Buffets are gross. When I was a kid, my dad loved taking us to a restaurant named Golden Corral. It was a humid little country buffet on the opposite side of town that offered foods ranging from neon yellow macaroni to sticky-sweet ribs to boiled Brussels sprouts. The food was all pretty standard Southern fare, but let’s talk about the centerpiece of every Golden Corral— the chocolate fondue fountain. Have you seen one of these things? Sure, they look stunning, but they’re kind of unsettling. Every few minutes, you’d notice a child plunge their nasty baby-fingers into the glistening, chocolatey waterfall. The shiny sauce would drip off their hands, cascade into the base of the fountain, and cycle back through the top. The fountain surely festered with germs and viruses.
READ: Daniel 1:1-17
The book of Daniel tells the story of Daniel (obviously) who was a charismatic seventeen-year-old leader from the lineage of King David. He and his friends were forced to live in Babylon because his city of Jerusalem was seized and enslaved. The people of Israel were forced into exile under the harsh dictatorship of Babylon. This kingdom was completely opposed to Daniel’s faith. They sought vengeance and ignored mercy. They loved war and hated peace. They worshipped idols and disgraced the God of Israel.
In the first chapter, Daniel was recruited to work for the government of King Nebuchadnezzar because of his strength, knowledge, and handsome looks. (Seriously, look at verse five!) During his orientation ceremony, he was offered a buffet of junk food with an open bar. I am sure there was a chocolate fountain or two. David realized that the food was completely contrary to the kosher commandments in Jewish Scripture. Thus, he politely asked to not partake. Daniel 1:9 elaborates, “Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king.”
You will probably never be offered unclean food that was blessed by a Babylonian goddess. However, culture is constantly trying to trick you into Babylonian behavior. You walk by a buffet of vices and choices every day. The spread is full of delightful-looking confections with dangerous consequences. Gossip is just a group-chat away. Vile videos are easily accessible. Selfishness is our culture’s default setting. Culture is constantly encouraging you to “defile yourself” with addictive substances, the pursuit of prosperity, selfish ambitions, and, ultimately, finding purpose in all the wrong places.
Make the same choice as Daniel. Don’t defile yourself with culture’s confections. Swim against the cultural current. Respectfully reject anything that can come between you and God.