"Please test us for ten days on a diet
of vegetables and water," Daniel said. "At the end of the ten days,
see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king's food.
Then make your decision in light of what you see." The attendant agreed to
Daniel's suggestion and tested them for ten days. At the end of the ten days,
Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the
young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the
attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for
the others. God gave these four young men an unusual aptitude for understanding
every aspect of literature and wisdom. And God gave Daniel the special ability
to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams. When the training period
ordered by the king was completed, the chief of staff brought all the young men
to King Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them, and no one impressed him as
much as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the royal
service. Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom
and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the
magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom. Daniel 1:12-20
Daniel and the other Jews from Judah had
walked about 500 miles to Babylon when King Nebuchadnezzar seized that region.
You would think that trek would have given them a tremendous appetite. King
Nebuchadnezzar wanted some of the Jewish royal family and nobility to serve in his
palace and offered them rich meaty food from his own table and wine to keep
them healthy. Daniel was in that group of young men chosen to be put into serve
with the king, but he didn’t want to defile himself with royal food and wine.
That is where the ten day test came into being. “Keep yourself pure”—no pork or
dependence upon the king’s royal food—was Daniel’s goal for himself and his
friends. How many of us would give up rich foods offered to us just to honor
God’s laws? Have you ever considered a ten day test…just to see if you are
healthier on a diet of vegetables and water?
Prayer
~ Lord, give us wisdom to make wise choices when it comes to food. Daniel and
his friends were a good example to us—not defiling themselves with rich foods
and sweet treats. Help each of us to be strong like Daniel and please give each
person reading this blog knowledge and understanding that they can apply to
their lives.
Friday’s
Feast at the King’s Table
I’ve often wanted to try a vegetarian diet…but
it seemed such a challenge to balance the proteins and use just the right herbs
to make the food tasty. Thirty some years ago when I was a young officer’s wife
in a Wives’ Club gourmet group, I tried a lentil loaf assuming it would be
similar to a meat loaf (one of my husband’s favorites). It was terrible…and my
guests and I had a good laugh over our “vegetarian” meal experiment, swearing
that we would never fix those recipes
again! Over the years I’ve had a few vegetarian cookbooks and have discarded
all of them, but there are plenty of vegetarian recipes online. Once again I
want to try to incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my repertoire and weekly
menus. Like Daniel, you and I can eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably
raw, although steamed or roasted vegetables can be more easily digested.
Was Daniel’s vegetarian diet really just a mere
fast from meat, rich foods and wine? It may have been more about being obedient
to God and taking care of this “temple” that He has created in us. With that in
mind—I challenge you to consider incorporating more vegetarian dishes into your
diet…and taking care of this temple that God has created in you. Share with me
your favorite vegetarian recipe and tales of your Daniel adventures in foods. For
the next ten Fridays…A Daniel Feast.
© 2016 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT)
unless otherwise noted.
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