Our text today comes from the book of Daniel chapter 1 and verse 1 through 6 in the new living translation of the scriptures.

Notice there these words.

During the third year of the King Jehoocum of his reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

And the Lord gave him victory over King Jehoicum of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the temple of God.

So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia and placed them in the treasure house of his God.

And then God ordered Asphanaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah's royal family and other noble families who have been brought to Babylon as captives.

Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men, he said.

I know a lot of other ladies that's looking for the same thing.

And make sure that they are well-versed in every branch of learning

are gifted with knowledge and good judgment

and are suited to serve in the royal palace.

Train these young men in the language and the literature of Babylon.

The king assigned them a daily ration of food and wine from his own kitchens and they were to be trained for three years

and then they would enter the royal service. Daniel and Hananiah, Michelle Azariah were four

of the young men chosen all from the tribe of Judah and the chief of staff renamed them

these Babylonian names Daniel was called Beltasazza Hananiah was called Shadrach

Michiel was called Mishak and Azariah called Abednego.

I want to talk today about the Daniel difference, the Daniel difference.

These four Hebrew boys, as you see, were given Babylonian names to help them to be able to assimilate into a Babylonian culture.

We're living in Babylon now.

Now what we need now are sons and daughters who will be just like Daniel and the other Hebrew companions

that are from a royal family,

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