Years ago, my dad told me a story about the Christian singer George Beverly Shea, who won a contract to record music, but turned it down. For a long time, I didn’t understand why it would have been wrong to accept the contract. After all, the entertainment industry could use more Christian influences.
However, Wikipedia (and a site that it sourced) explained that the conflict occurred because the contract was specifically to perform secular songs, which Mr. Shea didn’t feel right singing. [Per George Beverly Shea – Wikipedia, “Shea passed the audition and was offered a job, but reluctantly turned the position down because he didn’t feel right about performing secular music.”]
I didn’t question the validity of my dad’s story (at least, as well as I remembered it – I was pretty young at the time), but now I have a better understanding of why this great singer made his decision.
Continuing in the first chapter of the book of Daniel, let’s consider another person who declined what seemed like a pretty good offer. Daniel (along with other Israelites) had been chosen for a special program by the king of Babylon, and with this came some high-end food and drink.
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Daniel 1:8 NIV
Like questioning why a talented Christian singer would turn down a recording contract, we might ask the same questions about Daniel: What was wrong with drinking wine and eating food from the king?
Here are some ideas:
- The food could be something that was ceremonially unclean under Jewish law, like pork.
- The food could have been unhealthy. God made our bodies, as well as our minds, hearts, and souls, and neglecting any one of those can impact the health of others. And, if the wine was too strong (and too plentiful), that would definitely set back their training.
- The wine and food could have been dedicated to Nebuchadnezzar’s pagan god.
- A commentator [Mangano, p.171-172, quoting Longman] suggests that Daniel may have wanted to avoid crediting a pagan king with his success.
- Maybe Daniel just didn’t feel right accepting what might be perceived as a bribe or other influence from the Babylonians, as Daniel retained his commitment to God.
- The Lookout (cited below) suggests that maybe it just didn’t taste good!
Regardless of his reasons (and more than one of these could have applied), Daniel was bold enough to ask the guy in charge for an exception. Remember, Daniel had probably seen plenty of his fellow Israelites killed by Nebuchadnezzar’s armies, and Daniel was among ten thousand others who were exiled. Daniel must have understood that he was being asked to “sell out” to a conquering nation. If he was only looking out for himself, he should have known that asking for favors could get him kicked out of the program (or worse).
Do you suppose that others who had been exiled from Jerusalem wondered why Daniel would turn down such a generous offer? Royal food would probably have been the best that there was to offer, and being ungrateful could get Daniel sent off to a much less pleasant role in the kingdom. Regardless of his reasons, though, Daniel made the difficult choice. He also didn’t merely pretend to fit in, perhaps by just trying to eat around the food that was unclean. No, Daniel stood up and asked permission to follow his conscience.
To be clear, I don’t know if Daniel was confident in the outcome, or if he was terrified. Perhaps he had some teenage bravado (not fully appreciating the seriousness of the situation), or maybe he had really wrestled with whether or not he needed to say something. His actions, though, illustrate his convictions, regardless of his motivation. (We can also learn more about Daniel’s long-term character elsewhere in the book that carries his name.)
In the story of George Beverly Shea’s decision, I respected Mr. Shea even if I didn’t understand his reasons at first. Like him, are we willing to earn others’ respect by standing up for what we believe to be right, even if they don’t “get it”? It’s tough, but as we find later in this book, standing up allows us to make a much bigger impact for good, versus just fitting in.
Sometimes, others will understand your reasons when you do the right thing. Sometimes, others will understand your rationale later, after they observe the results. Sometimes, though, others will never understand. Can you still stand up as an example for others who also need to make the right choice in their lives, even when they don’t get it?
From Sunday School lesson prepared for June 2, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, June 2, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Esther & Daniel, by Mark Mangano. © 2001 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 