Scripture: Daniel 1
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn because we live in a fallen world, bad things can happen to godly people.
- Students will learn godly people act in godly ways even when times are tough.
- Students will learn their are often positive earthly consequences for living a godly life.
- Students will learn the nutritional value of a variety of food.
Guiding Question: Why is it important to make good choices in difficult times?
Materials: Some or all of the following foods: meat, fish, lamb, fowl, honey, barley, dates, wheat, lentils, peas, beans, olives, pomegranates, grapes and pistachios
Procedure: Review the story of introducing Daniel and his friends. Point out that Daniel and his friends were of royal blood. They had been brought to Babylon the Bible says, because they were also good looking and intelligent. They were already well educated because of their royal birth. The Babylonians wanted them to have three more years of education in their languages, customs, etc. Remind students of the good and bad choices made throughout the story. Explain that it is important to live in a godly way even when life is difficult because that will help us to make good choices and God will reward us for choosing to follow Him. God loves to bless those who remain faithful to Him. Bad things still happen to Christians because we live in a fallen and sinful world but God is there to make things good.
Introduce the activity. Tell the students they are going to compare the Babylonian diet to Daniel’s which was healthier. They will look at calories, fat, nutrients, etc. The king’s table might have consisted of daily rations of meat, fish, lamb, fowl, honey, barley, dates, wheat, lentils, peas, beans, olives, pomegranates, grapes and pistachios. Explain that the Babylonian diet may not have been less healthy – Daniel and his friends may have been avoiding getting drunk and/or eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. Bring in some of the foods from the king’s table and have students sample the foods and research to find nutritional information about them.
Additional Questions: How can students create healthy recipes?
Supplemental Activity: Have the students use the food from the king’s table to create a modern day healthy recipe including nutritional information.