Worth Repeating - October 13, 2017

Daniel 1: 8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine; and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. (NIV)

Instead of engaging the culture we can end up embracing the culture.*

Babylon, under the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, besieged and defeated Jerusalem. The Babylonians sacked the temple and, per the king’s orders, carried off some of the finest young Israelite men to be groomed for service in the palace. These young men received much better treatment than the average captive, a condition which was conducive to sucking them into the pagan culture. 

Daniel was one of those young men. They changed his name as part of their indoctrination process, but Daniel was determined to maintain his spiritual purity even though he no longer had access to the religious conveniences of home. We aren’t told specifically why he chose the dietary laws of the Jewish faith as the launching pad for his small rebellion, but we can guess at some possible reasons: dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law prohibited eating certain kinds of meat, most of which would have been included in a Babylonian menu; anything offered at mealtime could also have been offered to idols; and it was impossible to comply with most other components of the Law. 

Daniel’s life can teach us about living in our increasingly Godless society. Like Daniel, we need to resolve not to defile ourselves with the nastiness of the world. We are easily seduced into small compromises, and, little by little, soon nothing sets us apart from the rest of humanity. We should also note Daniel’s demeanor at the onset of his civil disobedience – he was respectful but resolute as he negotiated for sanctions, an attitude that did not guarantee that his “boss” would grant the ten-day deferral, but one that surely didn’t hurt his chances of success. 

Choosing not to eat the royal food seems like a tiny battle in a gigantic war, but every skirmish won is a step in the march to victory. What bigger issue could Daniel have chosen to make his point? Jesus said, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.” (Luke 16: 10) Daniel demonstrates that being trustworthy in small ways is no small thing with God.

If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you have never spent the night with a mosquito.*