DEVOTION – DAY 266

Daniel 1:13-14 “Remaining Faithful”

 

Daniel 1:13-14 “Please test your servant 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.

 

Daniel was taken into exile along with other handpicked Jewish youth to Babylon after Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. In order to prepare the exiled youth to serve in the Babylonian court, steps were made to assimilate them into Babylonian culture and language. Daniel was given a new Babylonian name. He was being schooled in Babylonian language and literature. In addition, food and drink from the Babylonian king’s table were given to these handpicked Jewish exiles. Since the Babylonians were Gentiles, their food and drink would have been considered unclean to the Jewish exiles. If they abstained, nothing else was offered to them as food or drink. But Daniel purposed to remain faithful to his identity and to keep his faith in God. Daniel declined the food and drink from the king’s table. Daniel proposed to his guards to let him only eat vegetables and drink water for 10 days. If he remained as robust as those who ate the food and drank the wine from the king’s table, he asked that he be allowed to keep to his diet.

 

There are times in our lives when we face similar situations like Daniel. Our youth may face pressures from their peers in school or college to try smoking, or watch porn, or skip classes. If they refuse, they may be bullied, ostracized and so on. At work, some of us may find ourselves working amongst colleagues who resent and even oppose our conscientious work ethics. They might pressure us to slow down our work in case they are seen to be lazy by the bosses. These are just two examples of how people who want to do what is right, face pressures to conform to what the rest of their peers want to do.

 

Daniel faced pressures to conform. The Babylonian culture was strong since he was far from Israel. Most of the other handpicked exiled Jews embraced Babylonian culture and ate the uncleaned Babylonian food and drank the wine given to them. Only Daniel and his three friends resisted. We learn from Daniel that despite pressures to conform to the world’s ways, we must stand firm to do what is right by God and His Word and ways. We must trust that God will honor those who honor Him.

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, You are always faithful and kind. Help us to be faithful and never bow under pressure to conform to the ways of the world. Please help us to honor You always. In the wonderful name of the Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What are some pressures you may face to conform with the ways of the world? Share.
  2. How are you resisting these pressures to conform?
  3. Why must you resist pressures to conform with the ways of this world? Discuss.
  4. How has God helped you in the past when you faced pressures to conform?