Change of circumstances

To better understand the book of Daniel, let's take a brief look at Daniel's life period and then
comment on a chapter of the book.

Probably, this book was written in approximately 530 BC. That is, it was completed shortly
after the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus (539 BC). Believing in the theory that the book of
Daniel is largely a legend is based on the assumption of contemporary philosophy that
prophecies that predict distant events are impossible. Therefore, they claimed that all the
predictions made in Daniel could not have been made earlier than the time of the
Maccabees (2nd century BC) and this work was done after them.
People everywhere feared Nebuchadnezzar, the great leader of Babylon. When he attacked a
country, its defeat was certain. After conquering a land, the Babylonians usually transferred the most
valuable people to Babylon and left the poor there to occupy as much land as they want and live in
peace and tranquility. This method made the inhabitants of the conquered lands remain loyal to the
Babylonians and a force consisting of wise and talented people was constantly provided to solve the
internal affairs of Babylon.
What was Daniel’s research question?
How to change the situation for a better life?
When we do research, what is important is "For what purpose are we doing this research?" Whether
the purpose of the research is to improve our policies or to change them.
What Daniel and his friends did was to pose a question and then to do it. In such a way that Daniel
decided not to eat this food because the meat was probably pork or other foods prohibited in the
book of Leviticus (Leviticus 11), besides these foods were not cooked according to the law of Moses,
and it was probably the meat sacrificed to idols. Even though Daniel lived in a society where the
divine law was not implemented, he decided to follow it.
 
Nebuchadnezzar changed the names of Daniel and his friends because he wanted to make them
Babylonians, both in their eyes and in the eyes of the Babylonians. These new names helped them to
assimilate with the Babylonian culture. The meaning of Daniel's name in Hebrew was: "God is my
judge"; this name was changed to Baltshasar, which in Aramaic means: "favored by Baal".
Baal was the god of the Babylonians. With this action, the king wanted the religious loyalty of these
young men from God
The Jew pointed to the God of the Babylonians.
 
If you have meditated well on your thoughts before the temptation arises, it will be easier to resist
the temptation. Daniel and his friends decided to remain faithful to the rules of their religion before
seeing the king's delicious food; therefore, they did not hesitate to stick to their beliefs. Sometimes
we get into trouble because we don't set our boundaries in advance. Before you get into such a
situation, clarify your obligations to yourself. That way, when temptation strikes, you'll be ready.
 
The Babylonians were trying to change their thinking by giving Babylonian education to the Jews, and
by changing their name, their commitment, and by changing their food, their way of life.
 
Daniel and his friends learned everything they could about their new culture. So that they could do
their job in the right way. Although they learned the Babylonian culture, they remained faithful to
God. Culture is not necessarily the enemy of God. If the society's culture does not violate God's
commandments, it can help to fulfill God's goals. As followers of God, we can be worthy leaders in
our society, but we are required to be loyal to God first.
References: 
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=daniel&version=NIV
New International Version (NIV)