In the record left by Daniel, Chapter 1, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, overcame the
Israelites and took prisoners. Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The
king had asked for children with no blemishes, good looking, wise, and cunning in knowledge
and understanding. These four had the qualifications. They even had more. They had something
about which the king knew nothing: a reverence for Jehovah.
With Daniel as spokesman, they asked not to be forced to eat the rich foods and drink the
wine of the king. Rather, they asked to be fed herbs, thereby not defiling themselves.
We refer to them as beautiful because they had the burning desire to please God.
Thankfully, we have beautiful people in the church–people we can admire, people we can go to
for encouragement; people who have the same desire to please God. These four men overcame
the fiery furnace, interpreted the king’s dream, and, in short, were a real credit to their God. Let
us try our best to be a credit to Christ and His church.
— John Wright
