Them That Honor Me, I Will Honor

«As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.»

God always honors the right. The most promising youth from all the lands subdued by the great conqueror had been gathered at Babylon; yet among them all, the Hebrew captives were without a rival. The erect form, the elastic step, the fair countenance, the undimmed senses, the untainted breath,—all were so many certificates of good habits, insignia of the nobility with which nature honors those who are obedient to her laws.

During the past three years the youthful Hebrews had been gaining other wisdom than the learning of the Chaldeans; God had been giving them a knowledge of himself. They had placed themselves in right relation to God, and he could trust them with a deep knowledge of eternal truths.

The habits and understanding of the youth who were not instructed by God were in accord with the knowledge that comes from idolatrous practises, and that leaves God out of its reckoning. Daniel and his companions, from the first of their experience in the king’s court, were gaining a clearer comprehension, a sounder and more accurate judgment, than all the wise men of the kingdom of Babylon. They placed themselves where God could bless them. They followed rules of life that would give them strength of intellect and would gain for them the greatest possible benefit from the study of God’s Word.

While faithful to his duties in the king’s court, Daniel so faithfully maintained his loyalty to God, that God could honor him as his messenger to the Babylonian monarch. It was to Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar, unable to get help from his wise men, turned for an account of his forgotten dream, and an interpretation of it. Daniel and his companions sought the Lord, and to Daniel was revealed the dream and its meaning. And when he had related to the king the vision God had shown him, Nebuchadnezzar said, «Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldst reveal this secret.»

The history of Daniel and his companions has been recorded on the pages of the Inspired Word for the benefit of the youth in all succeeding ages. What men have done, men may do. If the youth will make the unreserved surrender of the will that Daniel made, God will help them as he helped Daniel. If they will appreciate the opportunities he gives for growing in understanding of him, he will give them wisdom and knowledge, and will fill their hearts with unselfishness. He will put into their minds thoughts that will inspire them with hope and courage as they seek to bring others under the sway of the Prince of Peace. They will have the co-operation of God and the angels. They will work out with carefulness the sum of their salvation, God working in them to will and to do of his good pleasure.

As Daniel studied the Word of God, his understanding became ever clearer; and as he comprehended its ennobling principles, he purposed in his heart to form a character that God could approve. He could not foresee the result of his determination to be true to God in the courts of Babylon; but he resolved that even at the loss of all things, he would preserve his integrity. And the Lord fulfilled to him the word that he has pledged, «Them that honor me I will honor.»

There is wonderful encouragement in the story of Daniel for the youth who to-day are striving to gain knowledge. In his Word the Lord has left his children a divine instructor that will never disappoint those who seek its direction with a sincere heart. Its teachings will give a strength of character and mental development that no other book can impart. Let the student make the Word of God the chief book of study, giving all other branches of learning a secondary place. And as the heart is opened to the entrance of the Word, light from the throne of God will shine into the soul. The Word, cherished in the heart, will yield to the student a treasure of knowledge that is priceless. Its ennobling principles will stamp the character with honesty and truthfulness, temperance and integrity. Mrs. E. G. White. —