Daniel Refuses to Defile Himself

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the kings meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Daniel 1:8


Steps: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12

Daniel recognizes that he is a captive slave in a foreign nation. He knows that at any time someone from Babylon could choose to kill him, just because he was a slave. Knowing all of this Daniel still decides that it would be better to die than to turn away from God. So Daniel decides that whatever happens to him he will not eat food that has been dedicated to the gods, nor will he eat anything that God forbids. He knows that God forbids eating certain foods, see Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, because it is harmful to God’s people and that it will interfere with the ability of the person to think about God and to hear His voice. Because Daniel chooses to put God first, God opens a way for Daniel to stay true to Him and as a result of staying true, God blesses Daniel with gifts of wisdom, knowledge, and the interpretation of dreams. He also blesses Daniel because Daniel, using his gifts wisely, studies and trains to the point that the king of Babylon judges him to be ten times wiser than any of the other people taken captive. God prepares Daniel, and Daniel chooses to cooperate with God’s preparation.

Prayer for Today: God help us to choose to learn from Daniel’s success. Help us to believe that Your word is always truthful and that You are never trying to trick us, harm us, or embarrass us. What You tell us is true, and that if we will follow Your truth we will profit in the things of God. Help us also to trust that You know how to take care of us today. You are just as wise today as You were in the time of Daniel. Help us to put Your words to the test and not accept Satan’s perversions of truth as truth. We need You help and ask for it again today. Thank You for Your love.