Daniel 1:7,8 – “Integrity”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁷And the chief of the court officials set to them names and he set to Daniel, Belteshazzar and to Hananiah, Shadrach and to Mishael, Meshak and to Azariah, Abednego. ⁸And Daniel set upon his heart which he [would] not defile himself with the food of the king and with the wine of his drinking, and he sought from the chief of the court officials which not he [would] defile himself.

Well, here we are at Daniel 1:8. “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” Literally volumes have been written on this verse.

I said when I started this study that it particularly interests me because Daniel, like us, has to live in a world that could care less about God. Most of the Old Testament and a good part of the New is written about people living in Israel, where there was at least an outward assent to issues of right and wrong. When the church left Palestine and headed out into the Roman world, it went to an utterly pagan place with no respect for God. Now, in a limited sense, our Western culture has mimicked Israel’s theocracy for several hundred years. In the America I grew up in, the Bible was respected and even wicked people thought about heaven and hell.

But of course, in these last 50 or so years, Western culture has nearly repudiated the Bible and cast itself on the sea of moral relativity. We are quickly becoming again (and perhaps have become) the same pagan world in which the church had to proliferate, and the same kind of world Daniel and his friends had to live in. That said, there is much to learn from Daniel, simply by watching what he does, listening to what he says and prays, and learning from his example.

Interesting to me, first of all, something in the Hebrew from verse 7 to verse 8. In verse 7, Ashpenaz is giving the boys Babylonian names, while in verse 8 Daniel is “purposing in his heart.” In my translation above, you’ll note that in both verses the Hebrew says something like Ashpenaz “set to them names,” while Daniel “set upon his heart.” It’s the same verb and I suspect it is deliberate. Ashpenaz thinks he can “set” on the boys names that will turn them into Babylonians. Daniel responds by “setting” on his heart that he will not. And can we inject that this kind of resolve, this setting on our hearts, is the stuff that heroes are made of.

It is also interesting to note that, even in Babylon, this name Belteshazzar wouldn’t stick on Daniel. Although the king himself might refer to him as Belteshazzar, he calls himself Daniel (7:15; 8:1,5; 9:2; 10:2,7), the angel Gabriel calls him Daniel (9:22), the Angel of the Lord calls him Daniel (10:11,12), the Queen mother calls him Daniel (5:12), and even the king himself in 6:20 calls out to him, “Daniel …!”) In the ancient world, as with the American Indians, names were very important and reflected a person’s character and life. The fact that this Babylonian name “didn’t stick” is probably because everyone knew that Daniel had nothing to do with the Babylonian god Bel, and it made no sense culturally to call him by a name that didn’t apply. Everyone knew he was Daniel, “God is my Judge.”

Incidentally, a great deal has been written over the years about the meanings of the Babylonian names. For my two cents worth, I think the bottom line is that no one knows. No one really knows exactly what each of the names means or with some of them, even what god they’re referring to. What is obvious, however, is the simple attempt to Babylonianize the boys. And that is precisely the battle we all face living and working in our pagan world – everywhere we go, everything we do, everyone we talk to would have us Babylonianize. They want us to be like them, to eat like them, drink like them, talk like them, think like them. They would “set” to us the names of their gods. But we have to “set” upon our hearts that Jesus is Lord.

Another aspect of this passage about which a great deal has been written is the question of exactly what Daniel and his friends were concerned about. Some have suggested they were concerned about the laws of clean and unclean meats or the prohibition to eat meat that was left with the blood still in it. Others suggest the problem was that the meat had possibly been part of a sacrifice to a Babylonian god and even the drink itself could have been dedicated to a god. Still others suggest that perhaps it was simply an effort on the boys’ part to resist their being “Babylonianized.” Perhaps they were wise enough to know the power extravagant foods and drinks can have over a person and just wanted to maintain an element of self-discipline. Others have even suggested the possibility that they were being overly-scrupulous, as young men tend to be once they do get on a cause.

I think the bottom-line is that no one knows. The text doesn’t say. It could be any one of these things or even “all of the above.” I think, seriously, what we all need to take from it is just the lesson in and of itself – that when we are called to live and work in a totally pagan world, there will be points in time where we have to draw lines. In itself, I find instructive the very ambiguity of Daniel’s decision. What I mean is that we can sit around all day and try to decide what exactly Daniel was concerned about and whether it was really that big a deal or not – but the bottom-line is that, in his own mind (and that of his friends), there was some kind of an issue and they were convinced they must draw that line. That question of “Is it really that big a deal?” is the ever-present specter that haunts a believer’s mind as he maneuvers his way through his pagan world. But then, sometimes things just convict us, “I’m not going there” over issues about which others may question our judgment. But in the end each of us must make those decisions, implore the Lord’s help, and stand for integrity in our pagan worlds.

I remember one young Christian husband and father who was told he would have to drive around the entire night-shift with a very attractive young woman. He drew the line and said he would not, that his marriage and family were too important to even risk putting himself in that kind of temptation. Another young woman was told by her sales manager, “Tell people whatever you have to in order to get the orders. If they want it by Friday, tell them you can have it by then. Whatever it takes, just get the order.” She drew the line and said, “I will not be dishonest with my clients. They call me precisely because they trust me.” She wasn’t fired and in fact went on to have the highest sales in the company. I was once told to fill out some paperwork and lie about some illegal activities that were going on. I simply had to draw the line and tell them, “I cannot put down information I know is not true, and then sign it.” Another time I was asked to change the dates on some samples and again, had to refuse. Somewhat like the young father, I once had a very attractive young saleswoman come to my plant for something, then wanted me to go out to lunch with her. I knew that she was way, way too attractive for me to be out with her alone, so I declined her offer.

Such is life living and working in a pagan world.

Our commitment to the Lord means we can and must be people with integrity. We must be people who are guided by the right. Most of the time that actually wins the favor of our bosses and co-workers and others, but sooner or later it means we’re drawing lines, often at the peril of losing our jobs or relationships. Esther had to “break the rules” about entering the king’s presence uninvited. Her last words before she went in were, “If I perish, I perish.”  Resolve. Joseph wouldn’t yield to Potiphar’s wife and it got him in prison.

Integrity. It’s something that usually fares us very well in this world, but can also get us in a lot of trouble.

Daniel and his friends had only been in Babylon a short time and already they were having to make integrity decisions. Today we admire their virtue and their courage. But the truth is, we live in the same world. And we have to make the same decisions.

Daniel’s message down through the ages is, “Stick to your guns. Be a person of integrity. Draw lines when you must.”

God help us.