Where We Draw the Line: How to Live (and Die) in Babylon
“Apparently for Daniel, to give up control of his diet was to go against his conscience and compromise on his identity as a follower of the one true God, in a way that the name change did not.” - Alistair Begg
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On the question of why Daniel accepted Babylonian education and a name-change but didn’t accept their food, it’s actually simpler than that. God had commanded Israel to observe the dietaries laws as part of His covenant with them. He had not commanded them to keep their names and their own educational process.
It was not about “giving up control,” which is a logic many Christians are using now to indulge in all sorts of anti-government teaching and action.
Begg isn’t going there in this piece…
hat am I naturally inclined toward? Some of us will be more tempted to draw lines and take on fights when faithfulness doesn’t require it. Remember the apostle Paul’s charge: “So far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Romans 12:18).
Still, his thesis seems to be that Christians will draw the line in different places and that’s OK; the important thing is drawing a line. Strongly disagree. Getting the line right matters because Scripture tells us where it should be drawn.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
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