Daniel purposed in his heart

“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.” - Daniel 1v8

It is nearly impossible to pass by this one little section of Daniel without pausing for a moment. Daniel was a young man who was displaced from his homeland in a type of “ethnic resettlement.” He and his people were carried from their homes in Judah to the heartland of the massive Chaldean Empire. He, along with a few other young men were called into the king’s palace to teach him and his subjects the language, customs, and manners of the Israelites. This small group of men had the perfect job! They lived in the palace, slept in nice beds, and ate the king’s food. What more could one ask for?

Daniel saw in advance that there would be a problem. There would be a draw and a desire to conform to the ways of the king’s palace. Babylon’s desire was assimilate captive nations into their society. The goal was to make a few allowances and eventually do away with all memory of the original culture. Most of the time it worked for Babylon.

The king had not reckoned on a man like Daniel. He was a man who knew the importance of the purity of God’s people and that mixing with Babylon would defile God’s people. Therefore he decided to take a stand – “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself…” Before he ever encountered the problem he had decided what he would do – there really was not a question and nothing was open to debate.

What would happen today if God’s people had the courage to take a stand like Daniel did? We tend to accept situation ethics, deciding what to do when the situation arises. Oh that we would be like Daniel – no room for compromise, no room for debate, simply a hear purpose not to be defiled. Do you think we would have an impact for God on our communities?