Daniel Said No

I was at a devotion yesterday, hosted by my youngest nephew.  I really gleaned some good insights.  He looked at the book of Daniel and brought his own revelation to the table for us to share. 
In chapter 1 we find that the sons of Judah were captured by the king of Babylon and brought to this strange land.  These young men were the cream of the crop.  The bible explains that in them there was no blemish, but they were good looking, gifted, quick witted and able to serve the king in his palace.  Daniel was one among them. 

He was now a slave brought in a land where the God that was worshipped was not his own. He and his friends were given food from the kings table to eat.  This food might have been prepared in a manner outside of God's mandate for the Jews.  It might have been offered up to other gods.  I cannot say for sure but this I do know - Daniel said no.

My nephew asked us to imagine being captured and forced to eat something that you do not eat because you believe it to be against God's will?  What would you do?  Would you risk death or any other unknown consequence to say no?  Or would you just eat up and say God you understand?

"Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the King's delicacies..."(vs.8).  He made up his mind to stay true to God.  He was not going to bow down to the god of fear or his own stomach.

I know how hard this can be.  I know my struggles with food and so to me this is huge!!!!  He said NO.  He made a choice and stuck it out.  Now of course when you continue on you see how he humbly addressed this and asked for 10 days to proof that he would be better on his vegetables and water diet than any of the others who ate of the kings food.  God showed him favor and at the end of the test he and his friends were fatter and better than the rest. 

Listen, for you it may never be about food and this is more than that as well.  However it is about being determined, purposed in heart to remain undefiled.  We, you and I, must have a made up mind that we will not "eat" from the devils table.  His delicacies of sin are really to destroy us.  Yes, they may be sweet on the lips but deadly to the soul.  Oh my friends, let us say No without reservation or hesitation.  Like Daniel discovered, you cannot go wrong on the side of God.