Obedience Matters

“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.”  Daniel 1:10

Faced with either disobeying God resulting in perhaps loss of His protection and/or the shame associated with disobedience, or the wrath of King Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had a decision to make.  However, they had already determined to obey God, and the fact that they did not know how the king would react likely weighed heavily on their minds.  Daniel was also concerned about the punishment that Ashpenaz, who was in charge of the eunuchs, could receive had Daniel and his friends not complied with the king’s demand to eat the rich food and wine.  To eat this food would have defiled Daniel and the three young men, thus they were not going to comply.  However, Ashpenaz feared that he would be beheaded for not forcing them to comply.

There was another servant under Ashpenaz who was directly in charge of Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, named Melzar.  Daniel spoke to Melzar and asked that he and the three friends be given vegetables and water for ten days rather than the heavy meats, delicacies, and wine, designated as unclean because it had likely been consecrated to the Babylonian gods, that the other young men would be fed.  We don’t know if these other young men were Jewish or Babylonian.  If they were Jewish, they were either not so much concerned with obeying God and following a proper Jewish diet as they were concerned about not obeying the king.  Daniel and the three young men most likely had been taught the ways of God and to be obedient to His law when they were very young.  Scripture tells us to train up our children in the knowledge of God (Proverbs 22:6) which will give them an advantage over other children whose parents neglected to teach their children about God and spiritual matters.  The training that these four young men received in childhood benefited them greatly as they dealt with captivity and challenges to their faith.

Daniel was not trying to defy the king.  He was willing to learn their language and give them the benefit of his knowledge of the arts and science, but he could not defy the LORD by doing anything that even remotely had anything to do with Babylon’s gods.  Daniel’s integrity and his resolve to obey God’s commandments caused Ashpenaz to be impressed with Daniel, a blessing of God’s grace upon Daniel.  Ashpenaz and Melzar were probably thinking, “We can’t believe that someone would purposely turn down a banquet of the most delicious and expensive food.”  Here’s the thing though: if Daniel had rationalized that because of their situation and the threat that they were possibly under that it would be OK just this one time to eat that which was unlawful for them to eat, then it would be a little easier the next time that they were ordered to do something against God’s law.  I think they call that the “slippery slope” into sin.

When Ashpenaz heard that Daniel requested for them to be fed vegetables and water, he was fearful that if he agreed to their request, then the four of them would not fare so well with their health and strength.  Then it would probably be “curtains” for Mr. Ashpenaz.  However, Daniel told him to let them have the food they requested, and at the end of ten days, if they looked strong and healthy, then let them continue with that same diet.  The Jews were not vegan.  They ate meat, but not forbidden meat like pork.  (We all have been told over and over that fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are healthier for us that red meat and pork.)  Ashpenaz agreed and ordered Melzar to comply with their wishes.

After eleven days, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego were the picture of health.  They were strong and energetic, more so that their counterparts who ate the rich food.  However, it wasn’t the type of food alone that gave them such a healthy appearance, but it was mainly God’s blessing upon them for shunning a path to sin and persevering to live holy in honor to the God of Israel and be obedient to Him.  Even though it would be hundreds of years before Jesus would come to earth, these four young men were following His example of denying themselves, taking up their crosses, and following Him (Matthew 16:24-25).  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would later meet Him personally in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3).  After the four were examined by Melzar, they were allowed to continue their simple diet.  God had brought Daniel and his three friends over this first hurdle as they faced life in the “new normal” as residents of Babylon.  Obedience to the LORD does matter greatly.