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And Daniel Purposed in His heart....


 

Daniel 1:8 ‘But 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.’ In the book of Daniel we see that Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego purposed in their heart that they would not defile themselves. Daniel’s eye was set on this goal, he was not going to eat the King’s delicacies or drink the King’s wine. Daniel knew that God did not want him to eat the king’s food and wine, he knew that it was against God’s rules. Daniel and his friends had their eyes set like a flint, they were determined to please God, they were self-disciplined, not careless, not wishy-washy Christians.

Why would this King’s food and wine defile Daniel and his friends? you may ask, it is because the food was unacceptable foods that were forbidden by Jewish laws. Some of the Babylonian dishes consisted of meat from sacrificial animals that had been offered to the Babylonian gods.

1 Corinthians 10: 20-21) ‘No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s table and at the table of demons too’.

Daniel and his friends were determined not to drink from the cup of the Lord and drink from the cup of demons too. Are we eating and drinking from the table of demons, whilst also eating and drinking from the cup of the Lord? There’s no fellowship with light and darkness.

2 Corinthians 6: 14-18 ‘Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:

“I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.’

As believers in Christ Jesus if we do not deliberately purpose in our hearts like Daniel and his friends did not to defile ourselves with the wiles and pleasures of the world, then we are not ready for a relationship with God Almighty. If they had eaten the king’s delicacies and drank his wine, they would have bowed down to the golden statue he later erected in Daniel 3:1-18. We would never have read about them because they would have been just like every other person doing things the way the world system does it. What  will distinguish you and I and what will separate us for the masters use, is our resolve and determination to be unequally yoked, we cannot serve God in the big things if we fail daily in the small things. We cannot eat from the table of idols and win in the battles of life. Resolve in your heart today not to defile yourself with the world’s delicacies.

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