Deeper Reflection
This story is not about Daniel choosing a diet of vegetables and water instead of meat and wine (v.12). It is not about a biblical basis for healthy eating, nor is it about the so-called “Daniel Fast”. Clearly, Daniel was not fasting.The whole episode of Daniel and eating “the king’s choice food” (vv.8-16) is subsumed under “God gave Daniel favor and compassion” (v.9). So, we can theologically assume that Daniel’s proposal of the ten days test with a vegetarian diet came from God. We can assume that Daniel being Daniel, he would have sought God in prayer concerning the matter (cf. Dan 2:17-18; 6:10). But Daniel’s proposal includes this clause, “and deal with your servants according to what you see” after the ten days of testing. It reflects practical wisdom. And it is Daniel’s humble submission to the Babylonian authority.We can’t be sure if Daniel foreknew the outcome of the test. Perhaps God had told him or maybe not. The text does not tell us. But it is more likely that Daniel was like Abraham, who “by faith…obeyed…not knowing where he was going” (Heb 11:8). But it turned out that after ten days, Daniel’s appearance “seemed better” and “fatter” than those who ate “the king’s choice food”, and he could continue with his vegetarian diet (vv.14-15). This story is about trusting in the sovereignty of God and walking by wisdom from God. Faith and wisdom go hand-in-hand together. In Daniel, “the people who know their God” are “those who have insight” and “give understanding to the many” (Dan 11:32-33).