Daniel - Part 2
The First Test
Commitment
& Integrity -- no matter the cost
Daniel 1:5,8-17a (NCV)
The king gave the young men a certain amount of
food and wine every day, just like the food he ate. The young men were
to be trained for three years, and then they would become servants of
the king of Babylon...
Daniel decided not to eat the king’s food or drink
his wine because that would make him unclean. So he asked Ashpenaz for
permission not to make himself unclean in this way.
God made Ashpenaz, the chief officer, want to be
kind and merciful to Daniel, but Ashpenaz said to Daniel, "I am
afraid of my master, the king. He ordered me to give you this food and
drink. If you begin to look worse than other young men your age, the
king will see this. Then he will cut off my head because of you."
Ashpenaz had ordered a guard to watch Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel said to the guard, "Please give us
this test for ten days: Don’t give us anything but vegetables to eat
and water to drink. After ten days compare how we look with how
the other young men look who eat the king’s food. See for yourself and
then decide how you want to treat us, your servants."
So the guard agreed to test them for ten days.
After ten days they looked healthier and better fed than all the young
men who ate the king's food. So the guard took away the king’s
special food and wine, feeding them vegetables instead.
God gave these four young men wisdom and the ability to
learn many things...
So what was wrong with the king's food?
Yes, Israel has strict laws about food preparation. Foods that
are appropriate for Jews to eat are called KOSHER.
In the Law of Moses, you will find regulations about MEAT -- laws about
the types of meat and laws about the preparation of meat. At the
time the laws were strictly cerimonial. But now medical science
shows that kosher foods are healthier.
I have seen no laws in the Bible describe dietary rules related to
WINE. Israelites were permitted to drink wine. They grew
grapes and did not have refrigerators or freezers. The only way
they could preserve the fruit of the vine is through
fermentation. Jesus drank wine. He even made wine. (see John
2)
The Bible has only one caution about wine -- drinking too much, getting
drunk. (Proverbs
20:1; Proverbs
23:29-35)
Bible has stories about rulers who made foolish impulsive decisions
under the influence of alcohol. (Esther
1, Matthew
14:1-12)
During Daniel's time, there were some sects and clans of Israel who saw
the dangers of alcohol. Alcoholism is not only a modern
problem. So just like today, there were many in Daniel's time who
made personal choice to abstain from drinking any alcohol, and thus
avoiding both temptation and danger. (See
Jeremiah
35)
Daniel also knew another warning from the wisdom of Solomon:
When you sit down
to eat with a ruler,
Consider carefully what is before you;
And put a knife to your throat
If you are a man given to appetite.
Do
not desire his delicacies,
For they are
deceptive food.
(Proverbs
23:1-3 NKJV)
Should Daniel stand on his convictions and suffer for it? Or
should he find some loop hole, some excuse to compromise, and go along
with the king's command?
It is interesting to see how Daniel and his friends solved the
problem. Here we have a powerful lesson in negotiation. (My
children have often used this on me!)
FIRST, Daniel understood the motives of
the one in authority. The king wanted only what he thought was
best for Daniel. The king was concerned about Daniel's health.
SECOND, when speaking to the ones in authority over him, Daniel
appealed to their motives for his wellbeing.
THIRD, while the ruler saw only two options:
"A" (eat and be healthy), and
"B" (no eat and be weak).
And if those were the only to options which Daniel saw, he may have
told the king, "I still won't eat any of your filthy pork!" Te king
would have executed Daniel, and that would be end of the story about
Daniel. But Daniel offered option "C", a third alternative which
would satisfy the needs of the king without violating Daniel's personal
convictions.
This the first test for Daniel and his three friends. If they had
taken the easy way out here, how would they stand when the tests became
harder?
Daniel's experience has a couple more lessons for us:
[1]
Passing the test requires ADVANCE preparation. When you were in
school, if you decided to start learning the lessons the night before a
test, you were already too late. Daniel and his friends
understood that. Long before this test came, they had already
learned God’s Word, and they already had learned to apply it in their
lives. Their spirits were already sensitive to right & wrong,
and they already understood the trap of moral compromise.
It is equally important for us to study, learn, and know God's Word, before we need it. If
we think we can wait until trouble comes, and then research what God's
solution is, then it will already be too late. (See Proverbs
1:20-33)
[2]
In addition to the wise counsel of God's Word, Daniel and his friends
benefited from "positive peer pressure." Those four young men
encouraged and challenged each other to walk faithfully with God.
We all have the need for fellowship with like-minded believers.
Cults understand that principle! Notice that when the cults send
their folks to knock on your door, you will never see only one.
They come in pairs. Each one watches to make sure the other
doesn't waver in faith.
How can we Christians believe that we live independent, strong in our
faith? That is so foolish! So many people tell me, "I don't
go to church, but I read my Bible and pray." God never intended
that we be Lone Ranger Christians. I am not talking about sitting
in pews on Sunday morning watching the preacher. No, we need
Christian brothers and sister who, like Daniel's friends, will
encourage us, support us, and challenge us to walk with Christ.
We not only need good Christian friends, we need to be a good Christian
friend.
Of course, our focus is not on what friends think, but what God thinks.
[3]
Now jump ahead about 500 years.
Jesus faced his final test, and He faced it alone. Oh, He had 12
close friends, but one turned against him, and the other 11 ran away,
leaving Him alone. But Jesus passed the test. He accepted
death, and then defeated death.
But what about the Disciples?
They failed their first big test. But one failure does not
require a lifetime of failure. After Pentecost, all stood the the
ultimate test, also paying with their lives.
And what about us? How well do we do on those tests that we face
every day?
The grade we have earned is "F". But when the report card comes
out, we see our grade has been changed to "A+"!
Why? Jesus traded test papers with us. He took our Failure, and
gave us His "A+ for excellence."