One of my most common struggles is answering how I should live in this foreign land. The Bible tells us that Christians are only journeying through and that we are traveling to somewhere greater. But how do we act and what do we do on the way?
Much of Daniel’s life was spent away from his home. As a boy he was a member of the royal family and lived in Jerusalem but in 605 B.C. he was taken off to Babylon. Even his name was taken from him. You see, he is like us. Just like we live in a foreign land, Daniel lived in Babylon. Maybe more than any other person in the Bible Daniel serves as an example to us of how we should live in exile.
Scripture tells us that Daniel was very smart and talented. For this reason he was chosen to serve in the court of king. The king gave Daniel many resources and Daniel learned all the things he would need to know about the foreign empire that had captured him. He learned all the customs and history, lore and ritual but still maintained a distinctive difference between himself and the Babylonians.
Daniel led a life that reflected his home. He lived within the confines of the culture around him but he was unchanged by them. Instead of defiling himself, he chose to be a living example even when it meant that he might die.
He did not act on his own strength but had Divine help. His ability to remain faithful to Yahweh was not an act of person strength of will but an exercise of trust. Daniel trusted Yahweh to take care of him and meet his needs.
The challenge for us now is live like Daniel did in Babylon. We are to be an example to the world we live in, and trust in the Yahweh to meet our needs.
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