God's peculiar people are His rescuers

The King’s Meat

by Emily Freeman

Ezekiel 46:9 – Daniel 2:16

As a teenager Elder Scott worked for a summer on an oyster boat.  Because of his standards, he was at first viewed as an outsider and treated very coldly.  As time passed, his crewmates took a liking to him and decided they wanted to teach him what it was like to be a “real man.”  Elder Scott declined each invitation and spent his time instead studying his scriptures and enjoying quiet evenings on deck.

On one of these evenings, while his coworkers enjoyed “real man” activities off shore, Elder Scott fell asleep in his hammock.  He was awakened suddenly to the rough shakes and alcohol ridden shouts of one of the men.

“Scotty,” the man yelled.  “Get your mask and fins.  There is a man overboard and you are the only one who can save him.” 

There are many lovable lessons from this story, but one of them touches me more deeply than the rest.  When it mattered most, the men on the ship came looking for Elder Scott.  When someone was in trouble, Elder Scott was available.  Why?  Because of the decisions he made that night, and the ones he had made over the preceding weeks, he was in position to rescue.

Just about 3000 years before this incident, another young man felt similar emotions, made similar tough decisions, and similarly was in position to rescue.

Daniel was taken as a captive into Babylon in order to be trained and taught in the courts of King Nebuchadnezzar to live, think, speak, and eat like the Babylonians.  The king was trying to raise up Daniel as a prince in Babylon by erasing his culture, his religion, his language, and his God.

During the years of preparation, it was ordered that all of the young men in the palace walls were to eat the foods of the king’s table.  Normally, someone would leap at the chance to dine like royals. However, on this occasion, the food being offered was forbidden by the Lord.  Daniel and his brethren had covenanted with the Lord under the Law of Moses not to eat the food and wine being offered to them by the king and his servants.

There is no doubt the food was delicious.  Certainly it was prepared by Babylon’s finest chefs and presented in luxury.  To make matters worse, Daniel and the servants appointed over him would be putting their lives on the line for denying the king’s commands.  Saying no to the king’s meat would have been no easy task.  Even though he was ridiculed, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.” (Daniel 1:8) That decision would affect his life, and the lives of others for good.

We live in a Babylonian world.  Often, we are presented with the king’s meat.  Sometimes it is presented in an edible form, but most of the time it is something quite different.  The king’s meat is found in fashion, movies, TV shows, music, humor, attitude, and many other flavors.  It seems like the number of people refusing the king’s meat is getting smaller and smaller—even among people of faith.  Babylonian buffets get more mouthwatering ––we are invited, enticed, teased, ridiculed, bullied, and tempted to try those things that we have made covenants with God that we will not.  Just like Daniel, we will be “proved.”  (Daniel 1:14)  Perhaps the decision we make in that moment will have the potential to affect our life and the lives of others ––just as it did for Elder Scott, and Daniel.

Not much time passes before another test arises.  Nebuchadnezzar is vexed with a repeating dream.  It steals so much of his rest that he becomes frustrated and furious.  He calls in all of his wise men to interpret the dream.  The catch is that the king could not tell the wise men what was in the dream.  When none of his magicians and counselors were able to describe and interpret the dream, the king ordered that all of them be killed.

The wise men were in need of help.  If you were going to pick someone to rely on for help and strength in this situation, who would you turn to?  Because of the decisions he had made in the past, Daniel had increased in stature, knowledge, and wisdom.  He was in position to rescue.

And rescue he did.

The Lord granted him the interpretation of the dream, and Daniel was able to bring glory to God, and save himself and the rest of the wise men.  It is much like the story of Elder Scott ––all of a sudden being peculiar shifted from insult-worthy to heroic. (Daniel 2)

Think of those who you would ask for spiritual and trusted advice?  Who would you request a blessing from?  Who would you ask your deep questions of the soul?  Who would you turn to for support and help in times of trouble?  Is it the type of person who has made decisions that allow them to be in a position to rescue?

Now ask yourself if you are the type of person that someone would come to in their own distressing times.  When there are times of trouble, are you in position to help? To rescue?  God’s peculiar people are His rescuers.  It has often been said that only a man on higher ground is able to lift someone up.

In the darkest days of Word War II Winston Churchill said, “To every man there comes … that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.”

You and I were born to rescue others.  We must make the hard decisions that will put us in position to do so.  We must refuse the king’s meat. We must purpose in our heart that we will live in such a way that will allow us, in the very moment of need, to be called upon to rescue.