A Study of Daniel: God is Bigger Than Any Law

Daniel 1:8–9 "But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Now God had caused the official to show favor and compassion to Daniel."

"The centrality of the fear of the Lord is further emphasized by the structural significance of this idea within the book. Proverbs divide into two major sections, with Proverbs 1–9 being dominated by lengthy instructions, whereas Proverbs 10–31 is shaped in the main by the pithy two-line sayings that we traditionally associate with proverbial wisdom. It is significant that "the fear of the Lord" brackets both of these major sections. Proverbs 9:10 reminds the reader, "The beginning of wisdom is fear of Yahweh, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding," whereas Proverbs 31:30 says that "a woman who fears Yahweh is to be praised." This bracketing method informs the reader that the whole book should be read through the lens of the "fear of the Lord." [1]

God is Bigger Than Any Law

Daniel 1:8 begins, "But Daniel resolved." Daniel did not leave his decision to the spur of the moment. He determined in advance that he would not compromise his loyalty. 

Years before, Joshua declared, "Choose this day whom you will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Have you resolved not to compromise your biblical convictions, not to compromise your loyalty to God?

"Defile" in Hebrew means "to pollute or stain." Daniel was referring to the king's choice of food and wine. He could have said, "What choice do I have? The king ordered the menu. We were just following orders." 

Refusing could have hurt their jobs; worse, it could have led to prison. In addition, the food was from the king's table, so it was delicious and very tempting. They were far from home, and who would know what they ate or drank? Most likely, everyone else was doing it.

Then God caused the official to show favor. Remember, the Hebrew verb is literally "gave favor." The word "favor" is hesed, a significant concept depicting God's loving kindness. 

When pressured to compromise, Daniel resolved privately, asked permission graciously, and offered a creative solution. 

In standing up for his faith, Daniel had the opportunity to explain why he did so, which gave him a chance to spread the truth about God. 

What kinds of situations like this do we face today? For you, what would be considered the king's food? What would you do? 

Like Daniel, we should ask permission graciously and bring creative solutions. We can hold to biblical convictions because God is bigger than our fears and any enemy, authority, or law. 

Read More in Big God in a Chaotic World, A Study of Daniel.

[1] Grant, J. A. "Wisdom and Covenant." Ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns. Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings 2008: 859. Print.

[i] Ibid., 40.