2023_10_11 Insight Post- Rusty Coram

Mean, nasty, pushy, and angry… these are the attitudes that seem to be most prominent in our culture today – or at least the ones that get the most attention. “I have my rights” is the mantra that fuels much of the vitriol. That is why, when I read Daniel 1 this week, I had to go back a few times and re-read the exchange between Daniel and King Nebuchadnezzar’s chief of staff.

Daniel was among the young men from Jerusalem specially chosen to be trained and equipped to support the Babylonian state. Among the perks, these select men were given was very high-class food, but the food was not within the dietary guidelines that their Jewish faith supported. When faced with the dietary dilemma here is how Daniel approached it,

“But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. ⁹ Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. ¹⁰ But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

¹¹ Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. ¹² “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. ¹³ “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 1:8-13 (NLT)

Daniel was gentle, respectful, direct, and above board. It is evident that this was his normal pattern because we read that the chief of staff already respected Daniel and cared about him. Rather than give a demand or ultimatum Daniel sought to build on the relationship while pursuing being faithful to God. Proverbs 15:1 says, “A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Daniel could have been belligerent and defensive like we see played out all around us every day, but instead, he chose a God-honoring route and won a friend and maybe even encouraged him to trust Daniel’s God!