Pop quiz: What do these three biblical figures have in common?
Answer: According to the Word, they are the most likely candidates to save an unrepentant city from the wrath of God. According to the Word, they are also solidly incapable of doing it.
Before we wave this off as an intriguing (if morbid) bit of biblical trivia, we need to see what the prophet Ezekiel had to say about this trio.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in the book of Daniel lately. This is my current favorite book in the Bible. If you’ve read the blog for very long, you’ll also know that I’ve written a fair amount on it (and I actually should pick up on that again soon).
In the past few days, I’ve been particularly struck by Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…” Daniel’s choice was radical. It rubs greatly against the grain of our Western culture. Daniel wasn’t looking for what was permissible; he was setting his heart on what was holy. In other words, he was setting his heart on what was transcendent to the society he found himself in.
Technically, Daniel did not have to take a raw+vegan+water diet in order to maintain a basic level of righteousness. This is actually quite an important point: Daniel didn’t choose his diet because it was required of him by God or by the Law. Let’s think about what he could have been eating and drinking. Continue reading ‘When “Why Not?” Isn’t Good Enough’
