crumbs 63

 

Crumbs from the Master ‘s Table 63

Daniel : In Training

Scripture See Daniel 1. I post here some pivotal verses Daniel 1:8-16 NIV

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.

Crumbs In the UK we live in a system in which Christianity was once the accepted religion. This is not true of the most of the world where Christians are subjects of an unsympathetic and sometimes hostile system. Much of the writing of the old and new testaments were written for people in a similar harsh set up.

In Daniel we see the Sovereign God in action. It was God who caused Daniel and his fellows to be exiled and brought before the king of Babylon. They may not have liked the situation but they did not approach it with loud condemnations or total surrender. They negotiated. God aided them in their negotiations and honoured them with success. Christians in 21^st cent UK could face similar situations. There were things about which Daniel was not prepared to compromise. This is true of Christians today and the lines drawn will be different for different Christians. We must love one another. Guidance may be found in 1 Corinthians 8, 10: 19-33.

Finally I note that Daniel was prepared to let his faith dictate what he ate. We are not subject to dietary regulation but we may follow Daniel in subjecting our everyday activities to the scrutiny of our faith, that is our relationship with God.

Questions1. How does our belief in a sovereign God affect our view of human history? 2. What does Daniel 1 teach about our conduct in a hostile environment ? 3. What lines should be draw for our everyday life?