Daniel 1:5, 8 | Sustained By Grace Alone
Daniel 1:5, 8 - The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king . . . But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself.
The Last Stage Of Pagan Assimilation
The narrative of Daniel and his friends' transformation into wise men of Babylon takes a dramatic turn in Daniel 1:8-16. The four nobles willingly embraced the public re-education in the liberal arts of Babylon and the re-branding of their identities with pagan names. However, the final stage of assimilation was a test of their spiritual devotion: consuming food and wine 'assigned' by the King.
The Reason For The Babylonian Diet
The literal meaning of the word 'assign' (מָנָה) is to "appoint" or "provide" (Daniel 1:5).[1] Therefore, the gift of "food" and "wine" from the King was about provision. In books, the King provided education; in new names, he provided identity; in delicacies, he provided nourishment. If Daniel and his friends did not resolve to eat "pulse" (Daniel 1:8, KJV), their success and wisdom would be attributed to one source: Babylon. Tremper Longman writes:
"By refusing to eat the food of the king, they know it is not the king who is responsible for the fact that "they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food" (Daniel 1:15). Their robust appearance, usually attained by a rich fare of meats and wine, is miraculously achieved through a diet of vegetables. Only God could have done it." [2]
A Private Resolve To Remember God
Therefore, the decision to adhere to a seed-centred diet (זֵרוּעַ) was not merely a dietary preference but a profound personal commitment to remember the true source of life and wisdom during their intense re-education program. Daniel chose not to sustain himself on rich delicacies, nor even “pulse”, but on the providential grace of God. “Every time a meal was served, the exiles would remember that, although they had no choice but to live in Babylon and absorb its culture, they nonetheless chose to be nourished and cared for by the King of kings rather than the King of Babylon.”[3]
The Result Of Remembering God
However, there is a broader purpose to their abstinence: overcoming defilement (Daniel 1:8). Self-violation is the fruit of misguided dependence, and Daniel resolved to pursue holiness before the King of kings. In a sense, he typifies Christ Jesus in his resolve, the one who taught Paul "the secret of facing hunger and need" (Philippians 4:12). Like Jesus, Daniel humbled himself, choosing not to live by seeds alone (bread), but "by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Daniel would not be corrupted, for he was a man desperate to tether himself to the wisdom of God.
Sustained By Grace Alone
Like Daniel, Paul, and Jesus, dependance upon the God who guards our purity is the path of true wisdom. Therefore, as John Calvin once said, "We ought to consider our life sustained neither by bread nor any other food but by the secret blessings of God. This, at least, is certain: whatever food we feed on, we are nourished and sustained by [the gracious power of God]." [4] As households, this too is our call—a call to remember our true source of sustenance. In seasons, this might require us to practice abstinence to refocus our gaze on Christ, but most of the time, it will simply mean feasting at our tables, but not neglecting to give thanks to the God—the King who sustains our bodies and our spirits by grace.
[1] James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
[2] Tremper Longman III, Daniel (The NIV Application Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999), 53.
[3] Wendy L. Widder, Daniel (ed. Tremper Longman III and Scot McKnight; The Story of God Bible Commentary; Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2016), 30.
[4] John Calvin and Thomas Myers, Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Daniel (vol. 1; Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 107.