This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down…. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

(Jer 29.4&7)

.. the administrators.. tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent. Finally these men said, “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.”..[Daniel] went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened towards Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just has he had done before.

(Dan 6.4,5&10)

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favour when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

(Eph 6.5-7)

The story of Daniel, the young man taken into exile and put to serve in the administration of the all-conquering Babylonian empire, is a most encouraging one for all who follow Jesus in these ‘in-between’ days. Our Lord will come again, and meantime, we are called to live as those in exile from their homeland, to live in a broken world, whose values are contrary to the kingdom to which we belong. Daniel personifies faithfulness to God, loyalty to the true king, in a foreign land. And Daniel’s faithfulness and loyalty do not take the form of isolation, or rejection of the community to which he has been brought. Neither does he spend his life trying to create rebellion, or undermining the regime which has brought destruction to his land.

Daniel recognises the hand of God in all that is happening – exile itself is the direct result of Israel’s chronic failure to keep the God’s covenant, and Daniel has faith and wisdom to discern the truth that God’s love and faithfulness to his people means that although exiled, they are by no means forgotten or abandoned. And so Daniel does exactly what God commanded the exiles – through Jeremiah the prophet – in committing themselves to seek the good of their new communities. To be loyal and obedient to God, as an exile, meant being the very best citizen of Babylon that he could be, serving with all his strength and integrity… and that without adopting the religion of Babylon, or letting anything else take God’s place as Lord.

Daniel shows us it can be done, that to faithfully follow our Lord as exiles means being fully committed to the welfare of our fellow human beings; putting all our resources to work in their service; being fully present in this broken world, while remaining entirely loyal to God. This calls for trust, that God is at work to fulfill his promises; it calls for discernment to know when to stand for God’s ways in the face of persecution – and then for courage to go on obeying God as Daniel did in continuing to pray when it had been prohibited by the king. May we have wisdom in our own lives to recognise those places where God’s authority in our lives is being undermined or challenged; may we have courage to stand firm in obedience and in loyalty to our God at those times. It is fascinating to see that Daniel and his fellow Israelites – Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego – didn’t go looking for fights, they had wisdom to know what really mattered, and then to stand firm – and how courteous and peaceful is their resistance!

But I also find it very encouraging to see that Daniel lived a fruitful and godly life as an exile, knowing and walking with God, enjoying his favour over long decades of service to pagan rulers. Daniel was able to witness to God down the years, to a succession of rulers, and only in glory will we discover just how many citizens of Babylon came to living faith in the God of Israel because of the testimony and life of his loyal servant. Isn’t that encouraging to us?! May God sustain our faith and keep us loyal to him in our own exile; may we also find that our service of God bears fruit in blessing those around us; and may we also continue faithful in prayer and dependence on the goodness of God from day to day.