Daniel's Diet

Scripture: Daniel 1: 15  “At the end of 10 days, Daniel & his 3 friends looked healthier & better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king”

 

Observation: Daniel & his friends had been taken from their lives in Judah and brought to Babylon with the other exiles.  As members of the nobility, they were to be set apart to serve the king of their enemies.  But a period of “re-programming” was required – 3 years of it!  The re-programming involved teaching all the wisdom & knowledge of the Babylonian culture – in an attempt to “overwhelm” anything of the ways of Judah that might be in them!  The re-programming even went as far as changing their names to more culturally “acceptable” ones.  Here was a concerted attempt to make God’s people just like everyone else around them!  But Daniel’s response is to do what he can to prevent this - & that meant watching his diet!!!  He was willing to learn the ways of this new culture – that he might use that knowledge for God’s glory.  But he was not prepared to take into himself anything that would defile him in God’s sight…..he would not compromise.  And the Lord made the way for the “world” to assist him in that endeavour by giving these 4 young men greater health then those who were in the same situation but who had decided to “eat the food assigned by the king”.

 

Application:  What a great picture this is for me in daily life.  Like Daniel, I am surrounded by this world’s culture and ways.   Like Daniel, I am in this world, but not of it – I am the citizen of another country!  Of necessity, I need to watch my “diet”, being vigilant about what passes through my eyes & ears into my heart.  Am I guarding my heart in the choices I make over what I watch on TV, at the movies, in print?  I must be aware of what is going on in this world, but I must guard what I allow to go into my heart, lest my heart be defiled – I cannot afford to compromise with this world & it’s standards!

 

Prayer:  Dear Heavenly Father,  Thankyou for Daniel’s example of how to successfully live in and interact with a world which operates in a manner so contrary to Your ways, without allowing Your ways to be overwhelmed by the world!  Thankyou for reminding me that, like Daniel, I must “watch my diet”, lest I compromise Your standards & become defiled by this world!  Lord, as I guard my heart, may my diet become increasingly the same as that of Your Son, whose nourishment was to Your will!! (John 4:24)  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.