Fidelity Under Oppression

“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…”

– Daniel 1:8

Daniel and his friends were taken into captivity as young men. They became part of a select group of Jews who would be trained in the ways of the Chaldeans. Their God-given names were changed. They were given names that celebrated heathen gods. Although they were separated from their land, family, and even identity, the Lord was always near in their hearts. That is something that could never be stripped from Daniel.  

Nebuchadnezzar provided this elite group of chosen men with a daily provision of food. It probably included a steady diet of meat that was forbidden at the time for an Israelite to eat. This is where Daniel drew the line. He would not eat anything that would not please God and defile himself. And with everything within him, he purposed to be loyal to God.

Today fidelity may not carry much value in society. Yet to Daniel, it was essential. Loyalty to God was the only thing he could call his own as he journeyed through time and lands not belonging to him. This was not simply human resolve full of empty promises. As Spurgeon once wrote, “a promise which has no better foundation than a human resolve will fall to the ground.” This was a God-given desire to serve the Lord even under harsh conditions. Because when we belong to God, He plants those desires within us (Isaiah 26:12).

As born-again Christians, we are pilgrims in a foreign land. We understand this is not our home. We are in a place where we are physically separated from our Savior. Yet He is always near to us in our hearts. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. And, He promised to return for us. As we wait for our Lord’s return, may our fidelity glorify the Lord. May we live as if we were already home in heaven.

“Daniel’s desire was to please God in all he did. So he resolved that even though he was not in his own land but in a culture that did not follow God’s laws, he would consider himself under the Law.”

– J. Dwight Pentecost