehovah gave to Israelite parents, and they teach their son God Law. (Deut. 6:6-9) Daniel knew the ten Commandments but he also knew plenty other things about the law. For example, he knew what the Israelite them suppose to eat and what they not suppose to eat. b (Lev. 11:4-8; Dan. 1:8, 11-13) Daniel also knew about what happen to God people way back when they disobey Jehovah. (Dan. 9:10, 11) The thing them that Daniel went through in his life convince him that Jehovah and his powerful angels will help him.—Dan. 2:19-24; 10:12, 18, 19.
7. What else help Daniel to get courage? (Also see the picture.)
7 Daniel study the thing them Jehovah prophets wrote. He also study Jeremiah prophecies. From that study, Daniel learn that the Jew them will soon move from Babylon even though they stay long there. (Dan. 9:2) Daniel saw that Jehovah word came true, and that one make him to get strong faith and trust Jehovah. And those who get strong trust in God can be very brave. (Compare Romans 8:31, 32, 37-39.) The most important one that, Daniel always use to pray to his heavenly Father. (Dan. 6:10) He use to confess his sins to Jehovah and tell Him how he was feeling. And Daniel use to ask for help. (Dan. 9:4, 5, 19) He was human being like us, so he was not born with courage. But, he got that quality from studying, praying and by trusting in Jehovah.
8. How we can get courage?
8 To get courage, wetin we must do? Our parent them can encourage us to show courage. But they can’t gave courage to us just like family property. To be brave looking like learning new thing. One way you can learn that thing good-good that by really looking at the teacher and following his example. That the same way, we can learn to show courage by looking at how other people show this quality and then following their example. So, wetin we na learn from Daniel example? Like Daniel, we must know the Bible good-good. We must get close friendship with Jehovah by always praying to him from our heart. And we must trust Jehovah and be convince that he will always help us. Then when something test our faith, we will show courage.
9. What benefit we can get if we show courage?
9 We can benefit in different-different ways when we show courage. Let look at Ben example. He was attending one school in Germany where everybody believe in evolution and feel that the thing the Bible say about creation not true. One day, they allow Ben to stand in front the class and explain why he believe that life was created. He show courage and explain his beliefs. What happen? Ben say, “My teacher listen good-good, and he made some copies of the information that I use to explain my beliefs. He gave one-one copy to everybody in the class.” Wetin Ben classmate them do? Ben say, “Plenty of them listen to me, and they said that they really enjoy it.” Ben experience show that when you show courage it can make other people to respect you. Also, people who show courage can help other people to know Jehovah. Yes, we get good reasons to try hard to show courage.
FOLLOW DANIEL EXAMPLE AND BE LOYAL
10. What loyalty mean?
10 In the Bible, the Hebrew word for “loyalty,” or “loyal love,” mean love that can make you to stick to someone. Most of the time, that this same word the Bible can use to talk about the love that Jehovah get for his friend them. Also, the Bible use this same word to talk about the love God people can show to each other. (2 Sam. 9:6, 7) The more we remain loyal, that the more our loyalty will be strong. Let see how it happen in Daniel life.
11. How Daniel show he was loyal the time he was old? (See the cover picture.)
11 Daniel went through plenty thing them in his life that test his loyalty to Jehovah. But something happen when he was more than 90 years old that was really hard. By that time, the Medes and the Persians were finish taking over Babylon and King Darius was ruling. The big-big people who were serving King Darius use to hate Daniel and they were not having any respect for his God. So, they made plan to kill Daniel. They made the king to sign one law that will test whether Daniel will stay loyal to his God or to the king. For Daniel to show that he was loyal to the king and for the king to not punish him, he suppose to stop praying to Jehovah for 30 days. Daniel choose to be loyal to Jehovah. Because of that, they chunk him among the lion them. Because Daniel was loyal, Jehovah save him from the lion them. (Dan. 6:12-15, 20-22) Like Daniel, how we can remain loyal to Jehovah?
12. Wetin help Daniel to remain loyal to Jehovah?
12 To be loyal to Jehovah, we need to get strong love for him. Daniel remain loyal to Jehovah because he was having deep love for his heavenly Father. Daniel was having that strong love because he use to think good-good about Jehovah qualities and how He show them. (Dan. 9:4) Daniel show that he was grateful by also thinking on all the good-good thing them that Jehovah did for him and His people.—Dan. 2:20-23; 9:15, 16.
13. (a) What tests our young people can face to remain loyal? Give one example. (Also see the picture.) (b) From what you see in the video, wetin you will say when somebody ask you if Jehovah Witness can support homosexual people?
13 Like Daniel, our young people living around people who not get any respect for Jehovah and his law them. And people like that not like anybody who love God. Some of them can even try to say things to our young people to make them to not stay loyal to Jehovah. For example, let see what happen to one young brother name Graeme, who living in Australia. When he was in high school, he face some kind na serious problem. The teacher ask the class: “Wetin you will do if one of your friend say they homosexual?” The teacher say anybody who agree for their friend to be homosexual must stand on one side and those who not agree must stand on the other side. Graeme say, “The whole class stand on the side that agree with the homosexual business except for me and another Jehovah Witness.” Then the situation got worse and Graeme needed to show whether he will stay loyal to Jehovah. He say, “The other student them and even the teacher cuss us for the rest of the time the teacher was in class. I try my best to explain what the Bible say in a respectful way, but they not listen to what I say.” How Graeme was feeling? He say, “I was not happy when my classmate them were cussing me. But I really happy because I stay loyal to Jehovah and explain my beliefs.” c
14. Wetin will help us to remain loyal to Jehovah?
14 Like Daniel, the more we love Jehovah, that the more we will fight hard to stay loyal to him. We can get deep love for Jehovah when we learn about his quality them. For example, we must study the thing them he made. (Rom. 1:20) If you want get deep love and respect for Jehovah, you can read the short-short articles that in the series “Was It Designed?” or you can watch the video them. You must also read the brochures Was Life Created? and The Origin of Life—Five Questions Worth Asking. See what one young sister from Denmark name Esther say about this publication them: “The thing them the brochure say really make sense. It not tell you what to believe, but it just say the truth and allow you to make your own decision.” Ben who we talk about before say: “This brochure really made my faith strong. It prove to me that God made life.” After you study this material, maybe you will agree with what the Bible say: “You are worthy, Jehovah our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things.”—Rev. 4:11. d
15. What another way we can get deep love for Jehovah?
15 Another way we can get deep love for Jehovah that by studying about Jesus life. That what one young sister name Samira who living in Germany do. She say: “I got to know Jehovah good-good through Jesus.” When Samira was small, it was hard for her to understand that Jehovah get feelings. But it was not hard for her to understand how Jesus use to feel. She say, “I like Jesus because he was friendly and use to like children business.” The more she learn about Jesus, that the more she got to know and love Jehovah. Why? She say: “Small-small I got to know that Jesus was following his pa example with no mistake. Two of them can do things the same way. I got to know that it was one of the reasons why Jehovah sent Jesus to the earth, so that people can get to know Jehovah good-good.” (John 14:9) If you want get strong friendship with Jehovah, you not think it will be good to spend more time learning about Jesus? If you do it, you will remain loyal to Jehovah and your love for Him will get strong.
16. How we can benefit when we loyal? (Psalm 18:25; Micah 6:8)
16 If we loyal to other people, most of the time we can get close friend them that can be loyal to us too. (Ruth 1:14-17) Beside that one, people who loyal to Jehovah can’t be worrying and they can be satisfy. Why? Because Jehovah promise to be loyal to people who loyal to him. (Read Psalm 18:25; Micah 6:8.) Just think about this one. Even though we very small compare to Jehovah but still he promise to always love us! And when we get that close friendship with Jehovah, no problem, nobody, or even death will spoil our friendship with him. (Dan. 12:13; Luke 20:37, 38; Rom. 8:38, 39) So, it really important for us to follow Daniel example and stay loyal to Jehovah!
CONTINUE TO LEARN FROM DANIEL
17-18. What else we can learn from Daniel?
17 In this article, that only two of Daniel quality them we na learn about. But we can also learn plenty other thing them from him. For example, Jehovah gave Daniel different-different visions and dreams, and He made Daniel to be able to gave the meaning for them. Plenty of this prophecy them already na happen. Some of them gave more information about thing them that will happen in the future that will affect everybody on earth.
18 In the next article, we will look at two prophecies that Daniel wrote. When we understand them, they will help all of us whether we young or old to make good decisions now-now. This prophecy them will help us to get more courage and be prepare for what will soon happen in the future. They will help us to stay loyal to Jehovah.
SONG 119 We Must Have Faith
a Young people who serving Jehovah today can face some problem them where they need to show courage and remain loyal. Sometime their classmate them can make fun out of them because they believe in creation. Or their friend them can play fun out of them because they serving God and living by his laws. But we will learn from this article that, when somebody follow the prophet Daniel example and show courage and loyalty when serving Jehovah, they really wise.
b Maybe Daniel was having three good reasons for not eating the Babylonian food: (1) Maybe the meat was some of the animal them the law say Israelite them must not eat. (Deut. 14:7, 8) (2) Maybe they not kill the animal the right way. (Lev. 17:10-12) (3) Maybe Daniel was thinking that if he eat the food it was like he taking part in false worship.—Compare Leviticus 7:15 and 1 Corinthians 10:18, 21, 22.
c Watch the video on jw.org “The Result of True Righteousness Will Be Peace.”
d To get deep love for Jehovah, you can also study the book Draw Close to Jehovah. This book will help you to know more about Jehovah good-good way them.