The story of Daniel inspires. Young men ripped from family and homeland ordered into service of the king who just destroyed their homeland. How would they act? What would they do?
On many levels they surprise me.
The common thread seen by most is that they do not abandon their heritage and ask for food that will not cause them to break the dietary laws of their Israelite upbringing. This shows amazing strength of character. Additionally, they do so in a manner that is not overly confrontational, which displays intelligence and ‘street savvy’ beyond their years. Remember, they might only be teens.
Another dimension I observed today, as I read, was their willingness to serve this foreign king. They were not spies in the king’s court looking for a way to subvert the king. They were not resistance fighters supplying key intelligence to their people as David’s friend Hushai (see 2Samuel 15:32-17:16) did when David fled from Absalom. No, they entered this foreign king’s service, benefiting this pagan king.
We know none of their reasoning. We can only watch their actions and listen for the whispers of the Spirit. And the Spirit’s whisper to me this morning I placed in the heading. These young men displayed a willingness to be different (they held onto their faith moorings in a pagan culture) yet they measured up and served the regime of the king and excelled in their service.
I have some wrestling to do with the second half of what I see in the text because there are certainly times when serving a pagan regime could be contrary to one’s faith in the Lord. Then again as I ponder more, Esther kept her heritage from the king and his eunuch until God’s time was right.
Wow, I guess it is time to pray…
Lord, lead me in right living. Show me how to stay true to You as I live in a world that seems to drift further and further from the safe moorings of Your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
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