Story 3: Godly Vegetarians
Daniel 1:8-21
There were probably many ways that Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel chose to honor the God of Israel over King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian gods. The royal court of a pagan king was a place full of all kinds of degrading sins. Choosing to live by the high and holy, pure law of the God of Israel would have set these teenagers apart from the rest in everything they did.
One of the great tests of their faith came in a battle over what kind of food they would eat. The Jewish Law of God had many rules about food they were not supposed to eat. But part of their training in Babylon was that they were given the very best, most decadent food that the King himself had picked out for them. It was supposed to be a great honor to have the king choose their meals.
If Daniel did not want to eat the food from King Nebuchadnezzar’s court, the king might become very insulted. It is dangerous to upset a king. But the food he chose broke the laws of God. A lot of the food had been offered to Babylonian idols. If they ate it, it would be as if they were joining in the worship of the gods of Babylon. These young Jewish men were surrounded by those gods and their giant temples, and Jerusalem was very far away. The Temple of the Lord was destroyed, and the nation was gone. It looked to all the world like Yahweh had failed. Daniel had to decide. Did what he ate matter anymore? The God of Israel had allowed them to be taken captive to Babylon, would He protect them now?
Daniel was determined to be faithful to the God of Israel. The ways of the Babylonian people and their mantra prayers to hideous wooden idols made by human hands were no comparison to the greatness of his mighty, holy Lord. They were sons of Abraham, and Daniel and his friends would live by the straight, clean wholeness of God’s Law. They would read the holy Scriptures, and they would stand against the enemies of their Lord. Daniel and his friends knew they could not eat this food.
Daniel decided to talk to Ashpenaz, the chief official in charge of the young men in training. He asked if he and his friends might be able to eat different food from what was served at the royal court. Instead of meat swimming in sauces, the delicate wines and the decadent, rich desserts, they would eat simply. Vegetables and grains would fill them when they ate by faith.
When Daniel spoke with Ashpenaz, it was clear that the chief official was afraid of the king, too. It was his job to watch over these young men. If Daniel and his friends started eating different food, they might start to look weak and unhealthy. King Nebuchadnezzar might figure out they weren’t eating his food and get really mad. He could have Ashpenaz killed. Now, God had caused Ashpenaz to look on Daniel with great favor. He really admired Daniel. God opened his eyes to see that there was something about the way Daniel lived that inspired respect. But he still told him “No.” They would have to eat the food from the royal court.
Daniel knew he was far away from Jerusalem, but he also knew that God rules and reigns over all the earth. He watched over everything he did, and Daniel wanted to show God his loyalty. How he longed to be obedient! So he made a plan. It would keep him and his friends from eating the royal food without getting anyone in trouble with the king. He went to his guardian and asked if they could have a trial period. They would only eat vegetables and water for ten days. If they started to look sick or weak, they could switch to eating the food from Nebuchadnezzar’s court. But if they looked good after ten days, then they could continue to eat only vegetables.
Daniel was very wise. When he thought through his problem, he thought about everyone who was involved. He realized that he needed to show respect for the guard. He needed to show the guard a way to reach his own goals without putting the life of the guard in danger. When the guard heard Daniel’s plan, he agreed.
When the guard checked Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ten days later, how do you think they looked? Tired and sick? Nope! They looked really healthy. They were even healthier than all of the other men who had been eating the royal food! When the official saw this, he said they didn’t have to worry about eating the royal food anymore.
Because Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were faithful to their Lord, God honored them. He blessed them with all kinds of wisdom and understanding, far beyond any of the other young men. He gave Daniel special gifts to understand and interpret dreams and visions. At the end of their training, they were brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, and he asked them all kinds of questions. The king found them to be ten times wiser than the wisest men in his whole kingdom. The king had men who would cast spells and speak to demons or pray long prayers to different idols, but none of them were wise and good like Daniel and his friends.
King Nebuchadnezzar raised up these Jewish boys to high positions of honor in his kingdom. God used Nebuchadnezzar to put His faithful servants in places where they would be able to give Him glory for many years. They would be powerful witnesses for Yahweh through the entire time of the Jewish exile. The book of Daniel tells us stories about how Daniel and his friends served under the kings of Babylon. And it explains how Daniel, at a very old age, was part of God’s mighty hand, moving to bring his people back home to the Land of Promise.