Churched or not, we’ve all heard the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. However, Daniel’s story involved so much more than being thrown into a den of hungry lions and being saved by an angel of the Lord because of his faithfulness to God.
Daniel lived displaced in Babylon under the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, after being forced to leave his home in Jerusalem. He and his people, the Israelites, lost their home, temple, right to freely worship God, and were exiled by force into a new land with a new king, new customs, new gods, and a new culture. At that time, Daniel was merely a boy, perhaps around fifteen.
Unlike Jacob, Daniel didn’t sojourn, and unlike Ruth, Daniel did not choose to be displaced. Like many refugees living in our world today, Daniel was forcibly and dangerously removed from his native home to dwell in a foreign land. Many of us cannot imagine this kind of loss–loss of personal interest and comfort, feelings of helplessness, fear for your life and family, scared of the new culture and people who have a higher status than you, confused by the new way of life and how to navigate normal daily activities, muddled by a language you don’t understand, being forced to relinquish the faith you’ve been raised in all your life that is as much a part of you as your arms and legs, without a home. This only scratches the surface of the experience of those who are currently living as displaced refugees around the globe as well as for Daniel and his people.
How can a people forcibly displaced rebuild life in circumstances such as these? I believe Daniel’s story can offer pilgrims living in this present situation a glimmer of hope.
Daniel, along with three other young men, we’re given a particular opportunity, one that at the onset seemed like it could be a ‘good life’ of wealth and status. They were selected by Nebuchadnezzar in order to be trained for lifelong service to himself. In a nutshell, they were placed in a school that would reprogram them in every way; down to the way they ate, looked, thought, acted and worshipped. Imagine for a moment…could you give up being American, burgers, speaking English, blue jeans, Christmas, your faith? This was the reality Daniel faced; being brainwashed of his former way of life in order to become wholly Babylonian. Daniel and his friends were to give up their identity too. They were made to change their names, which identified them as Hebrew, to Babylonian names. Daniel and his friends would be stripped of all outward appearances marking them as children of God. How would Daniel build a life and not lose his true identity in his
What Made Daniel’s New Life Possible?
Daniel and his three friends took one approach
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
He Received from God: Like Jacob and Ruth, we see an underlying movement of God with his children. Daniel is no different. Though violently moved from his place, Daniel and his friends were not sent out alone. God does not abandon his own. Throughout the book of Daniel we see verses like 1:7 establishing God’s giving, “To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding…” as well as his care when they were in need of saving after the king’s uninterpretable dream in 2:18-20, “Daniel urged them to plead for mercy from God[…and] during the night the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision[…] then Daniel praised God.” Daniel’s encounter among the lions is remembered because it assures us that God is with us, fighting for us, saving us, remaining faithful and true to his children, giving what we need even in displacement. God carried him and walked with him toward making a new life in Babylon.
He Sought the Welfare of the City: Daniel’s situation afforded him placement in the care of the king, the head of the city. Eventually, though not always, he had the ear of the king through abilities God gave him. What Daniel spoke and how he lived was not vindictive, self-serving or spiteful as one might think, rather he sought God’s wisdom in the matter to serve with integrity for the betterment of all society. He faithfully served as the rulers needed him to serve. Though most refugees don’t have the privilege of being near to the nations’ rulers, they/we can still participate in society and find ways to live according to the needs of the nations in which we find ourselves living by being good citizens, following the laws of the nation, respecting the liberties we may or may not have in our new found home. Ultimately, we can all be good neighbors in whatever community we live. We aren’t to live as “we” and “them,” but as Jeremiah suggests, we are to become “us.”
He Learned from the Culture: Daniel’s first year of training taught him how to live, look and act Babylonian. There is no doubt part of his education involved observing and learning from the culture around him. In many ways, I am sure he adapted to or even adopted many cultural practices that were abnormal to him. Though he remained devoted to his God, he assimilated into the culture in which he presently lived. On the outside, he looked the part, spoke the part, and acted the part. He didn’t do this to play a part or live a fake life, but because he was making Babylon his new home. The people around him became his community. We can avoid the new life we’re being forced into by trying to live our old way in a new world, but we will never integrate or embrace the people around us; this gets lonely. Instead, we can open ourselves to find what we respect and value about our new life and culture. Ways to appreciate a new culture involve learning the language, adopting new traditions, or inviting people into your home. These only enrich the new life before us by widening our community.
He Prayed: Daniel’s story is overflowing with his prayers to God. He had a rich, vibrant and ongoing conversation with his Lord and that is how he gained wisdom, vision, and had insight into each situation that came before him. He did not act apart from seeking God in prayer. He loved God first and served others out of that relationship and that is how we found favor in his often hostile environment. My favorite prayer Daniel prayed was his confession on behalf of Israel in (Daniel 9: 4-19). It shows the depth of his knowing of God and knowing himself.
He
Displacement can look like being exiled. It can be a bad situation. If we learn anything from Daniel’s story, I hope it is that God can redeem even the worst of scenarios. He can make a way when we feel robbed of all that has made us who we are. He is relentlessly and lovingly with us, we only need embrace him. Displaced, exiled, doesn’t matter, we are always home, have a place, and status within him. He is ruler over all places and spaces. Even Daniel knew the vastness of God’s dominion.
“How great are his signs, how mighty are his wonders! His kingdom is an eternal kingdom; his dominion endures form generation to generation. Daniel 4: 3
Daniel 4:3
“His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:14
For more on what Daniel’s life in exile meant, I encourage you to view this video titled, The Way of the Exile, by the Bible Project. Click Here to View.
Would you be willing to share this community with a friend? Encourage another pilgrim to read one of the stories through social media or an encouraging e-mail.
Footnote: Research conducted on the website, Theology of Work.
