8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. Daniel 1: 8-21 ESV
Daniel 1: 8-21
…14then even if these three men—Noah, Daniel, and Job—were in it, their righteousness could deliver only themselves, declares the Lord GOD. 15Or if I send wild beasts through the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing through it for fear of the beasts, 16then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.… Ezekiel 14: 14-16
…2“Son of man, tell the ruler of Tyre that this is what the Lord GOD says: Your heart is proud, and you have said, ‘I am a god; I sit in the seat of gods in the heart of the sea.’ Yet you are a man and not a god, though you have regarded your heart as that of a god. 3Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; no secret is hidden from you! 4By your wisdom and understanding you have gained your wealth and amassed gold and silver for your treasuries.… Ezekiel 28: 2-4
But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food - Daniel rose quickly to fame, some might say notoriety depending upon which side of the fence you were on, he did not shrink from the moments of testing. He was known to his contemporaries like Ezekiel, referenced by Christ, and was known to have set the bar for wisdom, noted in the sarcastic tone of Ezekiel's prophecy against the king of Tyre. Daniel's righteousness was known abroad. Of all the books in the Old Testament, this one contains such a wealth of prophecy but blended with timeless application. For those that do not know how to pick their battles, Daniel is a marvelous teacher. Whenever I have been uncertain or afraid to stand throughout the years, I run back to the pages of Daniel. It has been attacked often by liberal critics, mostly I suspect because of it's answer to the culture, that there is a time and place for civil disobedience, that it is better to please God than man. This is the young man's first test, and he is a Hebrew, who would have had Kosher dietary restrictions, but also he cannot eat the meat that has been offered to idols.
…14For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 15Do not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, for when they prostitute themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you, and you will eat their sacrifices. 16And when you take some of their daughters as brides for your sons, their daughters will prostitute themselves to their gods and cause your sons to do the same.… Exodus 34: 14-16
1While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, 2who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. 3So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.… Numbers 25: 1-3
Wisdom for the Workplace - Daniel 1:8 - If there was ever a manual for Christians in the workplace it is the book of Daniel. Every time I read this book, I am impressed by Daniel's solid character traits. Before you discount his example, consider some very important details of Daniel's career. He was a foreigner employed in a hostile environment. He worked under some of the most wicked men in history. Very few of his peers shared his values. He served in very high-profile positions with incredible responsibility. He was persecuted for his beliefs. Daniel faced the same challenges that many of us face on a daily basis at our places of business. Don't think everything went smoothly for him. He didn't rise to the top without conflict. He didn't achieve success without paying a price. Daniel's career gives Christians a model for behavior. It is possible to serve God and work in a hostile environment. For most believers, there is no choice. A living must be earned. Like Daniel, we need to have an unbending commitment to God, yet a graciousness in our demeanor. Jesus said we are to be "wise as serpents, yet harmless as doves." There is no record of Daniel talking bad about the king or cutting down a fellow co-worker. If God has called you to the hostile workplace, work efficiently and diligently. Faithfully serve your employer. Get along with your co-workers. If you do, then your life will be a living testimony of Christ. "Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16) (Robert Neighbour - Living Water)
Or with the wine that he drank - Now it does not say whether Daniel had taken a Nazarite vow, yet if not, he has still decided to hold himself to this high standard. It may be from the influence of the woman in Proverbs 31, the queen righting the letter to her son, Lemuel, advising him as to keeping a mind not fogged with drink, a life and legacy not tainted by drunkenness. Daniel, as seen throughout his life, understood the importance of his position to those he served and also ruled.
4It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to crave strong drink, 5lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.… Proverbs 31: 4-5
God gave Daniel favor and compassion - The person that is over Daniel, who sees to his care and instruction, has been granted eyes to see Daniel, that he is honest, that his integrity, his wisdom and work ethic all exceed that of his peers. Daniel is the kind of man that you can leave to manage your business with no worry. He is not going to steal the profits; he lives life at a higher level because he fears God above men and circumstances. It is similar to the life of Joseph, another man who refused to compromise where God had spoken clearly.
…20So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison, 21the LORD was with him and extended kindness to him, granting him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.… Genesis 39: 20-22
I fear my lord the king - Nebuchadnezzar was no joke, a man that understood power and the psychology of fear. He killed the children of one of Judah's kings while he watched, and so that it was the last site of this Jewish king, he gouged out his eyes with a heated sword, which also fulfilled a prophecy by Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Zedekiah would see Nebuchadnezzar when he was captured, yet he would be blinded so that he would not see the place of his captivity.
…5but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. 6The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. 7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.… 2 Kings 25: 5-7
…4Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape from the hands of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. 5He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will stay until I attend to him, declares the LORD. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed.’” 6Jeremiah replied, “The word of the LORD came to me, saying:… Jeremiah 32: 4-6
…12And at dusk the prince among them will lift his bags to his shoulder and go out. They will dig through the wall to bring him out. He will cover his face so he cannot see the land. 13But I will spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it, and there he will die. 14And I will scatter to every wind all the attendants around him and all his troops, and I will draw a sword to chase after them.… Ezekiel 12: 12-14
Who assigned your food and your drink - My boss said I need to do this and he is a scary man. I don't want to be outside his favor. I am just following orders, try to understand my situation. Now this is already the beginning of favor, for he is talking to Daniel man to man, not just telling him to shut up and do as you're told, those are the most ignorant bosses.
Why should he see that you were in worse condition - Fair question, he has reasonable concerns, and Daniel is not a jerk, but he has rightly placed his fear with the One Who is above the king. The chief of the eunuch's has bound himself to the temporal and knows no differently, yet Daniel is uncompromising for his mind rest upon things eternal. Will Nebuchadnezzar see these youths in a worse state than their peers if they do not eat the kings meat?
…27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father.… Matthew 10: 27-29
So you would endanger my head with the king - I am responsible for you, and if I say yes to this and the outcome is poor, then it will be my head. It will appear that I am not doing my job, that I am defying the king and this culture. This is the thing with resolve, with character, you may have it for yourself, but you cannot force it upon others. You have to be willing to accept the consequences of your convictions. If my boss comes to me and says you have to lie in this situation, and he says this because this is what his boss has passed down for me to do, and their answer, their willingness to compromise is that old excuse, "it's not lying, it's just business", well Daniel would revert to what God says, "thou shalt not lie." Oddly, and often missed by those in charge, the person who will not lie even to be loyal to you, that is the person of most character, he or she is your best employee, your most trustworthy one. They need not hide behind mountains of paper, clichés and busy work, and you will hear them be called, "honest to a fault", or "so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good", but for the record, I have never met anyone so heavenly minded as to be no earthly good. I have met some that are more heavenly minded, and they were of much good here, helping to convict my conscience by the way they lived their life.
Test your servants for ten days - Daniel does not deny the dilemma, but also does not back down from his conviction. He offers a reasonable solution, a test, see the comparison between us four and the others, let us eat vegetables and drink water. Notice Daniel asked directly for the sake of his conscience, that he would not be defiled. He does not make up some kind of side story about stomach aches or how he loves animals and can't bare the thought of consuming them, no, he doesn't want to disobey God by eating meat sacrificed to idols, or risk the foolishness and compromise associated with drunkenness. He is probably 14 years old, unreal, I did not have this sort of resolve at 14 or even 40, yet this young Hebrew is willing to stand up to a violent empire, and except the outcome of his convictions - "deal with us according to what you see." There is another great lesson here, Daniel accepts his station as a prisoner of war, and is humble, note that he is not whining about them calling him by another name, that would be a battle for the sake of ego, and he and his companions have willingly refused to take this offense, they have set it aside for the greater issues, that which would bring them to idolatry. God had punished Israel for this and they wanted no part in disobedience to the true God, the Creator of the universe. They were also willing to learn the language and customs of their captors, which they could filter through the word of God and also give an answer for the hope that was within them. In the end it would be their actions that would bring the most light to this dark place. You do what you believe.
1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.… Proverbs 15: 1-2
…14Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given. 15Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone. 16If you find honey, eat just what you need, lest you have too much and vomit it up.… Proverbs 25: 14-16
As for these four youths - Now many will try to move up, I have seen this generation ask me and others to teach them "how to play the game", and it breaks my heart, because they have all the moral conviction of a weather vane. Daniel and his friends seek to do what's right in God's eyes, and if they will be promoted then it will come from Him. Most today will kiss up, will compromise much along the way, in the hopes that they will somehow get the position that they seek, and then they "will use the position to do good." I watch but it doesn't work that way, they just lower the bar of their convictions and call themselves and what they do, good, think themselves just, and the end justifies the means, yet they even have to spin the end. "If I provide less service, I can keep more cash. If I lie and say what they want to hear, then they will back off, or I will get my promotion, I will find favor." I still can't get over Daniel and his friends, teenagers, some of the easiest people to sway towards evil because they are so desperate to fit in, yet these four know something greater.
…1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. 2But his delight is in the Law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. 3He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.… Psalm 1: 1-3
Learning...skill...wisdom...vision and dreams - God gives them what they need to thrive in the positions He is raising them up to. Like Joseph, God does not call these boys to something that He will not prepare them for, and they excel. Daniel is also given ability in visions and dreams, since he will be God's prophet in this place.
He found them 10 times better than all the magicians and enchanters - It is an amazing advantage to trust in God's word and tell the truth. Others try to read the audience, Daniel and his friends just do their due diligence to learn their studies and say what God would have them say. They bring glory and honor to God by doing a good job even for their enemies. Put aside what is politically correct, don't worry about what you think someone wants to hear, just do your research and tell the truth.
Until the first year of King Cyrus - Daniel had a long career of some 70 years, and as we know from the prophets before him, God had already chosen in Cyrus, a Persian king, someone to replace Babylon. Isaiah predicted this, and his book, like Daniels, has been scrutinized and attacked mercilessly throughout the years. At one time scholars tried to date Isaiah during the first century because the things he wrote predicted too well what came, including Cyrus and Jesus Christ, the suffering servant. Then they found the Dead Sea Scrolls and their dating placed these copies of Isaiah's writings some 200 years before Christ. I believe the time of Isaiah's first drafts to be some 700 years before the time of Christ.
1This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut: 2“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.… Isaiah 45: 1-2
