“But Daniel purposed
in his heart that he would not defile himself with portion of the king’s meat,
nor with the wine which he drank:
therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile
himself.”
Daniel 1:8
Daniel would one day hold the third
highest position in the kingdom of Babylon, but Daniel 1 does not describe that
season of his life. At this stage, he was
simply a young man from Jerusalem carried away captive. He held no rank, position, or authority. He had been stripped of everything including
his freedom. Even his name was replaced
with the Chaldean name Belteshazzar; a name that meant protects his life. Bel was a Chaldean god. This was a concerted effort by the conquerors
to erase the heritage of these newly enslaved people and mold them into
Chaldean society where they were to stand before the king after their years of
indoctrination.
At this point, most decisions were
out of Daniel’s hands. He was living through
many unknown and uncontrollable circumstances, but Daniel made a choice. It was his line in the sand. His decision stands as a testimony to the
name he carried from his birth. Daniel
means God is my judge and he understood that he only answered to Him. This decision
could have led to his death, and I am sure Daniel understood the gravity of that
choice. Ultimately Melzar, the price of
the eunuchs, accepted Daniel’s request, but that is not important. What matters is that Daniel determined to stand
no matter the response.
In this life, in this generation,
this world needs Daniels. The church
needs Daniels. Your friends need a
Daniel. Your home, your marriage, and
your children need a Daniel. Be the
faithful one who is willing to draw the line in the sand. The one who will say, “Here and no further!” There are plenty of things in this life that
are beyond our control but never fear standing alone with God…no matter the
outcome.
