Set Apart

November 21

Daniel 1-2

Psalm 127

Proverbs 28:1-2

I Peter 2:11-25

Set Apart

“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. Please test your servants for ten days:  Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.  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.  So, he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.  At the end of the ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.”  Daniel 1:8, 12-15 NIV

Daniel and his friends were teenage boys living in Jerusalem when it was besieged.  The brightest and best young men were taken into captivity to Babylon where they were trained and placed into the king’s service.  They were just kids taken away from their families and their home.  They must have been scared and confused.  Most of the young men went along with what they were told.  We aren’t told anything about Daniel and his friends before their captivity, but their actions tell us a lot.  They must have been from families of devout followers of God.  They had been taught God’s laws and were determined not to compromise.  We aren’t told why Daniel believed the royal food was defiled.  God gave the Jews very specific regulations about food. Sanitation and food borne illness were major concerns, but by following God’s instructions the Jewish people were able to avoid many of these issues.  They were allowed to eat some meat, but not other meat. We aren’t told what meat they were served, but it could have been pork or horse which would have been unacceptable.  They were also not allowed to eat any meat with blood in it, so it is possible that the blood was not properly drained, or it may have been prepared in a way that was against God’s instructions.   Whatever the reason, Daniel believed that eating the royal food and drinking the wine would be disobedient to God.  It took a tremendous amount of courage to ask the royal guard to allow them not to eat the food given them.  And it took even more faith to trust that God would bless their faithfulness.  After testing them for 10 days, they were healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food.  They had complete confidence in God’s laws, and they believed that obeying God would give them success and they were right.   

In a foreign land against their will, these four young men set themselves apart.  They remained holy when everyone else went along with the crowd.  They weren’t afraid to stand out and be different.  He gave them knowledge and understanding and helped them to excel in all they did.  And He gave Daniel the ability to understand visions and dreams.  When they came before the king, he found none equal to them.  They were faithful in the little things, and we will see in our reading in the days to come that God gave them more responsibility and opportunities to demonstrate their faith and tell others about their God.  Obedience and faith please God and result in His blessing and favor on our lives.