This Is Part III of III; Here’s the First Part and Here’s the Second Part
Excelling in Exile
THE EXILE TRILOGY EPISODE III
So if this is like a season of exile, and if exile can actually be good for us, how can I respond? How can I cooperate with Holy Spirit?
There are three things about the story of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (found in the first few chapters in the book of Daniel) that can help me become a person that better represents God, even in dark times.
1. IDENTITY
These guys knew who they were. Even in exile, they knew they were Hebrews. Yes, their landscape changed dramatically. Things were not the same. It was bad— they went from the promised land to Babylon. They knew that being Hebrew meant that their diet was different. They knew that being Hebrew meant that their God was different. Even after the chief official gave them Babylonian names, (Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), they knew who they were.
So in my season things have radically changed. The numbers of diseased and dead climb higher as the economy heads lower. I need to remember who I am. I can remember that I am on my way to Christlikeness. The uncertainty of my circumstances doesn’t have to turn me into someone else.
2. LANGUAGE
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were put in a Babylonian school to learn the language and other subjects. It was a three year program and once they graduated, they would serve the king. These young men excelled. God gave them knowledge and understanding. He even gave Daniel a supernatural ability to interpret dreams. At the end of their education, they graduated at the top of their class, and became advisors to the king.
It seems to me that there’s a lot of new language around us in these days. There are terms like shelter in place, stay at home, quarantine, lock down, and self isolation. There’s the science of ACE2 receptors and a whole new language of charts, graphs, and flattening the curve. There’s a lot to know. I’ve even had to relearn how to wash my hands! We too can excel at learning about this new reality, this new language, and these new customs.
3. COURAGE
As the story goes, they faced a test. The king built a giant gold statue and commanded all the people to bow down and worship it. Of course, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah would not. They were brought before the king, and even under the threat of death, refused to bow. They said to the king:
“…We might be thrown into the blazing furnace. But the God we serve is able to bring us out of it alive. He will save us from your power. But we want you to know this, Your Majesty. Even if we knew that our God wouldn’t save us, we still wouldn’t serve your gods. We wouldn’t worship the gold statue you set up.”
This infuriated the king. He ordered his fiery furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. He ordered the boys to be bound and to be thrown into it. The flames were so hot, that the men who threw them in were consumed. Yet Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were not. They could be seen amongst the flames, walking with a fourth figure that “looked like a son of the gods”, according to the king (v. 25).
Their courage changed things. When they came out of the furnace, they were no longer bound and they didn’t even smell like smoke— that’s how thoroughly they were protected. The pagan Babylonian king praised God saying,
“No other god can save people this way... No one may say anything against him...”
I feel like I’m being asked to face this with courage. First, I’m thinking about our health. Several times in this last month, I’ve woken up in the middle of the night convinced that I’ve caught the COVID. I am not sure if these are merely fever dreams or actual fever. The stealthy nature of this virus has got me a little spooked. The idea that one can have it without knowing until it’s too late is weighing on my subconscious. I’m worried I might have it and unknowingly infect Kay Charlotte or others.
Not only that, but I’m feeling a financial vulnerability too. Kay Charlotte and I are faith missionaries and we don’t receive a salary. So many wonderful friends and family have given generously to provide for our needs. I know some of those faithful givers are financially impacted by this. And it’s likely that our world won’t go back exactly the same once we get through. That may mean hardship for many of our supporters and for us.
I suppose you too are concerned about health and finances in these difficult days. So courage then. It’s not the absence of fear, it’s continuing forward with the expectation that Jesus will meet us in the fire.
Image Credit: John Salvino via Unsplash