"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 1:8
"Living is not just something that we do to pass the time of day!" That is the way Dad would start all of his lectures on responsibility. His message was simple; we are alive for a few years then we are gone. It is in this time that we should not just live to die, but rather we should seek to live abundantly. After all, Jesus died that we might have abundant life [John 10:10]. Yet, what kind of life shall we live? If we seek to fulfill the lust of the flesh we began to be filled with all manor of carnal sin, walking not after the Spirit of Christ, but instead following all manor of lasciviousness; and we know "that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:19)
So how shall we live? Our lives should be purposed not to fulfil the lust of the flesh, but to live for him who died for us: "And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again." (II Cor. 5:25) It is here that we find the meaning behind our text for today. The prophet Daniel was given a great opportunity to be in the good graces of the king. Not only be allowed to live, but to stand in the king's palace and minister unto him daily. However, even here, Daniel refused to defile himself by not partaking of the king's meat nor wine. Such a decision could have brought down the wrath of his superiores, gotten him kicked out of his new position, or even killed. Daniel was quiet aware of these facts, but he did more than just decided to do this, it is recorded that he "purposed in his heart." He didn't do it just cause it happened to worked out or if nothing was ever said, but he purposed.
This should be the way that we live. Our lives should be purposed to live for God, not just when things are easy or things are sailing along, but we should praise him, and live for him, in the good times and even more so in the bad. David summed it up like this: "Thou hast proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt find nothing; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress." (Ps. 17:3) |
