Daniel 1

“But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank...” (Daniel 1:8, NKJV)

Separated from their parents and hundreds of miles from home, Daniel and his three friends were faced with challenges they could have never imagined while living in Jerusalem. They were of royal descent and were deported to Babylon in 605 BC where they encountered a strange culture, a foreign language, and pagan practices that were against the laws of God. What were these four youths to do?

They understood that it was entirely too easy to compromise. No humans would “call them out” if they followed the crowd in doing inappropriate things. The Babylonians did everything they could do to erase their former lives. They gave them Babylonian names after their gods; they educated them in all the ways of Babylon; and they fed them non-kosher food. All of this was designed to separate these captives from their Hebrew culture and religion. King Nebuchadnezzar demanded complete loyalty!

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies and wine. He requested that he and his friends be allowed to eat only vegetables. Daniel found favor with the chief eunuch so that he honored Daniel’s request and gave them only vegetables to eat.

This act of “no compromise” established the rule of Daniel’s life. It set him apart as a man whom God could use. For the next 66 years, Daniel served with integrity in the court of the kings of Babylon and Persia.

In our corrupt world, we must all establish boundaries for ourselves. There are lines we must not cross if we would keep ourselves from being defiled. Certainly we need God’s help to be holy as He is holy. But this is also the foundation for a life that is blessed by God and endures forever.