Are You Dieting? Why?

Daniel 1

"Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground and after you have done everything, to stand.  Stand firm then..."  Ephesians 6:13, 14a

Under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem. The king ordered one of his officials to pick out some of the finest of the young Jewish men, bring them to Babylon, educate them in the Babylonian language and culture, and prepare them to serve the king. Among those who were chosen were Daniel and three of his friends, who were given the Babylonian names of Belteshazzar (Daniel), Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The king assigned these young men a daily portion of food and wine from his own table, so they were served the fine food that the king ate. But they decided not to eat the food furnished by the king. God had given His people dietary laws concerning what they should not eat, what they could eat, and how it was to be prepared. No doubt eating the king's food would cause Daniel and his friends to break some of these laws. Also, the Babylonians and other people of that era and in that vicinity customarily offered a portion of every meal, including wine, to their gods, and it may have been that these young Hebrew men did not want to eat food that had honored false gods. Regardless of the reasons, they saw eating the king's food and drinking his wine to be a violation of their consciences.

These men were young and far away from home. They were no longer under parental authority. They were in a strange land with different customs. It would have been so easy for them to do as the Babylonians did, to copy their customs. If you had been in their shoes, what do you think you would have done?

Daniel resolved not to defile himself by disobeying God's laws. He asked the guard who had been appointed over him and his three friends to give them vegetables and water for ten days and see how they fared on this diet. Daniel wisely operated through the proper channels with respect for authority, even though it was pagan authority. When he stepped out to stand firm on God's instructions, his three friends followed his stance. When we lead out in the right direction, others will often follow.

At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his friends looked healthier than the other young men, so they were fed vegetables and water from then on. This was a low fat, low sugar, low carbohydrate, and very healthy diet, probably much healthier than the rich food of the king. The modern eating plan called The Daniel Plan is named and modeled after Daniel and his diet.

There is a wonderful little poem which challenges us to :

"Dare to be a Daniel.

Dare to stand alone.

Dare to have a purpose firm.

Dare to make it known." 

When we decide ahead of time that we will obey God in any situation, God opens up ways for us to be obedient. When we honor Him, He helps us do the right thing.
Father, whatever our circumstances may be, I pray that we will always stand firm in obedience to You.  Amen.