Four exceptional young men, born into wealth and privilege, face the unthinkable—a disintegrating government and exile to a foreign land.  They were not the only children of nobility captured, but they were the ones who nobility made distinctive, for it is not wealth, power, position, nor education that determine true nobility; rather, their integrity and choices set them apart.

Besides leaving family, Daniel and his friends left behind a blessed homeland and a people chosen by God, appointed for greatness yet compromised by a history of idolatry and corrupt leadership.  The current king, Jehoiakim, raised taxes to appease Egypt, continued to lead his people into idolatry instead of to the Lord, became a puppet for foreign governments, suppressed the truth, and killed those who were willing to tell it.

Education in art, literature, and culture, as well as the opulence of Babylon opened up before these young Judean men.  Food and wine from the kings table—just about anything they could possibly desire—was available to them.  The only cost to them was everything—their identity and their God.  Daniel, “God is my judge”, was to become Belteshazzer, named after Nebuchadnezzar’s god, Bel; likewise, the names of his three friends were changed from ones that identified Yahweh as God to names reflecting the gods of Babylon.

How easy it would be for Daniel and his friends to surrender their very souls, to give up and to live with defeat instead of nobility, to adapt to their circumstances and the land where they were captives—most did!

I have heard teachings about diet and about wine come from this story, but I do not believe it is about food nor drink—this story is about allegiance to another King and an unconquerable kingdom.  This is an account of four young men staking out territory, setting a boundary, and raising the flag of loyalty to the one true God.

As Christians, have we become so acclimatized to the culture where we live, that going to church once a week does not delineate any significant boundaries between us and the personal worlds in which we dwell?  The tricky thing here is how easy it is to assume judgmental attitudes and make rules to create divisions between people instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to show us the places in our lives where He wants us to stake claims and send up flags of allegiance to our King of kings.

The apostle Paul teaches in Romans 6:16, “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey?”  Is it possible that elements of captivity exist in our lives where His flag does not fly?  Honestly, I think it is a good idea to step back occasionally to examine our lives, to consider whether, just possibly, we may be in captivity to something or someone.  Once I relegate denial to another lifetime, and recognize that nothing can separate me from God’s love—I am in a secure place and a protected relationship with Him—then I can acknowledge, “yep, these internet games are doing me no good, they are just stealing my time”.  Of course, my slave-self tells me I need them to relax…

In a letter written to the Roman church, Paul defines how we should live, particularly in a culture hostile to Christianity and our Father’s kingdom:  “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1, 2).

That really is my point; how do we not become conformed to this world, particularly in a land hostile to the kingdom where our identity and true citizenship lies?  How do we avoid the countless distractions designed to divert our attention from, and compromise our service to, the rightful King?  “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works” (Titus 3:3-8).

We are destined to be more than conquerors through Jesus; yet God graciously gives us tactics for enemy confrontation and cultural enticements…

…like renewing our minds with the Word of God.

…like presenting ourselves to God and experiencing Holy Spirit renewal.

…like discovering opportunities and devoting ourselves to good works.

…like taking a 10-day break from something to see if God may have some exciting new potential and prospects for us.

—Because what you eat is not nearly as important as, “Who is your King?”