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Around the world, lovers regard 14th February as an important day. On Valentine’s Day, many people might spend all their money and energy as ways to please their loved ones.
Because of the fall of their country, many Jews of Judah were being captured by Babylon. Among the many captives, Daniel was among them. He was a young man then and he ended up the rest of his life in Babylon. Although he lived in a foreign country, he remained faithful to God. Silently and faithfully, he witnessed for Yahweh, the true God. Where on earth does his motivation come from?
Daniel spent dozens of 14th February in a foreign land. There was no Valentine’s Day back then, but I firmly believed Daniel loved Yahweh, the one and only true God, the Eternal One. Loving the Lord was the greatest motivation of his life.
- Determined to Stay Clean
8But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. (Daniel 1:8 ESV)
The Reason
Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and Bible scholars provided the following views:
First of all, some Bible scholars believe these foods were offered to idols (refer to Exodus 34:15; Deuteronomy 32:38), thus Daniel and his three friends did not consume the king’s food and drink. However, according to the Babylonian custom, only the king and the officials could eat the food which were offered to their deities.
In addition, some scholars infer that many of the king’s food are unclean to the Jews, such as pork and horsemeat. If Jews consume these food, they will break the law (Leviticus 3:17; 11:1 to 47).
Also, some scholars believe eating the king’s food is pledging allegiance and loyalty to the king. In ancient times, Middle Easterners made a covenant with each other as means to show mutual support and loyalty. After making the covenant, they would celebrate by eating together (Genesis 31:54; Exodus 24:11; Nehemiah 8:9–12). Moreover, eating at the same table means mutual friendship.
The Meaning of Being Resolved
Resolved (NIV) can be translated as “purposed” (NKJV).
Daniel has already made up his mind. As for the Hebrews, the heart represents the will or the inner person.
The word “resolved” is in the past tense. Daniel’s determination does not simply stay in his mind but he also puts it into action.
In many summer or other conferences, many Christians have made so many resolutions, but they forgot all about them later. Since they didn’t take any action, these resolutions meant nothing.
The Impact of Being Resolved
Since World War II, Victor Frankl has written many books on the relation of the meaning of life to the whole structure of personality. The Austrian psychiatrist claims that the need to find meaning in life is more basic to a human being than pleasure or power or anything else. Repeatedly, he states that if a person has a “why” to live, he can endure almost any “how.” But if that dimension of “why” is absent, then the whole structure of one’s life eventually collapses.
Frankl developed his theory during the years he spent as a Jewish prisoner in a German concentration camp. Life there was very harsh and brutal. The prisoners were forced to work long hours and were barely given enough food, clothing, and shelter to survive. As time went by, Frankl started to note that some prisoners soon collapsed under the pressure and gave up and died, while others under the same conditions continued to hope and managed to stay alive.
By using his psychiatric training, he talked to many fellow inmates about this in the evening, and he found a pattern beginning to emerge. Those prisoners who had something to live for, an objective that gave a sense of meaning to their lives, were the ones who tended to mobilise their strength and survive.
He found out that their objectives varied widely. One prisoner had a retarded child back home and he had a great desire to get back and take care of the child. Another inmate had a girlfriend and he expected to marry as soon as the war was over. Frankl had begun writing a book and had a strong desire to survive and finish it and get it published.
People always have different aspirations. Their determinations and decisions are the driving forces of their lives. On every New Year’s Eve, many people like to make resolutions, but good aspirations must be implemented immediately.
Why can Daniel stand tall in his faith in a foreign country? He was determined not to consume the king’s food and drink, because he determined to be the witness of the Lord, which was the purpose of his existence.
In the middle of the night, in a Presbyterian manse in Newburyport, George Whitefield was about to go upstairs to rest, but a crowd poured in and asked him to preach to them. At that time, the pastor was fifty-five years old. Because of years of preaching and poor health, he should have gone to bed to rest, but he insisted on working for the Lord. The pastor wanted the audience to hear the Gospel, so he stopped on the stairs and began to preach to the thirty-three people. He held the candle and preached until the candlelight went out. This is the epitome of Whitefield. He determined to burn out his life for the Lord until his last breath.
Daniel’s Influence
In the matter of not having the king’s food and drink, Daniel was the main speaker (Dan 1:11). That is what Daniel told the steward. He says, “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water. At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” (Daniel 1:12–13 NLT)
Daniel’s resolve was influential. The Bible only said, “But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.” (Daniel 1:8 ESV). However, it did not say anything about his three friends, but in the end, the three of them decided not to eat the king’s meal; perhaps, they did the same because of Daniel’s influence.
The teacher caught a boy chatting to his classmates. The teacher punished him by writing “I must not talk in class” fifty times on the blackboard after class. When he grew up, the boy became a judge. One day, his teacher was taken to court because of speeding. The judge fined his former teacher ten dollars and also asked him to write “I must not exceed the speed limit” a hundred times. The teacher was influential that her student learned the punishment of writing lines from her. Every one can be influential, the question is whether their influences are good or bad.
Daniel used his influence so that he became the blessing of his three friends. His example inspired them to do God’s will. Albert Schweitzer said, “A good example has twice the value of good advice.”
- Resolved to Be Faithful to the true God
Daniel had to face the pressure from the king and the chief eunuch because he did not eat and drink the king’s food and wine.
Christians will definitely encounter pressure in their workplaces. Family members who don’t believe in the Lord can put pressure on us, and our superiors can also put pressure on us. How should we deal with these pressures?
If your boss forces you to deal with people in an improper way, how will you deal with it?
In all walks of life, bosses pay great attention to the work performance of their subordinates. For example, the bosses require their subordinates to reach certain quotas and these pressures are great. In order to meet their company’s requirements, some Christians try to meet their sales quotas by finding clients in churches. Brothers and sisters in Christ, you should be careful with this kind of work ethic. Please note the church is not a place for you to do business.
Some non-believing friends came to church and many parishioners went out distributing their business cards to them. By promoting their work in such a way has offended many seekers in faith and even made them refuse to believe in Jesus. This is a great mistake.
- Resolved to Be Faithful to God-given Gifts (Daniel 1:17–21）
17As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
18At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king.
20And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
21And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus. (Daniel 1:17–21 ESV)
Having a Reputation for Literary Ability (Daniel 1:17)
God is the source of wisdom and knowledge. He gave Daniel and his three companions the ability to understand and learn all literature. These four Jewish lads were known for their literary ability.
Having a Reputation for Profound Knowledge (Daniel 1:17)
Daniel not only has a reputation for his literary ability (Daniel 1:17), but also has a reputation for wisdom and knowledge.
Robert Dick Wilson (1856-193) was a professor at Princeton Seminary. Because the seminary embraced liberal theology, he left his tenure in 1929 to join other Bible-believing faculty and students in the founding of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He was a language genius and was proficient in at least more than 40 languages of the Semitic language family. He could read at the age of four, and went to school at the age of five, and read many great works at the age of eight. Before entering higher education institution, he was proficient in French, German and Greek, and studied Hebrew by himself. And he won a scholarship to study Hebrew in seminary. He spent his whole life defending the veracity of the Old Testament. Robert Dick Wilson used his wisdom and knowledge to witness for God.
Perhaps we claim to be ordinary people, but we can still serve and glorify the Lord through our own words, deeds and lives.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, let’s grab the opportunity to do self-reflection and make the resolutions accordingly.
Dear friends, have you got time to do some self-reflections?
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 