By Tope Banso
“They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court” (Daniel 1:5 New Living Translation).
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had, by the help of the LORD, defeated Judah. He carried away some of the articles of the house of God and placed them in the treasure house of his god.
Nebuchadnezzar needed some young men to serve in the royal palace. He was clear about those to be selected from the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives. Those to be selected were to possess some qualities.
The king said, “‘Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,’ he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good sense, and have the poise needed to serve in the royal palace. Teach these young men the language and literature of the Babylonians” (Daniel 1:4 New Living Translation).
After the candidates had been selected, “They were to be trained for a three-year period, and then some of them would be made his advisers in the royal court” (Daniel 1:5 New Living Translation). This is very important. Nebuchadnezzar placed a priority on training.
He didn’t say because there was a need and the candidates selected possessed some basic requirements, they would be posted straight away to start work in the royal palace. He ensured they were trained for three years, particularly given the fact that they came from a different culture and needed to be oriented. It wasn’t enough that they were from Judah’s royal family and other noble families.
The training was so important to Nebuchadnezzar that he assigned the trainees a daily ration of the best food and wine from his own kitchens. Verse 18 says when the three-year training was completed, the chief official brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar and he talked with them.
As a leader, parent, student, employee, etc. never joke with training. Talents, certificates, degrees or whatever qualities you currently possess may not be enough for you to succeed at your present level or at the next phase or level you’re aspiring to. Prioritize training for those under your leadership; make yourself available for training. Nebuchadnezzar trained these Jews for three years to get the result he desired from them in royal service. He tried to change their mentality.
Training takes time; it also requires other resources. The person to be trained must believe in it and be committed to it. So also must the trainer or the person who is supposed to make the training possible. To become a skilled professional takes time, discipline, etc.
For example, in Nigeria, officially, it takes about seven years to train as a medical doctor – from the first year in the university till one finishes in medical school and completes one-year internship. Thereafter, the number of years of training to become a medical consultant on completion of the mandatory one year national youth service depends on the chosen speciality. This residency training takes 4-6 years. But quacks in any field don’t need to go through all the rigours necessary to qualify to practise! They’re crooks!
What do you want to become? Submit yourself to the required training. Never despise training. There is a young man who pretends to be a writer, but all he does is posting in the social media what others have written. He never settles down to be trained on how to write and practise writing for more experienced people to vet his writing. I advised him that if he continues this way, he’ll never become what he pretends to be! He’s simply misdirecting his energy.
In the home, church or industry, we must never despise training. It is not a waste of money or resources. Proverbs 22:6 says to train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Malachi 2:15 says God wants godly children from the marriage union.
However, children won’t become godly just because they’ve been born or their parents are church goers or professed Christians. They must be trained up. As part of child training, the Bible tells fathers not to provoke their children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4).
What training are you giving your children? Paul said of himself, “I was given a thorough Jewish training from my earliest childhood among my own people and in Jerusalem” (Acts 26:4 New living Translation).
He told Titus that the older women in the church “must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, to live wisely and be pure, to take care of their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands.Then they will not bring shame on the word of God” (Titus 2:4-5 New Living Translation).
Jesus trained His disciples during the three and a half years of His ministry. Training! Paul said of himself that he disciplined his body like an athlete, training it to do what it should; he feared that after preaching to others he might be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9:27). He told Timothy to spend his time and energy in training himself for spiritual fitness or to be godly (1Timothy 4:7b). Likewise, train yourself to be godly.
Don’t be like the false teachers that the Bible says have a heart trained in covetous practices, or greed (2 Peter 2:14). That’s negative training. Train those under you positively; train yourself positively. Never despise training. Training and retraining are key to excellence in life.
If you’re not born again, repent of your sins today and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. Submit to the on-going training of the Holy Spirit, the elders of the body of Christ, and life experiences to become a worthy disciple. Whoever comes to Him, He will by no means cast out.
PRAYER POINT: Father, I shall no more despise the training that I need to advance in life. I shall submit myself for training.
This is wisdom for living, and it’s worth sharing. Please share.
(For more inspiring messages, visit: www.cedarministry.org).
▪ Banso, an Abuja-based minister and pastor, is the head of Cedar Ministry International, and can be reached at any of these addresses:
cedarministryintl@yahoo.com, cedarministryng@gmail.com; or on:
Tel No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947