I wonder what Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s lives looked like before they were carried away captive. There were certainly born into lives of privilege; they came from the relations of the king or princes in some way. They were considered among those with ability, skill and understanding (see Dan 1:4).
I am intrigued by their faithfulness in Babylon when even in Jerusalem most were not living lives of dedication to God. How were they taught? What experiences did they have that formed their trust in God and in the law He gave to provide a way to know and become like Him? Was the opposition to their beliefs that surrounded them there as young boys preparing them for what was to come?
We don’t hear anything of their upbringing, but by the time they were exiles in the king of Babylon’s palace, they showed remarkable confidence in and dedication to God. In a foreign land, surrounded by people determined to wipe out any remembrance of the living God and His ways in the conquered nation, and to seduce them with the wealth and supposed sophistication of their culture, Daniel and his friends remained true to their beliefs in a way that I want to emulate in my own life in ‘Babylon.’
They began their time there requesting to be different from the others and quietly, with conviction, demonstrating the preferable outcomes living the law of God brings.
They repeatedly turned to God to provide answers that ‘no man’ could know.
They trusted in Him to make them able to face whatever challenges arose and became known for that ability.
They were known for the light, understanding and wisdom that came through the Spirit of God, rather than the learning of the world.
They lived in such a way that only in their determination to follow God could they be found wanting by those who wanted to destroy them.
With these preparatory experiences, when the times of greatest testing came, they knew their God enough to rely completely on His power and goodness, knowing that He could deliver them.
But if He did not, they would still believe in Him.
They continued in the discipline of a lifetime, regardless of their circumstances. Even in the face of unpopularity and extreme danger.
In the testing and opposition, they forged unwavering faith.
Faith to withstand fire and lions and wickedness and overwhelming odds.
In being different they were able to make a difference.
Their examples and spiritual gifts allowed others to see the hand of God and desire to know Him.
In refusing to bow or cater to or worship anything other than God, they came to experience firsthand His delivering power.
In the fire they came to know that Jehovah walks through the fire with those who seek Him.
They learned more fully who He was and who they were.
In a world where they were powerless and seemingly insignificant, surrounded by the pressure to conform and to accept, they chose to be true to the God who gives power, who knows worth and who turns the hardest of experiences into glorious moments of growth and learning.
They rose above the common and learned holiness in the process.
An invitation for us all. Even in the middle of Babylon.
