Daniel 1:5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king. 8 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.
This passage of scripture teaches us the importance of standing firm for principle, even in the face of threats and imminent danger, for if as Christians we cannot stand for anything, we will inevitably fall for everything, and the Bible clearly states that "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind". It's very important for us not to waver in our beliefs, once they have been certified by the scriptures. In the case of Daniel and his companions, they decided to live by scriptural principles, instead of surrendering to the powers that be, or because of peer pressure.
When this decision was made, Daniel and his friends had a whole lot on the line, and there were many so-called "Valid" reasons why they could have gone with the flow. First of all, the other Hebrew captives were eating of the king's food, and so they could have used the flimsy reasoning that God will understand, since they were in captivity. They could have also cited the scriptural principle that teaches us to be in submission to the powers that be, a counsel which is also found in the new testament. Let's read:
Romans 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Then again they could have reasoned that the golden opportunity to attend the best universities of the day should not be sacrificed for a minor thing such as food, for once they had graduated, then they could always revert back to what they knew was right; furthermore, a very bright future in politics lay before them, by which they would be able to do a whole lot of good, in addition to which, the king had gone out of his way to show them special favors, and therefore the end should justify the means. Let's read:
Daniel 1:3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
But most important of all is the fact that their very lives were on the line, for the king would certainly be insulted by their refusal to eat his food, thereby implying that his royal diet was inferior to theirs, an implication that would certainly cost them their lives. Let's read:
Daniel 1:10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
But all these and many other "Valid" reasons were not sufficient to turn them from their steadfast purpose not to defile themselves with the kings food and drink, and because of their firm stand for principle, God blessed them tremendously and exalted them to very high positions of authority, whereby the other Babylonians and Jews who answered to the king, were put under their jurisdiction.
However, there is a much more important issue at stake here, for if as Christians we are prepared to compromise in what many would deem the little things, then when more weightier matters need to be addressed, the same wavering spirit will be manifest, for satan only needs us to fall once, so that our feet can be set in a downward trend, and he knows all to well, that once the door of compromise or deviation from God's revealed will is opened, it makes it much easier for us to repeat the same mistakes again, and then when we become settled in a pattern of compromise for various reasons, then he can bring in additional temptations, to which we would most likely succumb, using the same lines of reasoning.
It's worthy of note that Adam and Eve only ate of the forbidden fruit once, but in so doing, they opened the floodgates of woe on the world, and they went on to commit many other sins that they had never originally intended to be involved with, which teaches us the sobering lesson, that the sin of compromise will always take us further than we expect to go, and keep us longer than we expect to stay.
In our day there are many of us who are faced with similar temptations dressed in modern garb, and very often the same reasons suggested to Daniel and his companions are brought home to our consciences by satanic agencies. Not long ago many Christian politicians here in America were outraged by the prospect of un-scriptural alterations being made to God's law as it pertains to marriage, and many of them openly voiced their displeasure and anger that such a sacred institution would be dragged in the dust. But as satan increased the pressure of the majority opinion, popular demand, and the legislation by the supreme court, many of the same politicians dropped their opposition to it one by one, as they saw their voter support being eroded, and many prominent companies and corporations across the land demanding that they acquiesce, or else forfeit significant financial and political support.
And as it was with Adam and Eve, the same pattern of compromise has taken deep root in our society, to the point where the clamors of the popular majority are given more weight than the plainest teachings of God's word, thus setting the stage for an unprecedented moral anarchy, which will usher in the final conflict between the forces of good and evil. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which cautions us not to be vacillating when it comes to standing firm for principle, for God is able to keep all who put their trust in His wise leadership, and He will strengthen us to be unmovable in the midst of a fluid social environment. Let's read:
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. "Good night" and God bless!