“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…So Daniel said to the steward … ‘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’… And at the end of ten days their features appeared better and fatter in the flesh than all of the young men who ate the portion of the king’s delicacies. Thus the steward of delicacies and wine that they were to drink, and gave them vegetables” (Daniel 1:8-16).

What was wrong with the king’s delicacies? The text does not specify. It seems likely that the food and wine was probably connected with idolatry or devotion to some god (cf. Daniel 5:1-4). It is possible that the food included unclean food, which was forbidden to Israelites (cf. Leviticus 11; Deuteronomy 14). It may have included eating blood (cf. Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10-14; Deuteronomy 12:23). These last two things would not explain the wine. Were they avoiding intoxication? The first explanation offered would explain both the food and the wine.

What is remarkable is Daniel and his fellow Israelites devotion to God and determination not to defile themselves. They could have found it easy to go along. They were far from home. You’ve heard the saying, “When in Rome, do as the do.” A better way of thinking is that whether in Rome or elsewhere one should do as God would have one do. This was the thinking of Daniel and his fellow Israelites mentioned in Daniel one. They could have lost faith in God. They had been carried far away as captives in a foreign land. They had been stripped of their Hebrews names and given Babylonian names [(1) Daniel = God is my judge; Belteshazzar = Bel protects his life; (2) Hananiah = Yahweh has been gracious; Shadrach = The command of Aku; (3) Mishael = Who is what God is; Meshach = Who is what Aku is (4) Azariah = Yahweh will help; Abednego = servant of Nego. Wayne Jackson comments, “Some of the names are obscure. One thing is practically certain: each of them had the name of Israel’s God removed and replaced by a form that reflected a heathen god. The philosophy of Nebuchadnezzar seems to have been: I’ll change your name; and in so doing, redirect the object of your adoration!” (Wayne Jackson, The Prophets, p. 329)]. Furthermore, they seem to have been made eunuchs (Daniel 6:1-7, 8, 9,11, 18). Yet these young men were determined not to defile themselves. They truly believed in their God (cf. Daniel 3, 6).

The purpose of the heart determines the action. It all starts in the heart. What do you purpose in your heart to do? Faithfulness to God doesn’t just happen. It is purposed.

[Note: This text is not teaching that all should be vegetarian or vegan. Israelites and other righteous ones consumed meats and animal products including lamb, quail, eggs, milk, calf, and fish (Exodus 12:1-11, 43-48; Numbers 11:31-35; Job 6:6; Luke 11:12; Genesis 18:8; Proverbs 27:27; Isaiah 7:22; Isaiah 55:1 Luke 15:11-13; John 21:1-13, et. al.)].