Set Apart

Daniel 1:1-8

Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. (Daniel 1:8)

WHEN GOD’S PEOPLE LIVED IN the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, they knew what was expected of them and established their own spiritual and social culture. But when they were dispersed into other kingdoms by Assyrians and Babylonians, they were suddenly confronted with diverse rituals and lifestyles that went against their own. God’s people were given pagan names and forced to work for idolatrous masters. They often could not choose their own food or customs. And they certainly could not worship at their own Temple, which was in their distant homeland and eventually destroyed. They had to live as people of God among people who did not know him.

The book of Daniel refers to how Daniel and his friends did this by remaining faithful in prayer and dietary restrictions. Books like Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi suggest different ways Jews struggled with issues related to the laws of Moses and intermarriage with foreigners. The book of Esther makes no mention of any of these issues (or even of God), though a new feast, Purim, is inaugurated that is still celebrated today. In other words, Jews seem to have navigated life in foreign lands in a variety of ways, maintaining customs, cultural traditions, and God-given laws in extenuating circumstances.

The point is that diaspora Jews had to figure out how to live as a minority within a majority culture, just as Christians today have to do in many parts of the world. Some Christians encourage extreme separation and standing firm against the currents of cultures, while others adapt to their surroundings. In every case, biblical and modern, the issue is not the degree to which believers accommodate; it’s the spirit in which they do so. Is it for influence or compromise? Faithfulness or apathy? Love for God or legalistic adherence to rules? As you live in this world, know the difference. In whatever ways you distinguish yourself, do it for the right reasons: love, faithfulness, and impact. Wherever you are, choose to be who God made and called you to be.

{Father, you have set me apart from the world but also placed me within it. Give me the willingness to compromise what isn’t important, stand for what is, and clearly discern the difference. Amen.