Daniel 1:3-4 (NASBStr)
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, youths in whom was no defect, who were good- looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.
The above verses describe what happen when Daniel, a young man in the land of Judah, was taken captive and lead away to, apparently, attend Babylonian U.!! The Babylonians (Chaldeans) took all the young men who looked and fit their image of "the perfect student." There was no question they had a "preferred" type. Like most of the world today, people think wisdom and discernment lie in the hearts of those who "look" good. These candidates had "no defect" as it reads above. Yet, we know that wisdom and discernment come from God and is given freely to those who fear The Lord. If you read the next few chapters you read where Daniel was later validated for his Fear of The Lord and his reputation grew based upon that relationship (see Daniel 1:20; 2:47; 4:18; 5:12; 6:3). In 1 Corinthians 2 we read that God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. We need to make sure we don't fall into the same trap as the Chaldeans and believe that the inside skills sets of discernment and wisdom and interpretation of life's difficulties can be so easily done simple because of you look. We often here, "that's a sharp looking young man/women." However, God doesn't use sharp looking. King David was not of the appearance of King Saul. Yet, King David was wise and Saul foolish. The disciples were poor fishermen and peasants. Yet, look what God did with them. Let's make sure we realize the importance of looking at what God has done inside someone not what is on the outside of someone.
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