Daniel: shining like stars

'Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky' (Philippians 2:14-15).

'Christ is the light of the world, and good Christians are lights in the world. When God raises up a good man in any place, he sets up a light in that place.' (Matthew Henry)

I've been reading the book of Daniel, and this New Testament verse from Philippians really sums it up for me. With the nation of Israel in pieces and the cream of the crop in exile in Babylon, Daniel and his friends shine like stars in the darkness of a pagan land. Their situation speaks strongly to me of our position as Christians, 'elect exiles' (1 Pet 1:1) in this corrupt world, waiting for the return of Jesus Christ and the beauty of the new creation in its stunning absence of sin. I think I often read the Bible and think, how am I supposed to do this? How am I supposed to live in this world, full of temptations and pulls, and manage to obey God? Surely it can't be possible? Now I'm not an advocate of Christian perfectionism, but sometimes I worry we go too far the other way. We are so caught up with emphasising our sinfulness that we forget that God has given us commands, and the power by His Spirit to obey them. Otherwise, if it was not possible to obey, how could we be held accountable and responsible for our sin?

Looking at the heroes of the Bible, like Abraham, Noah, Moses, Job, David, they were not sinless. They could not redeem us like Jesus. However, they did have a valid righteousness that came from their obedience through faith in God's promises. They did live exemplary lives amongst a warped and crooked generation. And it has to be possible for us to imitate them -and ultimately Christ Himself- and live righteously so that we can fulfil our function of illuminating to the world how far from their Creator they have fallen, and draw them back to Him. (1 Pet 2:9)

So let's look at Daniel and see what we can learn from his behaviour in Babylon:
He was unshaken, despite living in an extremely turbulent time. He was exiled from Israel to be educated for three years in the literature and language of the Chaldeans (Dan 1:5) - essentially a re-education to make these exiles conform to the Babylonian ways. But Daniel resolves not to defile himself with the king's food (Dan 1:8), which seems to be a way of taking a stand that he won't be ensnared by the new culture he is living in. The distinctive diet which he and his friends adopt serves to emphasise their distinct faith and identity as God's people in a foreign land. From the beginning of the book, then, Daniel is distinctive. He deliberately does not seek to 'blend in' seamlessly with his pagan surroundings. He was therefore not a people-pleaser. He wasn't willing to sacrifice his closeness to God and obedience just to win favour with others.

In the close fellowship he shared with Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, Daniel avoided spiritual isolation. He knew his own need for like-minded believers around him to encourage him and share truth in the midst of a crazy time, full of tests, betrayals and amazing miracles too. In his lifestyle, both words and actions, Daniel showed outstanding wisdom (Dan 1:17). Unlike Solomon, he was faithful to the end. He was gifted by God in exceptional ways, and placed in a context he almost certainly found uncomfortable, difficult and at times life-threatening, in order to be used by God in extraordinary ways. He was happy to be a prophet in a pagan place, one who spoke the words God wanted him to speak, in the situations he was placed into. His boldness was balanced with a wonderful calmness and humility; Daniel does not come across as gung-ho (in Dan 2:14 he hears of the king's command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon, which includes himself, and speaks to the captain of the king's guard with prudence and discretion). In each situation he faced, he determined to seek God and had faith that God would answer (Dan 2:16-18). He was a regular and seasoned pray-er, refusing to quit his habit to fall in line with the king's orders, regardless of the cost (Dan 6:10).

Ultimately, Daniel had a firm understanding of the sovereignty of God. He knew that Yahweh's power was not restricted to the borders and boundaries of Israel. He knew that he was where he was for a reason in a divine purpose, even if he didn't always complete understand that purpose. He was thankful, offering praise to God and refusing to take God's favour for granted (Dan 2:21-23). He spoke truth without compromise to kings who held a huge amount of worldly power, knowing that their power was given to them by an almighty God who would hold them accountable. Despite his unique abilities and the prominence he held under Nebuchadnezzar, by Belshazzar's reign, Daniel seems to have been overlooked or forgotten (see Dan 5:11-12). He obviously wasn't one to put himself forward and cling on to power for the sake of it. He knew if God wanted him to be in the spotlight again, He would make it happen - and when He did, Daniel didn't shrink from speaking some hard words to the proud and arrogant king who had not learnt from the mistakes of his father (Dan 6:17-23). He refuses earthly rewards because he sees their true value in the light of eternity.

What encouragement for us! It is possible to live an exemplary life in a world that is fundamentally hostile to God. As Simon Guillebaud observes, we are to insulate ourselves, not isolate ourselves, from the world. What situations has God placed you in, to be a witness to the world around you? Pray that He would help you to stay faithful!