Food

Food is a popular topic today. There are magazines and television channels that are dedicated to food. There are numerous cooking shows and websites.
So why did Daniel and his friends draw the line at food? It could have been that the food was not kosher or that it had been offered to idols but that doesn't seem to fit with Daniel's life as later he does partake of the king's food and wine. So what was the issue? Let me suggest one. Maybe it was that he did not want to show that he and his friends were dependent upon the king but rather upon the Lord. I think drawing the line there showed that they could trust their God to provide for them. That trust marked their entire lives.
When we say grace, and I prefer the word grace to blessing, on our food at meal time it shows that we acknowledge the giver of all good gifts. When we fast we show that we can trust God for our strength and our very life. They could have said that it was only food and they needed food to live. How do we show to our world that we are dependent upon God?