Daniel 1:8 (NKJV) 8 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.
I have pondered on Daniel and his life quite a lot over the last couple years.
The situation he was in is one that I contemplate frequently, especially considering today’s situation in the world.
I have conversed with God about this many times; what if the nation I live in was completely taken over by a tyrannical government that banned the worship of the one true God?
My question isn’t about whether I would deny God or not. I know the answer to that. It is an unequivocal, “no”.
I would not deny God.
But would I be able to do as Daniel did, serving an evil king with excellence while holding back the words I would like to say about truth, righteousness and God’s judgement?
Daniel was an incredible man of God. He had wisdom and discernment that came to him by the Spirit of God. But Daniel had to be disciplined and wise enough to heed what the Holy Spirit showed him and told him to do or not to do.
Daniel’s convictions were so strong that he chose to disobey the king’s decree very early on in his tenure as a servant to that king.
And yet, through his disobedience, God moved.
This isn’t to say that disobedience is what caused God to move. It wasn’t.
It was why Daniel disobeyed that caused God to move on his behalf; he stood for what was right and true, and did it in a way that didn’t involve him making accusations against the king about other observations that he had made.
In other words, Daniel stayed on topic with his actions and didn’t go on to expound on the many evils that he saw in the king or his kingdom.
So, how would we act or behave in this same situation?
Would we heed the promptings and leading of the Holy Spirit, allowing ourselves to be used by God to bring about His justice, His honor and His glory before the eyes of a pagan king, eventually leading to his faith in God?
Or would we follow our own flesh and emotions, speaking when we should be silent, and acting when we should quietly submit, never allowing God to use us as He wanted to do?
Something for us to seriously ponder on.
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie
Seven Seas Ministries
49 N Lamplighters Walk
Hampstead, NC 28443
401-439-3780
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