Somethings Happening

Daniel 1:8-16

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

God showed these Hebrew children favor with their guard. God caused the official to show favor and compassion. Notice here what Daniel is doing. Not eating the king's food signified a partial slight upon the king. These Hebrew children were essentially saying to him, 'we do not wish you harm, but we do not wish to be harmed ourselves by your food.' There is a focus here on the earthly king's setup. As it is in Heaven, so it is on earth. We say your will be done in Heaven as it is on earth in Matthew 6:10. There is agreement between Heaven and earth. We say the Lord's Prayer so often, but some of us really do not understand the meaning. The Lord's Prayer is like the Lord's Supper where whoever eats unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of Christ as in 1 Corinthians 11:27. These instructions are "take eat, this is my body which was broken for you" in 1 Corinthians 11:24. The king wished his wards could share in his training, his testing, and his ruling. Like Christ, these lads knew that the Heavenly things are greater than those of earth. So, by partial obedience to the king and by full obedience to God's dietary laws of the time these lads left themselves open to training from both. The advanced understanding which God blessed them with could not be taught by any human source of the time.

And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

Several things stand out. First, there is a prince of the eunuchs. Matthew 19:12 describes some that are made eunuchs of men and some by birth. This King Nebuchadnezzar had an entire unit of them at his disposal and his service. Daniel has requested a diet of pulse. A diet of pulse sounds very much like a diet of flesh. Some say this is the Daniel diet. Remember in verse five, there was a purpose to their diet of the king's meat and wine so they might stand before him at the end of their training. In prior verses we saw Daniel had favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. You know, God had given the Israelites into the hands of the Babylonians as divine judgement for their sins many years earlier. This was a visitation if you will on the children of the third and fourth generation of those who hated him. At this point, Daniel and his friends were under no obligation to continue their strict diets. What exactly was the problem with the king's meat and wine aside from the possibility of it being sacrificed to idols? Meat was not forbidden under Jewish dietary requirements. The strict fixing of it without blood however was in Genesis 9:4. Furthermore, why would Daniel drink the wine, him who had suffered much at the hands of the Lord barely even escaping with his life. The cup of the Lord is mixed wine and therein is the judgment of men as in Psalm 75:8. May I suggest that Daniel did this because of the eunuchs who were over him.

Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

Sometimes God puts you in places where you are asked to do something not because you want to but because it benefits someone else. Here Daniel is preaching the gospel in a pagan land where the other Israelites had hung their harps on the willows and refused to sing of God according to Psalm 137:1-3. See their testimony in a strange place. The eunuchs were men who knew not women. They were set apart for a purpose much like these Hebrew children had also been chosen for a stand-before-me purpose. Sometimes abstinence from something does not make you wiser, more dedicated, or more beautiful as the text suggests. Dedication to Christ on the other hand is far more beautiful than anything in this world. All the prince of the eunuchs had was his position and his life. This man would have understood a pulse diet. He only knew impulse control of himself. The prince of eunuchs incorporates this diet of pulse into their training. Putting God to the test for the sake of others is not recommended because the one doing so has little control over the Almighty. However, this test was one God caused the Hebrew children to pass. In Daniel's words, "as you seest, deal with your servants." Daniel gave the results to the prince of the eunuchs and to God.

And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.

Obviously, this eunuch prince found favor with God and with Daniel because he saw through faith an advantage to something which made no physical sense. Diets of pulse are used in the medical community today to lose weight rather than to gain and maintain. Even the eunuch knew this which is why he expected these Hebrew children to look worse than the others who ate everything offered them. At this point, may I state that the eunuch prince was starting to speak the language of faith. Hebrews 11:1 states that "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." In addition to his developing faith, the prince of the eunuchs made the diet of pulse a part of the Hebrew children's training. You might wonder why this was done. There were other eunuchs in the barracks who needed this witness as well. There is a lesson here to be learned. See, the diet of pulse is as the testimony of the Hebrew children. When you have nothing, God still has you. God is able to keep you whether you eat meat or vegetables, whether you know women or not, and whether you are home or not. Daniel and his friends learned this lesson the very first day the king appointed them into his service of training.

When God puts you around some people, there is a principle here to be had. 1 Corinthians 9:22 describes Paul saying he is all things to all men so that by all means he may save some. 1 Corinthians 8:13 speaks of things that cause your brother to stumble. It is important to note that we have liberty in Christ but not to offend others. Some people are very easily offended and fall at the slightest hint of a breeze. This does not mean that I ought to cancel every decision I make because someone else disagrees. Rather, if it would be a witness and a comfort to someone else, then that thing is needful. Thus, we preach Christ by what we do rather than what we do not. See a man diligent in his business will stand before kings as in Proverbs 22:29. There is a witness to some and a standing before others. He will make you as unto God and not unto men. The problem was had Daniel come into this situation and indulged himself, God would not have laid his blessing upon him or on the others with him. They also would not have found the favor with the prince of the eunuchs. How many of you know that when God has called you to do something, it is for his divine purpose. His calling may make no sense, much like writing my first book, Into his Courts with Praise. Consider that I am the least in my church and certainly not someone many people would like to hear.