Exiles live differently than immigrants. An immigrant has chosen a new homeland. He and his family assimilate. They learn the language and customs, and he never expects his children to return to the land they have left. But to call someone an exile implies that he would prefer to be in his homeland. He had to leave, but he hopes to return. Whether he is living in a refugee camp or an embassy, he strives to keep his national identity intact.
The prophet Daniel was truly an exile in Babylon. Brought from his homeland of Judah by the order of King Nebuchadnezzar, he was thrust into the lavish life of a Babylonian palace. Daniel knew that he couldn’t eat the rich food and wine he would be served (which had probably been offered as sacrifices to pagan gods) if he was to keep the law of Moses that God had graciously given to the Jewish people. Daniel chose to keep the law of the God of Israel even though he was in a place where it would have been to his advantage to assimilate and worship the local gods.
Daniel lived like a Jew rather than a Babylonian or a Persian, and he did not compromise his identity as a child of the promise. If you feel like an exile, out of step with aspects of the culture of this world and sometimes despised, then you are in good company.
Betsy Childs Howard is the author of Seasons of Waiting: Walking by Faith When Dreams Are Delayed and is an editor for the Gospel Coalition. Content taken from Seasons of Waiting by Betsy Childs Howard, ©2016. Scripture quotations within these excerpts are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187. www.crossway.org.
