Daniel 1:8
~16 min read
TRANSCRIPT
Greetings all of you in the Most Blessed name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Especially this evening, I bring you greetings from the brethren in Myanmar. We have been praying for you, and we know that you do the same for us. We are very privileged to have you as Brothers and Sisters in Christ who are serving the Lord together in one way or another. We thank everyone for your prayers and support all these years.
This evening, I count it a privilege to be able to stand before you, and I want to give thanks to Reverend Paul for giving me this opportunity. Since we are still in the very first part of the new year, I suppose it's fitting that we give some thoughts to how we ought to spend this new year that has been given to us. So, I have entitled my message this evening "New Year with New Resolution," and for our text, I have chosen Daniel 1:8.
If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Daniel 1:8. Let us hear God's word; "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." May the Lord bless us in the reading of His holy and perfect Word.
Life, in a sense, is replaced with decision. According to some source, an average person makes 35,000 choices per day. Assuming that an average person needs 7 hours for rest, for sleeping, that would make 2,000 decisions per hour and one decision every 2 seconds. That's a lot of decisions.
Of course, we know that some of our decisions are minor, like a simple choice to eat this or that and so on, but others are very important. They are crucial importance to us, and the decision we make affects us, sometimes for the better and sometimes sadly, for the worse. And the decision we make also affects others around us. The nearer they are to us, the more they are affected. So, decision making is a very important matter in everybody's life.
As we now begin the new year, is it not good that we keep serious thought over how we ought to make a new year decision for the Lord? In this regard, the life of Daniel is exemplary. Daniel gives us a most compelling and most God-glorifying example when it comes to making a decision.
I. Right Decision Explained
So first of all, let us try to understand what is the right decision. I would like to explain what it means to make the right decision, based on this verse that we have just read. As we do so, let us move a little bit back to the preceding verses in order to understand this portion of God's word in context.
Verse 1 to verse 7 give us the background into which this verse, that is verse 8, is given. From these few verses, we understand that Daniel was one of the many captives taken from Jerusalem, taken from Judah, over to Babylon as King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, attacked Jerusalem. He was one of the many Jews taken from their Homeland to the Gentile land, Babylon. Daniel wrote his book in that land, and this is his life story—what happened to him and to the Jewish people in a foreign land in captivity.
When Daniel was taken into captivity, we understand that from various portions of God's word that he was still a very young man. He was in his mid-teenage years, probably 15 or 16, still a very young man. At that age, he was taken into Babylon and placed in a very special situation. King Nebuchadnezzar commanded that some of the Jewish young men be selected to enter into the king's college, the king's institution, where they would learn the learning and the tongues of the Chaldeans, according to verse four.
So, whatever Nebuchadnezzar planned, Daniel was chosen among the young Jews who had no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom and learning and knowledge, according to verse four. He was one of the selected students, and under the king's direction, these young students were provided daily food—all well-supplied. We can imagine the facility, the food, and everything, how everything was very conducive and well-provided because it comes from the order of the king himself.
But there was some problem when it comes to Daniel. Therefore, we read in verse 8, "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”. Soon, Daniel discovered that there's a problem for him. So, he did not want to defile himself with the provision of the king. So, That was the challenge he faced, and he, therefore, made a request that he would be tested for 10 days. So, we all know the stories, don't we? I wouldn't go into detail.
I just want to focus firstly on the importance of making the right decision. What is the right decision, by the way? Right decision is one which is made in accord with the revealed will of God in His Holy Word. Right decision is the decision we make in perfect accordance with the revealed will of God. It is never contrary to his word. It is not one which is made according to our sinful desire and pleasure. Right decision is not something that we make in order to please ourselves and to please others, but the decision that glorifies and honours God, according to the Word of God.
So, we read Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself anything. In other words, when we are brought into a certain situation, we need to make some crucial decision, and the right decision in those circumstances is the decision that will bring glory to God and honour to His name. The decision that is never contrary to his word. In the case of Daniel, he made the right decision—a God-glorifying decision that is not to defile himself with the portion of the king's meat. Or, we may explain it this way—not to defile himself with anything that can defile him.
In simple terms, Daniel's decision is this: it is obedience to God without compromise. No matter what, no matter the situation, no matter the reasonable excuses viable, he wants to make a decision that is glorifying to God, in perfect obedience to His holy and perfect way. So, right decision is the decision that is made in accord with God's Word, never contrary to God's Word.
Now, in order to make such a decision, it takes a lot of things. It takes conviction, strong conviction, and it takes courage as well. The question we want to ask is this: how was Daniel able to make such a Godly decision? Surely, he must have had the courage and the conviction that comes from God's Word Himself.
We understand from the Old Testament, other portions of the Old Testament, that Daniel had the opportunity to get such conviction and courage. Possibly, there were three sources from which he got such conviction and courage.
The first is that there was a nationwide revival under the godly King Josiah, and that nationwide revival must have brought some spiritual conviction. It must have worked in the lives of many Jewish Believers, the courage and conviction to stand for God's Word.
Secondly, Daniel might have learned that kind of conviction from His own parents, who were undoubtedly godly. According to Deuteronomy 6:6-7, we can understand that the godly Jewish parents would teach their children God's Word diligently, when they sit, when they stand, when they walk, and whatever they do. They will teach their children God's way.
Thirdly, Daniel might have gotten such strong conviction from the ministries of faithful Prophets like Jeremiah, who was prophesying when Jerusalem was taken. Although many of the prophets in those days were false prophets, yet still, there were few faithful Prophets used by God Himself. So, Daniel had the privilege to learn God's Word from his parents, from the revival that took place in his homeland, and from the faithful Prophets who minister God's Word to the people.
By way of application, how we need to thank the Lord for faithful and godly pastors and preachers, who feed us with God's Word faithfully. We have learned so much from godly people. Also, how we need to thank the Lord for godly parents who have been teaching us in the way of the Lord through their lives and teaching. And how we need to thank the Lord for His faithful ministers who have gone all over the world to preach God's word faithfully, to bring revival to the people. These are blessings that we receive from God.
So, Daniel was privileged to have received such spiritual privileges, and he made sure that he applied them rightly in the right moment, in the right place.
II. The Blessings of Right Decision
What about the challenges involved in making the right decision? What were the possible challenges Daniel faced in making this decision? This is rather a hard decision. Consider the situation Daniel was in. He was one of the many students, the elite students, chosen by the king himself to go through special training. All their needs were provided. So, what they needed to do is to study very hard to keep themselves to a serious study. They don't have to worry about any other things. They were under the direct direction of the king himself.
So, when Daniel wanted to make a decision that is not perfectly in line with the king's instruction, he was risking for his life and the lives of people who were in charge over him. And that's what we read in the following verses, when he made a request to the person in charge over him, namely Melzar in verse 11. Melzar was afraid because he might lose his life by allowing Daniel to follow his decision. So Daniel might have risked his life. He might have also risked the lives of people around him who were given this task, this responsibility,
Under such circumstances, normal people, ordinary people, may be thinking this way; “We are in a very special circumstance, the circumstance we are in is surely abnormal. In such a circumstance, God would not expect our absolute obedience, because our situation is unique. We are in captivity and we are under the authority of the king, the command of the king. So we simply have to obey the king's command, no matter what. God would not expect our absolute obedience in this kind of circumstances.” That is a reasonable standpoint from the standpoint of men, a very reasonable thought.
This kind of thought might have entered into Daniel's mind as well, but we can thank the Lord that he did not succumb to it. For Daniel, obedience to God's Word is number one, is top priority. No matter the circumstance, no matter the authority or command given by the king himself, he wanted to obey his Lord 100%, perfectly. He wanted to obey God's word. That's it, period. No reason is needed, no further reason is needed. He understands that God's word is right, and God's word must be obeyed.
So, no matter the circumstance, no matter the possible excuses, he shut up his ears, his thought. He just keeps his thought over to God's word, and he made the right decision.
By the way, a very famous and godly Old Testament scholar, Dr. John Whitcomb, made this important comment on this: “No one disobeys the revealed will of God without some kind of excuse. But our Lord is not interested in excuses. He requires obedience even if we do not understand the rationality of his Commandments at the time.” In other words, in the case of Daniel, he might not understand the rationality of God's command, but he understood that he needed to obey God's Word. That's all that mattered. So he obeyed God's Word.
When somebody disobeys God's word, he will always have some kind of excuse, isn't it true? But God is not interested in our excuses. He is interested in our absolute obedience, no matter the challenge, no matter the circumstance, no matter the rationality.
So thank God, Daniel provides us with an exemplary life in making decisions. The circumstances were unique, and the time was difficult, yet he was able to make the right decision that glorifies God. Praise God for that.
But right decision doesn't stop there. The right decision involves taking practical steps. That's what we find in verse 1b right through to verse 14. Now, you look at the second part of verse 8, “therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”
Firstly, Daniel purposed in his heart, that means in his heart he made the decision to please God, to glorify God, not to defile himself with anything, anything including the king's, daily provision. No matter who provides, no matter whose commands, he doesn't want to defile himself with anything that is absolute obedience.
So he doesn't stop there; he goes further. He makes a request to the prince of the eunuchs that he may not defile himself. So his right decision is followed by a practical step.
So, Daniel requested for a 10-day test, and the Lord honoured that decision. He passed the test. So the person in church over him, namely Melzar, took away all the portions given to Daniel, and Daniel could continue to eat the food that would not defile him. That's what we find in this passage of God's word.
Now I want to focus on the result of making the right decision. We understand that Daniel made the right decision to please God, to honour God, and to glorify God, and not to defile himself with anything. That decision brings blessings to himself and to people around him.
First of all, look at the life of Daniel himself. God gave him and his friends, knowledge and skill, in all their learnings and wisdom, that's what we read in verse 17. And at the end of the day, at the end of their training, he and his friends were tested, and they did ten times better than all the wise men in Babylon, according to verse 20. So the first thing we can understand from here is that making the right decision brings blessings to oneself.
And the next blessing we can find is in verse 12, where we read, "Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink". Now what we find here is this; in verse 8, Daniel purposed in his heart— note the singular, pronoun "his" heart. In other words, Daniel was making a decision himself. He was alone in making that decision. But along the way, in the process, his decision, his stand, his strong stand for the Lord and His word, challenged others.
So his good friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, join him. We can understand from verse 12, they join him in this right thing. So what we can learn from here is this: making the right decision brings blessings to others as well. If you stand for God and His word, if you stand for His truth faithfully without any compromise, initially people may criticise you, yet, in the process and as time goes by, they will come to understand your stand is right. It is in harmony with God's. Then they will take the courage to stand with you. What a blessing that is! What we find in the life of Daniel, how it impacted his friends as well.
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let me summarise what we have already mentioned. Right decision is one which is in accord with God's revealed will in the Holy Scripture, and right decision comes from strong biblical conviction and courage. A thorough knowledge and understanding of God’s Word is needed—It is a must for believers if we want to make the right decision.
There's always a price to pay in making a biblical decision. Temptation to compromise will never leave us alone. Satan will always whisper in our ears to take a compromising approach. Why don't you do this and that, other people are doing? They are just following the King's Direction, the King's Command. Why make a distinction, you are making yourself in a difficult situation. Why? Why? Why? Many people will ask questions, but we must not compromise. God wants us to make a decision that is in line with His word. Although we may find many good excuses, yet we are to remain faithful to God and His Word. God honours such decisions, and He blesses His people when they do so.
Dear brothers and sisters, as we start this New Year, may I challenge all of us to consider ourselves, how have we been in our daily walk with the Lord?
Firstly, look at your family. How is your family life? Are you a good husband, are you a good wife, or are you a good child in your family? How is your parent-children relationship in your family? What about making a decision to do better in our family life? You and I, with the help of God's Holy Spirit, can become better parents, better children, and we can improve our family relationship, if we make the decision and follow it. That is one of the right decisions, to honour and glorify God in our family. If people look at our family life, how the relationship is going on between the family members, will they glorify God? If not, then why not we start anew today? We can make our family life better with the help of the Holy Spirit.
What about young people who are studying, who are in the schools, whether it's primary school or college or university, whatever? Have you been a good student? Have you been working very hard and very faithful to the Lord in your studies? How you need to pray without ceasing. The test is not only on your exam paper. The real test is in your daily walk with the Lord. Are you planning to become a better student in this year? There's one way we can glorify the Lord. What about spending more time in reading, studying, and trying to understand all the lessons that you need to understand? What about faithfully doing and faithfully following all the good regulations in your school? You can glorify God by doing that.
What about some of us who are working outside, working in companies or whatever it is? What about employers? You can become a better employer. You can become a better employee, if you pray to the Lord and make a new decision to glorify God by doing your best in the place where you are put.
What about the church, our church people, in the church? Dear brothers and sisters, you can become a better church member. What about making a decision not to miss every prayer meeting, not to miss every Lord’s day service, not to miss the Bible study, not to miss the Home Care Group. These are good and right decisions that we can make. We may have failed in the past, but what about making a new decision today?
We know that the time is the time of our Lord’s coming is nearer and nearer. Why don't we start anew and try to become better brothers and sisters in the Lord in the church? What about reading God's Word more often with better meditation, devotion? What about applying God's Word in our lives? What about respecting our leaders who are placed there by the Lord Jesus Christ, if we have not done so? What about starting anew today as we have just entered the New Year?
These are worthy decisions, godly decisions, right decisions that will bring glory to God and blessing to ourselves and to people around us.
Let me close with this, Jonathan Edwards was one of the most outstanding scholars in the United States. He made five resolutions for his life, and I think we can learn something from his resolutions.
Number 1: resolve to live with all my might well I do live. Number 2: resolve never to lose one moment of time to improve it in the most profitable way I can. Number 3: resolve never to do anything which I should despise or think meanly of in another. Number 4: resolve never to do anything out of revenge. Number 5: resolve never to do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.
Dear friends, life is filled with decisions, and the decisions we make can change our life, can change the lives of people around us. What about spending our time in privacy, in quietness to reflect upon ourselves and to make new decisions that are God-glorifying and God-honoring?
As one famous writer, though we may not agree with him in everything but from a practical human point of view, he makes this statement: Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make, makes you. Remember every day we make about 35,000 decisions, some are minor, but some are crucial.
When it comes to the church, what about we start anew in this new year to do better for the Lord, for His glory, and for the blessings of the church? Daniel gives us the best example. He was in a very difficult situation, yet he was able to obey God's will. His decision uplifted him, brought him blessings, and blessings to others as well. May the Lord help us.
Let us pray. Father, we thank you for Thy word, and we thank you for the life of Daniel, which is an exemplary to us. We acknowledge our weaknesses, our shortcomings, and many times, O Lord, we fail to obey Thy Word. When in difficult circumstances, we betrayed you and disobey your Word. Lord, please forgive us of all our sins and trespasses, this evening may Thy Holy Spirit help us to make new decisions that are God-glorifying and God-honouring.
And we want to glorify thee, and we want to honour thee, though we are imperfect. So we pray for the Holy Spirit's help, Holy Spirit's help to continue to strengthen us, help us to walk in the right path, never to compromise but to obey wholeheartedly and perfectly. So we pray all these things in Jesus' name, Amen.
THE BOOK OF DANIELNew Year With New ResolutionsNew Year With New ResolutionsDaniel 1:8
Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 1)Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 1)Daniel 2:14-23
Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 2)Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 2)Daniel 6:10
Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 3)Lessons from the Prayer Life of Daniel (Part 3)Daniel 9:1-27
