Dare to be a Daniel
Devotions for Growing Christians
Dare to be a Daniel
Daniel 1:8 - “But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king's choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.”
Read all of Daniel 1.
The battle of Carchemish in 605 BC is well known to students of ancient history. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. After that victory, Nebuchadnezzar began to take more and more control in the ancient Middle East, and in the same year he made his first attack on Jerusalem. Although he didn’t destroy Jerusalem until 586BC, it was the beginning of the end for the kingdom of Judah.
Long gone were the glory days under David and Solomon. Many Jewish prophets had warned the people with messages from God that sorrowful days would come if they refused to return to worship of the Lord, but the people continued in their evil ways. They wouldn’t turn back from their idolatry and immorality. So the Lord sent His people into exile in Babylon. They had to learn the hard way. Although God is patient and loving, He must always be true to His word!
At the time of the initial attack, Nebuchadnezzar carried off to Babylon some of the treasures from the Temple of the Lord and some young men of royal or noble birth. He used these noble hostages to control the rest of the royal family, who remained as puppet rulers in Jerusalem. The kingdom of Judah was now in the control of pagan Babylon. (See Daniel 1:1-3)
The story of Daniel takes place during those dark days of exile, and it comes as a welcome light in the darkness of defeat. It’s the thrilling account of how a few faithful individuals were blessed and honored by God in the midst of a situation that seemed hopeless. The life of Daniel contains some powerful lessons for us today - especially lessons for Christians who are faced with the temptation to compromise their faith.
Daniel was one of four teen or college-age captives who decided to remain faithful to God in this foreign situation - no matter the cost. These four guys were a minority, for sure! The rest of the captives apparently couldn’t withstand the pressure, and submitted to Nebuchadnezzar’s commands.
The fact that most of the captives compromised, and conformed to the ways of Babylon, shouldn’t be surprising. Some Christians do the same thing when they find themselves in non-Christian environments! Think about the Christian teen who leaves his home situation, where he was safe and secure among Christian friends and family, and arrives in the "big city" or on the secular college campus. There will be a strong tendency for that young Christian to hide his faith - or even drop it altogether. The temptation to compromise and conform is very great. Almost unconsciously he may start to make excuses for his attitudes and actions.
The majority of the Jewish captives probably reasoned that it was foolish to put their lives on the line when they were so far away from home, and up against such overwhelming odds. They likely thought, “Why not lie low for now, and conform to the Babylonian way of life?” After all, Nebuchadnezzar hadn’t killed them. He had even given them a three year scholarship to the University of Babylon! with room and board (v5)! He had hand-picked them and was training them for future diplomatic service. When they graduated they would be bilingual and bicultural - ready to go on foreign missions for the king. Maybe even back to the homeland!
How exciting! Why ruin such a future by verbalizing their faith in the one true God? Why risk their lives when a little compromise would eliminate so many problems and so much stress? At the very least they could conform to the king’s commands and eat his top-notch food! And if they were silent now, maybe they could get a word in for God later - after they had established a reputation for good behavior. A little compromise now might even be a subtle way of reaching the Babylonians when the time was right. Why force things? Why go against the flow? Why be outspoken about their faith in the God of Israel?
They may have felt that God didn't care anyway. After all, weren't they in Babylon because God had given up on them and their nation? Why try to keep the faith once you've blown it with God? Maybe it would be best to "put it in neutral and coast." Maybe things would change later, and it would be easier and safer and more logical to go back to the "faith of the fathers."
The majority of Jewish exiles probably reasoned this way. The majority usually does reason like that. Using their misguided "common sense," they rationalized themselves right out of the will of God (Daniel 1:4-7).
"But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself..." (v8). What a contrast! Daniel knew that the food at the king's "training table" was contrary to the God’s Law. Not only were some of those foods expressly forbidden to Jews by the Scriptures, but the king's food was probably dedicated to heathen idols. Eating and drinking the king's choice food would have involved Daniel in defiling pagan religious practices. So Daniel refused to compromise and disobey the Word of God. He knew that God doesn’t "water down His Word" because of uncomfortable or tough or "sticky" situations. God is pleased when we dare to be Daniels!
Daniel took a stand (v9-16). He didn’t give up when his first approach seemed to fail (v10). This was no "sign from heaven" that he could join the crowd and compromise. The very fact that his request was shelved - but not denied - encouraged Daniel to try a more tactful approach (vs11-14). Daniel persevered in his determination to find a way to obey the Lord in this seemingly impossible situation - and God opened up a way! (See Luke 11:9-10)
God was working behind the scenes for these faithful individuals. "God granted Daniel favor..." (v9). "God gave them knowledge..." (v17). Daniel’s God is always working behind the scenes for His followers who are determined to be faithful to Him - even when He doesn't appear on center stage!
Notice that Daniel's refusal to compromise or conform to the "way of Babylon" didn’t mean that he divorced himself completely from the new culture. God had brought him to Babylon for a purpose. He accepted the name the Babylonians gave him (v7). He learned their language. He adapted to some things in their lifestyle. He even wrote part of the book of Daniel in Aramaic, the Babylonian language. He wasn’t a Babylon U dropout. He studied hard, and with the Lord's help he graduated at the top of the class (vs17-20)!
Although Daniel adjusted and accommodated to his new environment, he didn’t conform to Babylon. But Daniel didn’t compromise in matters of faith. Babylon's goals did not become Daniel's goals. Babylon's glories did not become Daniel's glories. Babylon's gods did not become Daniel's gods. Daniel didn’t disobey the Word of God. He didn’t compromise in his faith or conform to this world. Daniel dared to be faithful.
No doubt Daniel's stand was costly. Imagine the comments of the other captives - even old buddies from home: "What are you trying to prove? You’re going to get us all killed!" Or, "Here comes Deacon Daniel!" Or, "Quit trying to play God, Daniel!" Imagine having to eat vegetables and drink only water for three years (vs15-16)! Not too exciting! It wasn't easy, but Daniel made up his mind that he would be faithful to the Lord.
Daniel set the example, and his three friends joined him. Only three! A pitiful minority. But God blessed and honored the faithful few. The compromising captives are never mentioned again in the entire book - but we do read more about the Faithful Four! Read on! See how God promoted these men and used them for His glory. Daniel outlived the Babylonian empire, and continued on into the Persian empire (v21). Notice how the Scripture seems to emphasize that Daniel “continued.” He continued to stand faithful to the Lord.
Many of you may be facing a situation that’s similar to Daniel's situation. Maybe you've just started college, or moved to a new town, or started a new job. You're in a different environment - maybe a different culture. Everything has changed. No one talks about God. Christians are definitely in the minority. Home is far away. The pressure to conform to the new group is so great! It would be so easy to compromise - "Just a little."
What should you do? Dare to be a Daniel! Yes, it will be hard. It will be gutsy. It may be costly, and sometimes very lonely. You’ll be laughed at by some, mocked by others, and ignored by many. The temptation to quit, or keep a low profile, or crawl into your shell will be very strong. Don't yield. Struggle to be faithful!
Of course there will be changes. Any new situation requires adjustments. You may have always had a "sheltered" environment. Your horizons will be broadened. Daniel's certainly were. Your lifestyle will change a bit, because God expects you to relate to the culture in which He places you. But wherever you find yourself, God expects you to remain faithful to Him - in your spoken life, in your work life, in your social life.
Don’t disobey God’s Word! Don't conform to this world's goals and glories and gods. Don't compromise! Live out Romans 12:2. Be faithful! God will bless you, and honor you, and use you for His glory. Dare to be a Daniel!
- Dave Reid