My father always said I was special, and that I would serve God in a high capacity in the kingdom of Israel. He was right about me serving, but it doesn't appear that I will be serving God in the way my father imagined.
I, along with all of my Hebrew brothers and sisters, just arrived a week ago in the despicable pagan city of Babylon. The journey was exhausting; it was the toughest physical activity I have ever encountered. The city is magnificent, as can be seen by the picture of the Ishtar Gate, but it is also corrupt.
Upon arrival, three of my closest friends and I were told that we would be trained for three years to be in the king's service. The Babylonians began calling us by names that were in honor of their false gods -- mine was Belteshazzar. I didn't like the idea of this, but I could not control what the blasphemers called me. I could, however, control other aspects of our unfortunate situation.
My friends and I decided to not be completely consumed by the Babylonian culture, so we asked the man in charge of us to not force us to eat the food sacrificed to idols. Because I developed a good relationship with this man, by the grace of God, in such a short period of time, he allowed my friends and I to challenge our instructed diet. We would eat nothing but vegetables for ten days, and be compared to the appearance of those who eat the royal food. I believed God wanted us to take a stand in this dark land, and our diet was as good of an area as any to start.
As sure as the sun rises every day, my friends and I were healthier, stronger, and had more energy than any of the men who ate the royal food. The official in charge of us took away the royal food and instructed everyone to eat vegetables.
This is the first of many victories for Yahweh that will be seen in this pagan land. There was a sense of hopelessness among all my Hebrew brethren, until now. This has been the first sliver of hope for us that God is still in control.
No comments:
Post a Comment