Some Daniel Reflections

The Pastor at my Church, Joel Johnson, has started on passages in Daniel for the new year. I felt his interpretation of the scriptures was so applicable to this task I am undertaking...


Daniel 1:8-21
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested
them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.

Each week Pastor Joel will provide questions to be used for further reflection:

1. Daniel 1:8 In what areas of your life are you tempted to compromise? What clear-cut decisions can you make to help you overcome this temptation?

4. When you see problems do you offer solutions or just complain? How might offering solutions actually test the reality of the gospel to non-Christians?

5. How are your ideas of success influenced by those around you? Have they hindered your joy in any way? What can you do to resist such influences from the world? How can you put your faith into practice when facing an insurmountable test?

I think this Daniel passage is applicable to my task of losing weight in so many ways. Some Pastor Joel has already asked. But the other nuggets that I see are:

1. Look what the Lord wanted for Daniel to eat. A healthy diet. There is a direct correlation between how you treat your body and your effectiveness for the cause of Christ. It takes energy and stamina to follow the Lord and be an effective witness. God has given me a healthy, strong body, and I need to take care of it.

2. Resist what the secular world offers as food. In the society we are in, the "King's food" is available to us 24/7. Choose what God gives us as food instead of what the world offers. There is a book called "Body By God" by Ben Lerner. I highly recommend it.