Devotional:Uncompromising Faith:Daniel 1

“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself” (Daniel 1:8 NASB).

Have you ever had to make a decision to do the right thing even though you could gain a greater position in life with greater status? Actor Bill Cosby and many other powerful men have been accused of sexual misconduct because they sought to use their positions of power to persuade women seeking advancement in their careers to have sex with them. The question for us in this devotional is what will we do to get what we want? What will we do to gain something better for ourselves? Will we compromise our dignity and self respect to get something better for ourselves? What kind of faith do we need to have in order to maintain our self respect? Think about this. Was Bill Cosby really guilty or did the women lose their self respect because they had compromised their principles and still did not get what they wanted? This rhetorical question is asked not for the sake of judgment, but so that we can consider what price we will pay to gain an advantage and get what we want. What is the best thing to do?

Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and took the people away into exile to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar decided that he would utilize the best of the young men to help him secure the control of his new subjects. He would train the best young men to serve him in high positions of prestige and authority. Nebuchadnezzar provided his choice foods for them to eat. The king thought that these young men would be happy to be treated so well. They would be the healthiest young men in the kingdom. The Hebrew people would see him as kind and caring.

Four of the young Hebrew boys did not want to follow the king’s plans. When Daniel their leader saw the food and wine on the table, he refused to eat. Daniel had been raised during the reign of Josiah. Josiah had made sweeping reforms in Judah. He abolished the worship of idols and reestablished the worship of the Lord. The worship of the Lord included a return to obedience to the law. It included celebrating the Passover and other religious celebrations that Moses had instructed in the law. The law also included dietary restrictions. The Hebrews would be healthier than other people if they followed the dietary guidelines. So, when Daniel saw the foods on the table he knew that these were foods that the Hebrew people were forbidden to eat.

Daniel would not compromise. He and his companions were men of faith. Daniel had learned that faith means that one does not compromise with the enemy. Regardless of how things appear to really have faith means no compromise. Why did Daniel make the decision not to compromise? He had learned that the Lord had delivered His people out of Egypt. He would deliver His people out of Babylon. After all, the Hebrew people were in exile because they had a compromising faith that allowed them to break their covenant with God. Daniel knew that if he compromised with the king and ate forbidden food it would mean continued bondage. Freedom comes when our faith is uncompromising. An uncompromising faith gives us the assurance that we are in the hands of God.

Prayer: Lord, may our faith in You be uncompromising. Amen.