Burunche’s Blog

Daniel 3:19-30 The Blazing Furnace

Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.

But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.

“Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god!”

Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

If you want to really see someone having a major temper tantrum, just cross a world ruler such as Nebuchadnezzar! From infancy, this ruler has been surrounded by yes-men and yes-women who will tell him exactly what he wants to hear. Now these three young men have refused. Nebuchadnezzar orders the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual and orders his strongest soldiers to throw the men into the furnace. The fire is so hot that the poor soldiers handling the young men die from the heat while the young men fall fully clothed into the furnace.

But look what happens now! Not only are the three men walking around in the furnace, freed from their bonds as if nothing is happening, but there’s a fourth man with them who “looks like a god.” Many Christians believe that the fourth man is Jesus who accompanies the men to encourage and protect them. Whether this is Jesus or an angel such as Archangel Michael, the Angel of the Israelites, God obviously protects these men. When Nebuchadnezzar calls the men to come out of the furnace, he is shocked to realize that not only are they not burnt, but the fire has not touched them at all; they don’t even smell like smoke.

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar stands amazed at the God of these three men and orders his subjects not to speak a word against this God. But Nebuchadnezzar stops short of worshiping God himself, preferring to persist in worshiping his own gods and also worshiping himself. It will take a much bigger cataclysm before Nebuchadnezzar himself worships God.

In the meantime, the scheming astrologers are crest fallen. All their plotting has failed; in fact, these three men are promoted to even more important positions. As these men mutter in a disconsolate group, they wonder, “Can’t a villain ever get a break around here?”  

This part of the story is one of the most satisfying conclusions possible. Not only are Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego validated, but they are delivered from the fiery furnace and even promoted to higher positions than they have occupied previously.

What can we learn from this story? When we serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are serving a God who can deliver, protect, and promote. We might ask why God doesn’t always deliver us, why must we suffer? God wants to perfect us by any means possible. Many times, we only learn spiritual truths through suffering. On the other hand, there have been times when God has miraculously delivered believers. Only God knows what we need the most. In this story, the three young men have done everything they can to serve God faithfully, and they have not compromised. God responds by delivering them. Notice that when God delivers, the young men don’t have singed hair or even smell like smoke. When God delivers, He does a complete job of it.

Remember what the young men have said in response to Nebuchadnezzar: They are prepared to serve God, believing that He is fully capable of delivering them, but swearing to serve Him, whether or not He delivers them. We must always be prepared for God to accomplish His perfect will, rather than our desires. Many Christian martyrs have died while serving Him, even though they have had effective ministries and are blessing large numbers of people. All we can do is to remain faithful, no matter our circumstances. May God help us, so that we will be willing to live or die for Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to remain faithful to You, no matter the circumstances or threats to our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Daniel 3:1-18 Gold Statue

King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.” So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

“But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Well! After these Hebrew upstarts have succeeded in gaining important positions within Nebuchadnezzar’s empire, finally the displaced bureaucrats have an opportunity to get rid of these nuisances. Frankly, these guys don’t care which deity they worship; as far as they’re concerned, whatever Nebuchadnezzar wants, Nebuchadnezzar gets. But this most recent edict of Nebuchadnezzar’s hands these gentlemen a golden opportunity. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego have already distinguished themselves by joining Daniel in refusing the king’s rich food, giving them a physical and mental edge over their competitors. This refusal stems from the fact that much of that food has been dedicated to local gods before being brought to Nebuchadnezzar. When Daniel gains favor with Nebuchadnezzar by successfully describing his dream and interpreting it, these three men are also promoted to prominent managerial positions. Those who have been deposed from their positions are fuming and want nothing more than to get rid of these nuisances.

Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”

Nebuchadnezzar flies into a rage, confronting these three men whom he has previously trusted with running the province of Babylon. But the astrologers have appealed to Nebuchadnezzar’s vanity, and he has responded as they have hoped. As Nebuchadnezzar is thundering at these men, the astrologers are likely rubbing their hands in glee.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

Notice that these men cover all eventualities. As Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are refusing to worship this image, they are avowing that God can rescue them from Nebuchadnezzar. At the same time, the three also avow that they would rather die in the fiery furnace than serving Nebuchadnezzar’s gods or his golden image.

We will take up the rest of the story tomorrow, but the question for us is simple: Whom are we worshiping? Whom will we worship? And how far are we willing to go to serve the One True Living God? In northern Nigeria, in Islamic countries, in North Korea, Christians are dying for their faith. Some of us are scarcely willing to attend church if we become uncomfortable or we have to travel a distance. At this point, we must ask ourselves if we truly worship God or are we merely attending worship services out of habit but not out of commitment? May God help us to remain true to Him, no matter what happens!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You, no matter how difficult things become. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Daniel 2:24-49 Daniel Interprets the Dream

Then Daniel went in to see Arioch, whom the king had ordered to execute the wise men of Babylon. Daniel said to him, “Don’t kill the wise men. Take me to the king, and I will tell him the meaning of his dream.”

Arioch quickly took Daniel to the king and said, “I have found one of the captives from Judah who will tell the king the meaning of his dream!”

The king said to Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar), “Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means?”

Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret. But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

“While Your Majesty was sleeping, you dreamed about coming events. He who reveals secrets has shown you what is going to happen. And it is not because I am wiser than anyone else that I know the secret of your dream, but because God wants you to understand what was in your heart.

“In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.

“That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means. Your Majesty, you are the greatest of kings. The God of heaven has given you sovereignty, power, strength, and honor. He has made you the ruler over all the inhabited world and has put even the wild animals and birds under your control. You are the head of gold.

“But after your kingdom comes to an end, another kingdom, inferior to yours, will rise to take your place. After that kingdom has fallen, yet a third kingdom, represented by bronze, will rise to rule the world. Following that kingdom, there will be a fourth one, as strong as iron. That kingdom will smash and crush all previous empires, just as iron smashes and crushes everything it strikes. The feet and toes you saw were a combination of iron and baked clay, showing that this kingdom will be divided. Like iron mixed with clay, it will have some of the strength of iron. But while some parts of it will be as strong as iron, other parts will be as weak as clay. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix.”

“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.”

Nebuchadnezzar Rewards Daniel

Then King Nebuchadnezzar threw himself down before Daniel and worshiped him, and he commanded his people to offer sacrifices and burn sweet incense before him. The king said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is the greatest of gods, the Lord over kings, a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this secret.”

Then the king appointed Daniel to a high position and gave him many valuable gifts. He made Daniel ruler over the whole province of Babylon, as well as chief over all his wise men. At Daniel’s request, the king appointed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be in charge of all the affairs of the province of Babylon, while Daniel remained in the king’s court.

God has done it! God has given Daniel the dream and its interpretation. Daniel and his friends are saved, as are the rest of the magicians and wise men. Arioch, the commander of the guard, is thrilled, for he had no interest in having to slaughter the magicians and wise men. Now let’s examine the dream.

For reasons known only to God, He has chosen to give this pagan ruler a prophetic dream about his kingdom and the kingdoms to come. In the dream, there is a huge statue of a man with a head of fine gold, a chest and arms of silver, the belly and thighs of bronze, the legs of iron, and the feet a combination of iron and baked clay. A rock Is cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It stikes the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue is crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blows them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that has knocked the statue down becomes a great mountain that covers the whole earth.

The head of gold represents the Babylonian kingdom which will last between 609-539 BC. The silver represents the kingdom of Persia, lasting from 539-333 BC. The bronze represents the Greek kingdom from 333-49 BC. The iron and iron plus clay represents the Roman kingdom lasting from 49 BC-33 AD when Jesus is crucified and rises from the dead. Jesus is the stone cut form a mountain without human hands that smashes everything, reducing it to fine dust, while the Kingdom of God covers the entire earth.

Those of you who are history buffs might argue with the dates for the Roman Empire; however, this is a matter of world domination, not simply the existence of a kingdom. We might well ask why there are no more parts to the statue. What about all the other empires that have arisen subsequently? What about the Ottoman Empire for example, or the British Empire? Perhaps the answer is quite simple: The implications of this dream are not merely political but also spiritual. Once Jesus comes, all other kingdoms will eventually be irrelevant and will equally disappear.

Why does God give this mighty ruler a vision of empires crumbling and disappearing? God wants Nebuchadnezzar to realize that nothing is permanent, not even Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar is amazed at the wisdom Daniel has demonstrated and even bows in worship and commands sacrifices. Nebuchadnezzar praises Daniel’s God and promotes Daniel and his friends; however, there are still more lessons for this proud monarch to learn before he will truly worship God.

For the moment, we can leave Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael rejoicing that God has given Daniel the answers. But there are others in the kingdom who aren’t nearly so happy with this result. Envy and in-fighting among bureaucrats is also as old as humanity. Tomorrow we’ll learn how God has to deliver three believers.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You, that You are a God who knows, who sees, who hears, and who understands. Help us to trust You so that when we are in trouble, we will seek Your solutions and nothing else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Daniel 2:1-23 Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

One night during the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had such disturbing dreams that he couldn’t sleep. He called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, and he demanded that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood before the king, he said, “I have had a dream that deeply troubles me, and I must know what it means.”

Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “Long live the king! Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

But the king said to the astrologers, “I am serious about this. If you don’t tell me what my dream was and what it means, you will be torn limb from limb, and your houses will be turned into heaps of rubble! But if you tell me what I dreamed and what the dream means, I will give you many wonderful gifts and honors. Just tell me the dream and what it means!”

They said again, “Please, Your Majesty. Tell us the dream, and we will tell you what it means.”

The king replied, “I know what you are doing! You’re stalling for time because you know I am serious when I say, ‘If you don’t tell me the dream, you are doomed.’ So you have conspired to tell me lies, hoping I will change my mind. But tell me the dream, and then I’ll know that you can tell me what it means.”

The astrologers replied to the king, “No one on earth can tell the king his dream! And no king, however great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer! The king’s demand is impossible. No one except the gods can tell you your dream, and they do not live here among people.”

The king was furious when he heard this, and he ordered that all the wise men of Babylon be executed. And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, came to kill them, Daniel handled the situation with wisdom and discretion. He asked Arioch, “Why has the king issued such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told him all that had happened. Daniel went at once to see the king and requested more time to tell the king what the dream meant.

Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon. That night the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Then Daniel praised the God of heaven. He said, “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

WELL! What good is it being the supreme ruler of the most powerful empire if you can’t get one simple little wish granted? For a long time, Nebuchadnezzar has suspected that his magicians and wise men have been faking things, and now he has proof. One night, Nebuchadnezzar has a very disturbing dream; however, when he wakes up, all he remembers is how frightened he was during the dream. Interpreting a dream is child’s play; after all, there are well-laid down rules for dream interpretations. But if these magicians and wise men are worth anything, they ought to be able to describe the dream as well as interpreting it.

Naturally, the magicians and wise men are terrified! Nobody has ever made such a demand on them before and they have no means of satisfying the king. Not only that, but Nebuchadnezzar is known to fly into a temper over the slightest mishap. Now these poor men who have served the court for years are facing death and destruction not only for themselves but also for their families.

Fortunately, for these men who are shaking in their sandals, Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, decides to start by eliminating the Hebrew advisors. Perhaps Daniel and Arioch have become friends; at any rate, when Arioch arrives, Daniel questions him and then promises to go to the king and plead for more time.

This part of the story is so simply told that we might miss the miracle it conveys. As a supreme ruler, Nebuchadnezzar summons people to the palace; people do not simply drop in to visit Nebuchadnezzar. In the story of Esther, the king extends his scepter to Esther; were the king not to extend the scepter, Esther would have been killed. But Daniel not only goes to the palace but meets with the king and is given more time to solve the problem. Perhaps Nebuchadnezzar is feeling the slightest bit sorry he made all those threats and is looking for a face-saving way out. Besides, Nebuchadnezzar still can’t remember the dream and really wants to know both the dream and its interpretation. This Hebrew fellow Daniel seems to have sources of wisdom not available to the Babylonian magicians. Why not give Daniel a chance?

Daniel and his three friends pray earnestly, and that night, God shows Daniel both the dream and the interpretation. “Praise the name of God forever and ever, for he has all wisdom and power. He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

We will pause the story here, but please study Daniel’s prayer of gratitude to God. “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings.” When the shooting took place at the Catholic school in Minneapolis recently, it was the 44^th school shooting to take place this year in the U.S. Schools are no longer places of refuge.

When terrible things happen, we wonder if God is still on the throne or if He’s gone on vacation. We must remember that terrible things have happened throughout history. Daniel and his friends were in Babylon because the Jews had failed to follow God and God had allowed the Babylonians to conquer them. But God still hears the prayers of believers and he still works through believers. “He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the scholars. He reveals deep and mysterious things and knows what lies hidden in darkness, though he is surrounded by light. I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

God does not play favorites; He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The God who helped Daniel and his friends will also help us when we cry out to Him. Let us worship Him and serve Him faithfully, for He is our help and salvation.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to trust that when we are in need of knowledge, courage, or strength, You are our Source. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

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.