Daniel and his friends refuse the king’s food.
“But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”
Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.
At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.
God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams.
When the training period ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Daniel remained in the royal service until the first year of the reign of King Cyrus.
Having weathered the crisis about the Babylonian names, Daniel and his friends now face a new problem. Desiring to groom these young men to become top advisors, the king has ordered his chief of staff to feed the young men the same food the king eats. But there’s a major problem: much of this food, particularly the meat, has already been offered to idols. And Moses has forbidden the Israelites to drink large amounts of wine. True, these four young men have likely tasted wine before, but not in this strength nor in these quantities.
Daniel and his friends quickly confer and then ask the chief of staff if they can be given a simpler diet omitting the meat from idolatrous sacrifices and the strong wine, substituting vegetables and water. Daniel and his friends fear they won’t be able to study effectively if they eat that rich food and drink that wine. The chief of staff is nervous because if anything goes wrong, he might face beheading. Daniel advises a trial period of only ten days. When this diet proves successful, Daniel and his friends continue as vegetarians while the other captured Hebrew young men enjoy the king’s food. Do some of them become fat slovenly alcholics? Who knows? But we never hear anything about these other youngsters again. They fade into obscurity.
These days, diets have become very important. There is actually a book called The Daniel Diet that outlines a vegetarian diet similar to the one Daniel and his friend likely enjoyed. One of the problems is that portions in restaurants have increased. There are various ways to get around huge portions, including sharing orders or packaging half a portion for takeaway at the beginning of the meal. The big question is not the virtues of one diet over another, but whether we are treating our bodies properly.
The Bible tells us that our bodies are God’s temples. This means that we should respect our bodies and train them so that we will desire healthy food and not simply junk. Many people find that modified fasts also help lose weight or maintain a desired weight loss. But no matter how we feel about food, we must remember that God’s commands for someone else might not be the same as His commands for us.
The early church in Rome faced a big problem, for there were those who felt superior because they were pursuing particular diets. Romans 14:1-4 tells us, “Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong.For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables. Those who feel free to eat anything must not look down on those who don’t. And those who don’t eat certain foods must not condemn those who do, for God has accepted them. Who are you to condemn someone else’s servants? Their own master will judge whether they stand or fall. And with the Lord’s help, they will stand and receive his approval.”
Doesn’t this sound familiar? In any group of people, there are always those devoted to a particular diet. Frequently, such people feel morally superior and therefore qualified to judge all those around them. What’s also interesting is that despite the fact that gluttony used to be considered a sin, few if any people are courageous enough to call gluttons out as sinners. At the same time, there are those who become fixated on losing as much weight as possible, even to the point of inducing vomiting after eating. Sadly, such practices have led to the deaths of many young people. Whether someone overeats or starves themselves, they are still abusing the body that God has given them in love. Sadly, many who fall into these practices do so because they feel unloved to begin with and are trying to fill the love gap or to make themselves more loveable; meanwhile, God loves them just as they are and is not demanding they hurt themselves.
What helped Daniel and his friends remain strong in the face of social pressure? These young men were bent on serving God and they knew His Word. Unwilling to dishonor God, these four came together, prayed together, and stayed together, doing the right thing. May God give us other believers who will encourage us so that we too will do what is right despite all temptations.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to glorify You in everything we do, including the things we eat. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment