Purposed in his heart

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, "I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and drink. For why should he see your faces looking worse than the young men who are your age? Then you would endanger my head before the king." So Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, "Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then let our appearance be examined before you, and the appearance of the young men who eat the portion of the king's delicacies; and as you see fit, so deal with your servants." So he consented with them in this matter, and tested them ten days. – Daniel 1.8,10-14

How did these guys do it? How did they stay true in a strange land with all the strange customs and different religions and the gods of Babylon? One might just give up and say ‘when in Babylon do as the Babylonians do,’ but these men had a better plan to get them through. They rose to prominence because of their character and they survived because of something Daniel did back in verse 8 where he ‘purposed in his heart’ that he would not let himself be defiled.

When the king’s man came and told Daniel and the others to enjoy the delicacies of the king’s household David refused, politely. The steward was afraid he would be punished so begged them to comply so David asked for a test. ‘Just let us eat vegetables and beans and check us in ten days to see how we are.’ The king agreed and the test began.

But let’s step back. When the time came to make a decision there was no decision to be made. Daniel had already purposed in his heart that he would not be defiled. All of us are going to face situations where we are going to be called on to decide what we are going to do. Will we compromise? Will we give in? Will we be defiled? Or have we purposed and decided that when that test comes that, by the grace of God, we will not be defiled so that there is no question about what we will do when tested?