Posted: 7/26/05
Explore the Bible Series for August 7
Use Godly Tact and Discretion
• Daniel 1-4
By Dennis Tucker
Truett Seminary, Waco
The book of Daniel remains a favorite among children. The story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, along with the story of the Three Friends in the fiery furnace, are both well-known stories to children. And it is perhaps our own familiarity with these stories that prevents us as adults from grappling with the power of the narrative. We associate these stories with our childhood, and hence, assign them a lesser value. Yet, these stories offer much to those who struggle to embody their faith within the context of everyday life. There are three themes in the first four chapters of Daniel that merit our consideration.
The Life of Faith in the Context of Exile
The book of Daniel answers a perennial question: “Can people maintain their faith in a culture that appears contrary to their beliefs?” Beginning with the exile of Judah in 587 BC followed by the rise of the Persians and later Alexander the Great, the Jews were continually forced to live under the threat of a foreign king and the influence of a foreign religion. Some contend that the book of Daniel may not have reached its final edition (as we have it) until after 200 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes was persecuting the Jews for not conforming to the Hellenistic norms of society. For those in the midst of such persecution, the stories of Daniel became highly instructive.
The stories of Daniel proved somewhat revolutionary in thought. In some sense, these stories issued a challenge. These stories suggested that those who were serious about their faith could not wait until the government would change, but instead, they must find their faith in the midst of exile. Faith was there to be found for the willing. Daniel remained true to his dietary laws. The three friends confessed their trust in God even if things did not turn out as they had hoped. Faith was found for the willing, but the willing understood the price of faith in exile.
Our own society has grown quite adept in opting for the comfortable, for the path of least resistance. And to some degree, our churches have fallen prey to similar thinking. Rather than thinking about how we must find our faith in the midst of exile, we speak of how we can change the government so that it is presumably easier to be a people of faith. Rather than articulating the price of faith in exile, we act as though faith will cost a person nothing. Most people struggle to make the values of this world match with their own faith commitments—it is far too costly to shirk the values of this world in genuine pursuit of radical faith.
The early chapters of Daniel should rekindle within us the desire to be a people of faith despite our circumstances. In each story, Daniel and his friends chose faith over circumstance—and in each case, they found faith in exile.
The Radical Faithfulness of God in Exile
The story of Daniel, however, is not simply about the faith that can be found in the midst of exile. The story of Daniel also considers the kind of God that can be experienced in exile. For much of Israel’s history, they believed that God could be experienced only in Jerusalem at the Temple—Mount Zion. Following defeat at the hands of the Babylonians, a critical question emerged in Israelite theology: Can one experienced God if they are no longer in Jerusalem?
The book of Daniel suggests that not only were Daniel and his friends faithful to their God, but their God remained faithful to them. Some may have questioned God’s activity following the exile, but in the opening chapter of Daniel, God appears as one actively at work in the life of his people—both in Jerusalem and in Babylon. In verse 2, the Hebrew literally reads, “The Lord gave Jehoiakim of Judah” into the hands of the enemy. Later in verse 9, the narrator explains that “God allowed (literally “gave”) Daniel to receive favor and compassion from the palace master.” And then finally in verse 17, we are told “to these four young men, God gave knowledge and understanding.” There is little doubt in the opening chapter that God is at work in the exile, exercising radical faithfulness to his people. The remainder of the book provides evidence of such faithfulness.
Part of finding a radical faith in exile is acknowledging that one is not in exile alone. In attempting to live out radical faith even in exile, we find ourselves met by the radical faithfulness of the God we serve.
Discussion Questions
• In what ways do you identify with Daniel?
• How can you work towards the life of faith even in the midst of “exile?”
• Has there been a time when you have experienced the radical faithfulness of God as you have sought to find radical faith despite your circumstances?
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