Daniel 1 (continued)

Isn’t it odd that Nebuchadnezzar picks from among his captives, his new slaves, to send some to “Nebuchadnezzar University of Babylon” (so to speak)? There is no indication that any tuition would charged of them. However, he did not pick just any slaves for this assignment. He had his men pick from among the Israelites the best of the very best. These were men who were young both in mind and body. This would ordinarily mean that they would be impressionable and quick learners. Those qualities would seem quite desirable for a King who was about to send his enemies back to school. Further, it was his stated intention, from the beginning, that these young men would be trained so that they would eventually be qualified to serve him, in his palace.

In today’s world, this would be looked on as a great privilege indeed. Most Americans today, especially in our current economic condition, would immediately accept an offer like this and would be willing to abandon all that they have and, in many cases, all that they believe so that they could succeed in their new position. After all, they would be in a position of tremendous influence in an empire that was already very influential for its day and time. This is an opportunity for power as well as for great wealth!

The king, being accustomed to having nothing but the best, especially at his table, made arrangements for these young men to eat food prepared for him. This would have been some of the best cuisine of the day, prepared by some of the best chefs of the day. It would have been an envious position indeed for any young man just beginning his career. We’re not talking cafeteria food but haute cuisine! Wow!

They turned it down. That’s right. It would have violated the dietary laws set down for them by God if they had eaten the food the king had selected. Surely, God wouldn’t argue about eating whatever was set before them would He? Is He such a difficult task master that He would regulate the daily ration while in captivity?
In this case, that is not the issue. God might very well have forgiven them for eating what the king set before them. Rather, this is an issue of a deliberate decision to be faithful, obedient to the God whose they were. They did not make excuses or ask for permission (of God) to deviate from His prescribed plan. It might have made more sense (and would certainly have been more desirable) to just go along with the plan set forth by their captors but these were no ordinary men. If they had been, they would not have been selected for these positions (see vv 3-4).

Thought: Over the past several years, I have frequently heard the sentiment, “It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission.” While the factual truth of this statement may seem obvious on the surface, our actions always have consequences and we need to think about those consequences before taking any action. In Psalm 106:15 it says, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” (KJV) We sometimes make better choices when we know in advance what the price of our actions will be.

The question we must ask ourselves in the abundant activity of daily life is whether we are being true to His calling on our lives. If He has not called you to a vocation, you can be assured through Scripture that He has called you to holiness. As we examine our lives to determine where we stand with Him, we ought to ask ourselves whether our thoughts and actions bring Him honor. If they do not seem to be immoral but they fail to honor the One who gave His all for us, we give Him less than our best and much less than He deserves.

By His grace, there is more to come…