But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel.
Into the Text
Around 605 B.C., Daniel and his companions were taken captive to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. Forced assimilation was swift. The Babylonians planned to take the best of the best and integrate them in every way, even down to changing their names.
Daniel, in Hebrew, means “God is my judge.” But his given Babylonian name was Belteshazzar, which means “Bel protects him” and is a reference to the Babylonian god Bel. Daniel knew they could change his name, but they could not change his heart. He knew who protected him, and he knew who his judge was. From that confidence and conviction, Daniel decided to obey God, not man.
When presented with the royal delicacies to eat, Daniel “made up his mind” that he would not partake. The Bible doesn’t specify what was objectionable about these foods. One can assume that they did not comply with the strict food laws that distinguished Jewish culture.
Daniel didn’t know what the outcome of his decision would be, but he knew the One who held his future. How often are we tempted to fall into the ungodly social norms that surround us. We taste and dabble in the “delicacies” of the world. But God wants our minds set on obedience and our hearts wholly devoted. He wants us to love Him more than we love the things of the world.
Prayer
Holy Spirit, search my heart and reveal any areas that I am not wholly devoted to you. Help me to turn away from the things of the world that pull me away from you. I want to love you above all else. Amen.