| Author | Message | ||
| 1john2v27nlt Registered user Username: 1john2v27nlt Post Number: 365 Registered: 5-2009 |
Last week I read the book of Daniel again. I grew up on stories of Daniel & his 3 friends. In chapter 1 I was taught that the foods issue was an example of vegetarianism & not drinking. I was taught that was why they were smarter, had stronger character, & were healthier. When I read the whole book of Daniel I came to chapter 10:2-3 & read that later in life Daniel did eat meat & drink wine, because for 3 weeks he had stopped doing so while fasting. I said to myself, well I'll believe what the bible says, & that is different than what I was told. He wasn't a vegetarian for life & he did drink wine. But last week it just bugged me! What really was the issue? It said Daniel did not want to defile himself; how could he later eat what had been defiling then? Chapter 1 ESV says he did not want to be defiled by the king's food. That seems to imply that he refused any & all the king's food, except vegetables. Certainly the Israelites ate lamb, beef, & goat meat. Why would he refuse that? And there are verses that speak of them drinking wine & strong drink at some of the yearly festivals, so why refuse now? If it was a health issue, how could he eat & drink these later in life? If it was about being the temple of God/HolySpirit he could not have changed later in life could he? I spent some time pondering & I have some ideas; but I thought I'd toss it out there for discussion. Why is this story recorded in the Bible? What is the issue & what does it matter? | ||
| Ric_b Registered user Username: Ric_b Post Number: 1447 Registered: 7-2004  |
Was the food on the King's table kosher? Had even clean meats potentially been offered to idols? The issue was being ceremonially clean, not "healthy". We have been falsely taught that dietary laws were about health, when in fact thet were a symbol of being a separate and distict people. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 3854 Registered: 10-2004  |
I've understood the part about not defiling himself to mean that he did not want to partake of food or drink offered to idols. It was definitely not a health issue, as we were taught in Adventism. In fact, the miracle was that Daniel and his friends were healthier despite their unhealthy, meager diet of vegetables and water. Later on, when he was a high-ranking official, Daniel would have been able to have any food or drink he wanted, without it being offered to idols. Jeremy | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 3855 Registered: 10-2004 |
Rick brings up another reason for refusing the food: it was not kosher. In fact, even the clean meats would not have been killed/prepared according to kosher law. Jeremy | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 3856 Registered: 10-2004 |
Here's a link to some more info on Jewish kosher laws: http://www.jewfaq.org/kashrut.htm Jeremy | ||
| Asurprise Registered user Username: Asurprise Post Number: 2307 Registered: 7-2007 |
Daniel was Jewish and under the Old Covenant. Therefore he was COMMANDED to eat the Passover lamb each year! In Leviticus 20:24-26, God tells Israel that He's separating them from unclean meats because He's separating them from the unclean peoples. (Israelites knew which animals were "unclean" because those were the one that didn't get sacrificed. Earlier, Noah had been told that he could eat "every moving thing that lives." - Genesis 9:3) In Acts 10, Peter learns that the unclean peoples are no longer unclean. | ||
| 1john2v27nlt Registered user Username: 1john2v27nlt Post Number: 366 Registered: 5-2009 |
Last week I reread the passage & pondered awhile. I came to the conclusion that the word defile was a key for me. Seemingly the portion of the king's food & wine set for the captives was inclusive of either clean or unclean meats. Verse 2 says the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem were put in the temple of the king's god. So it made sense to me in context that the food might be offered to the idol as well. And as someone said above, later in life Daniel had charge of his own food & wine - not offered to idols. So that would explain the change in his life. This is consistent with the NT as well. The whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 8 is about food offered to idols. 1 Cor 10:27 speaks about dinner invitations & eating, dealing with issues of food offered to idols. And Acts 15:28-29 only restricts eating food offered to idols, consuming blood, or the meat of strangled animals. Food offered to idols was the the big issue, not clean or unclean. Now it all makes sense to me. But I needed to be familiar with the entire Bible to come to this conclusion. As an SDA this was not the case. I believed what I had been told. I didn't question. I didn't read God's Word. I was fed selective bits & pieces, & told things that were not true biblically. Reading & rereading the entire Bible is changing me. God can bring it to mind if I have put it in my mind. It was awesome to cry out to God; have Him give me insights, & then put the question here where things were confirmed for me. J9 | ||
| Colleentinker Registered user Username: Colleentinker Post Number: 13268 Registered: 12-2003  |
J9--I get it! Yes, discovering context and meaning from the connections throughout Scripture and from taking the words literally and seriously has totally changed the way I read and understand. This make sense...and the Bible really does address every spiritual issue that arises. I used to cringe when people said the Bible gives us everything we need to know...but now I find increasingly that the claim is true. First, though, we must believe in the Lord Jesus and be born again; then reality keeps becoming more and more clear as I read more and more of Scripture... Amazing. Colleen | ||
| 1john2v27nlt Registered user Username: 1john2v27nlt Post Number: 369 Registered: 5-2009 |
Yes, Colleen, it is since I have acknowledged Jesus & renounced sdaism, that the scriptures have come alive for me. I believe that is when I was born again. My prayer life has changed to more praise & gratitude; and the insights are filling my journal. Tis morning I looked back through my journal. I started it in 2005 but it is in the last year that I have filled it up. As I read my entries I kept saying 'It is SO CLEAR!' It is plain. Iti is simple. But without the Holy Spirit we read & simply gain information. The Spirit gives insight & understanding. Yes!! It's amazing! J9 |
