June 24 - The Daniel Diet
June 24
The Daniel Diet
Bible Reading: Daniel 1:3-16
3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king. 6Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 7To them the chief of the eunuchs gave names: he gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abed-Nego. 8But 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; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. 9Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. 10And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king.” 11So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12“Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king’s delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants.” 14So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. 15And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in flesh than all the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. 16Thus the steward took away their portion of delicacies and the wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.
"WELCOME TO Babylon Today, the daily magazine of news, culture, and entertainment for the entire Babylonian Empire!" A blonde female announcer sits in front of a back-drop of a painted sunrise, smiling through thick makeup.
"Our first guest today," the woman says, "is the creator of the popular 'Daniel Diet,' a new health craze that is sweeping the empire." She turns in her seat, and the camera angle widens to show a young man, dressed in finely embroidered robes, sitting next to her. "Tell us," she says, "how this new diet craze came about."
He shrugs and squints against the bright studio lights. "I, uh, never planned to start any diet craze," he says. "I was just training for the service of the king--"
"Of our king, the mighty Nebuchadnezzar--may he live forever!" the woman says, smiling broadly and gazing nervously at the camera.
"Uh, yeah," Daniel answers. "Anyway, when we started training, we were given really big meals with lots of meat and fat and wine and stuff. But, see, I'm Jewish, and Jews have kinda strict requirements about what we eat. To make a long story short, I asked the official in charge of our training for permission to eat healthy things."
"You refused the king's food?" the woman asks. "Weren't you afraid?"
Daniel nods and shrugs. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'd already made up my mind not to defile myself." He turns and faces the camera. "You see, it's a lot easier to do the right thing when you make up your mind ahead of time. I decided when I was first brought to this country that I would not forget my God and the commands He has given. When I first started training for the king's service, I knew the food would be a problem. So I decided ahead of time what I would do when temptation came. That made it easier to send the food back and ask for vegetables and water."
"You--you sent food back to the king's kitchen?" the woman says, staring at Daniel as if he had just sprouted a second head. She clears her throat and giggles nervously. "Uh, th-thank you for t-telling us your story. . . . Uh, we'll be right back after these messages."
REFLECT: For the whole story of "the Daniel Diet," look again at Daniel 1:3-16. If you had been in that situation, how would you have reacted? What made Daniel's choice to do the right thing (as a Jew) and stand up to the king a little easier? How have you made up your mind to avoid wrong choices?
ACT: Decide now that you will do the right thing when you are faced with temptations. Be as specific as you can in completing the following sentences:
"When I am tempted to ____________________ , I will ______________________."
"When I am tempted to ____________________ , I will ______________________."
PRAY: Let the words of Psalm 119:12 (NIV) be your prayer: "My heart is set on keeping Your decrees to the very end."