Daniel 1:12 “Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.”
Daniel 1:14 “So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.”
Daniel 1:18-20 “Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azairah: therefore stood they before the king.”
Daniel was determined to stand his ground and serve His God without compromise. Yet, he did so in a nuanced way that won over his handler (the prince of the eunuchs) without causing controversy or burning the bridges that he may need to cross over in the future.
Daniel was expected to eat the king’s meat and drink the king’s wine, if for no other reason than to appear healthy to the king. He was determined to maintain his sincerely held religious beliefs and offered to run an innovative trial with his captor. For ten days, Daniel would eat and drink according to his customs to prove to the king that he was well nourished and well equipped to serve. What were the results of Daniel’s deal? He demonstrated a superior usefulness to the king while maintaining his standards, his testimony, and his ability to influence those around him.
Daniel pushed back without being pushy. He disagreed without being disagreeable. He confronted the rules without being confrontational. He was resolute without being a renegade. He was pure without being Pharisaical!
PLEASE PRAY THAT AMERICAN CHRISTIANS WOULD FIND THE RIGHT NUANCED WAY TO MAINTAIN STANDARDS IN OUR FOREIGN LAND WITHOUT REPULSING THOSE WE HAVE BEEN SENT TO BRING TO REPENTANCE. In this way, we can stand before the kings of this world in a way that prompts them to take notice of our beliefs and our God!
Please see the original Standing Before Kings post from 2014:https://prayatlunch.us/standing-before-kings/
