Avoids Worldly Defilement

Avoids Worldly Defilement

A HERO’S TALE

Daniel took one look at the dinner plate before him, frowned, and said, “No, thanks.”

If it had been a tall pile of liver and onions, salty sardines, or steaming spinach —well then, yeah, who wouldn’t push that away? But the food set before Daniel was from the king’s own delicious gourmet menu! Still, Daniel politely declined.

The year was 605 BC. The Babylonians, who had conquered Assyria, were now the world’s greatest empire. King Nebuchadnezzar had started a series of attacks on Judah that would end with Jerusalem’s destruction in 586 BC. Meanwhile, he took many Jews as captives back to Babylon. Daniel was one of them.

But when Daniel arrived in Babylon, he was treated like a prince, not a prisoner. The Babylonians offered him the best food and education possible. Only Daniel didn’t want to eat from the king’s table.

Perhaps he was trying to follow the Jewish dietary laws found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. It’s also possible that the king’s food and drink had been dedicated to idols. Whatever the reason, the Bible says that Daniel “was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to [him] by the king” (Daniel 1:8). Instead, he asked for veggies and water, and God blessed him by keeping him healthy and strong (see 1:11-15).

DECODING THE MESSAGE

The word defile means “to make unclean or impure.” By not eating Babylonian meat, Daniel took an impressive stand for righteousness even though he was technically a prisoner of war. He wanted to keep his unique identity as a follower of the one true God of Israel rather than become like the pagan idol worshipers all around him.

Today, God calls us to avoid worldly defilement too. So what defiles you? Is it certain food? No! In Mark 7:15, Jesus said, “It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”

We are defiled by the sin in our hearts —pride, selfishness, greed, jealousy, lies, hatred, and so on. That’s why we need God’s forgiveness, which is exactly what Jesus offers us through his death on the cross!

Once we receive God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus, we must strive to be godly. God calls us to be different from the world around us. We are to obey God and avoid defiling ourselves with sinful, worldly pursuits. Sound hard —maybe even impossible? Thankfully, we have access to God’s limitless power! He will help us obey him when we ask.

Put your faith in Jesus, follow God’s Word, and be different from the evil world around you. Then, just like Daniel, you’ll be a true hero for God!

BATTLE PLAN

To understand more about what defiles us and what doesn’t, read Mark 7.