Passionate Christianity

Daniel is a man of God who stayed devoted to his calling and faithful to God’s will for him in the midst of a sin-centered world no matter what cross was laid upon him. He was a spiritual leader whose way of life and faith is to be considered and imitated. (Hebrews 13:7)

Daniel was taken in captivity to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. (Daniel 1:1: Who’s Who in the Bible) He was chosen with three others (Daniel 1:6) to be trained in the language and literature of the Babylonians so they could become administrators for the Babylonian Empire. While being a part of the Royal Academy, Daniel and His fellow servants of the Lord were given the opportunity to enjoy a daily amount of food and wine from the kings table.

Daniel and his friends could have easily have justified their circumstances as being a blessing. They could have said “We will obey what the king wants and just be loyal to God on the inside.” This is not the case with a man of God who has Biblical integrity.

I love the way the King James Bible puts it, “But Daniel purposed in his heart…” The Babylonians could change Daniel’s home, textbooks, menu, but they could not change his heart. He and his friends purposed in their hearts that they would obey God’s Word they refused to become conformed to the world around them.

Daniel, Shadrack, Meshack, and Abendnego had their first real test of faithfulness to God here. Daniel knew what was right and the other three captives resolved to do what was right also. To eat meat and to drink wine from the king’s table would have caused them to become involved in indirect worship to the Babylonian deities.

It was the custom of the Babylonians to throw a small part of the meat and wine upon the earth, as an initiatory offering to the gods, so as to consecrate to the gods the whole entertainment of the feast. To have partaken of such a feast would have been to sanction idolatry and the worship of the Babylonian gods.

There was only one true God and these four men proved their faithfulness of not bowing to other gods. Later on in the Book of Daniel we read of his faithfulness in praying to God even when it came against the decree of king Darius to do so. Because of his faithfulness in prayer he saw the Lord deliver him from the mouths of the lions. (Daniel 6:1-22) Shadrach, Meshack, and Abendigo were delivered by God out of the fiery furnace they were thrown into because they refused to bow down to the image made by Nebuchadnezzar. These four men lived a passionate life before God and they carried their cross daily, choosing to obey the Lord rather than man.

Note, while the Lord’s children are living in this sin cursed world with all it’s false man made gods, they are to take special care to be living a life that is after the heart of God. They are called to be a holy priesthood and not participate in the sins of the flesh, and the world. Even when facing an attack on their faith, they are to express a life that is passionately pleasing to the Lord. Christians are to be a peculiar people acting upon the spiritual light they have and the Lord will protect them. Those who desire to excel in God’s wisdom and a holy life say in their heart as did King David, “Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil, to take part in wicked deeds with men who are evildoers; let me not eat of their delicacies.” (Psalm 141:4)