Picking a Winner

But Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself. (Daniel 1:8 )

How would you define a winner? If you had to pick someone out of a crowd and hold him up as an example of what it takes to get ahead in life, what would you look for? What would it be that sets that person apart?

In Biblical times we see that King Nebuchadnezzar decided that he knew winners when he saw them, and those were the kind of people he wanted around him. He didn't want any slackers serving in his court, so he commanded his chief palace official to bring him the best and brightest he could find from among the Jewish royal family and nobility. "'Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,' he said. 'Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good sense, and have the poise needed to serve in the royal palace'" (Daniel 1:4 ). Then when his guards rounded them up, he instructed them to treat the young men like kings. They were to eat the best foods and drink only the finest wines from his own kitchens. They were to be taught Babylonian history and literature by the greatest professors around. They were to "be all that they could be," and serve as a reminder to all Babylon what kind of people the king admired. These were the winners in the eyes of Nebuchadnezzer.

Among the ones chosen was a young man named Daniel, but he wasn't about to let it go to his head. He saw himself as a child of God, not a protégé of the king, so he immediately set himself to a different standard. "Daniel made up his mind not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief official for permission to eat other things instead" (Daniel 1:8 ). Much of the food the king wanted them to eat was forbidden by Jewish law, so Daniel convinced his handler to let him and his four friends eat only vegetables and water. Good old Daniel was a vegetarian. "At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other[s]" Daniel told him (Daniel 1:13 ). The king's attendant agreed and soon saw that they were healthier than the rest.

Because of Daniel's obedience, God gave him a special measure of wisdom and knowledge as well as the gift of interpreting dreams and visions. In the eyes of God, Daniel was a winner. It wasn't because he was strong or intelligent or good-looking. It was because of his loyalty to his King. His willingness to stand up for his beliefs. His obedience to his God in spite of the pressure and temptation to go along with the crowd.