RE: Did we just start an orchard?
Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my Lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king. And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
Daniel 1:9-20 kjv
So bible stuff. I didn't recognize the word pulse, its basically legumes, just a different word. It can encompass vegetables also.
We had a guest speaker not long ago that was from your back yard that spoke about this event also. Interesting history.
Oh cool! Not a verse I'm very familiar with. Sounds like shortly before the lion's den?
Not long after the Babylonians besieged and took over Jerusalem.
Nebuchanezzar made habit of taking in the bright youth of whatever nation he overthrew, the, (not unlike your government;) trained them to BE Babylonian and made them babylonian officials over their "own" land. and people.
When the so this that I shared earlier was the start of Daniel getting in trouble for keeping his beliefs. Daniel, shadrach, meshack and abednego had all been captives in Jerusalem. Starved nearly to death. To the point of watching people eat their own family members to stay alive. Then once they're captured they're taken to the king and he says "give them the same food I eat"
And instead of eating the things they weren't supposed to, and drinking the kings "strong" drink Daniel said to give them pulse instead.
They indeed grew strong and wise... Holding to this type of behavior (doing God's will, rather than mans)
This behavior later led Daniel to the lions den, and Shadrach Meshack and abednego to the furnace.