| Daniel: Faith Tried by Fire – Daniel 1-3
Our focus in the prophets up to this point has been prophecies about the coming exile. Now we find ourselves in exile itself, as Daniel and his friends were taken captive and brought to Babylon. The exile was God’s punishment for Israel’s disobedience and idolatry. But it was more than just punishment: God provided it as a period of testing and refining. In the refining process, metal comes out of the refining fires purer, stronger, and better. God had promised that Israel that would come out on the other end of exile would be purer, stronger, better. The first testing we read about in Daniel involves the youth of Judah.