The Way of the Exile

The People Respond to Exile

In 587 BC the city of Jerusalem was attacked by the Babylonian Empire, and a year later the city and temple were plundered and burned.

Thousands were taken from their homes and relocated all over ancient Babylon.

They became exiles.

In Babylon, they’re a minority group surrounded by a new culture with new ways of thinking, new ways of doing, and with new gods.

Two groups immediately become apparent out of the Israelite people group:

One group choose to resist Babylon by revolting or withdrawing.

The other group gives in and adopts the Babylonian way of life and accept these new gods as their own!

Daniel 3:7 NIV

7 Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

And even in our own day the Church tends to be divided into one of these two groups.

Those who feel that the world is so evil and corrupt that they either must revolt and be always suspicious of it, or withdraw and have no influence in it for their own salvation’s sake.

And those who take on the gods of modern culture and its definition of right and wrong.

For the longest time, I thought that they were my only two options of being a Christian, but it turns out that they’re not!

There’s a third way.

Jeremiah wrote down for the exiles of Babylon what that third way looks like:

Jeremiah 29:4–7 NASB95

4 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. 6 ‘Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. 7 ‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.’

In their exile they were to:

Build houses and live in them

Plant gardens and eat their produce

Get married and have children

Let your children get married and have children

Multiply rather than decreasing

Seek the welfare of place of your exile

Pray on its behalf

For in its welfare you will have welfare.

This third way wasn’t compromise;

neither was it revolt.

To have a better understanding of what this third way looks like we can read of the narrative sections of the book of Daniel.

Daniel was one of those exiles who the words of Jeremiah were given to in Babylon.

Because of his royal heritage he was recruited along with some friends to work in the high court of Babylon.

They would work for the enemy… compromise?

Or maybe they could deceive the king that they were friendly and then secretly plan and execute his assassination!

These are typical ways that fallen humans would respond… compromise or revolt.

But Daniel and his friends chose to live the third way:

They sought the welfare of Babylon by praying for it and serving the king and helping him with his affairs.

They even took on Babylonian names and even their clothing style. They didn’t resist in these circumstances.

It seems as though they’re giving up their heritage, until you continue reading their story; then you notice that it highlights key moments when they draw the line, and they choose faithfulness to Yahweh and resist the influence of Babylon.

Examples:

Daniel 1:8 NASB95

8 But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself.

While Daniel and his friends would not pass the line of compromise of their relationship with their God and risk their own lives at the same time their attitude toward the king of Babylon was sincere and heartfelt

When Daniel interpreted the tree dream of king Nebuchadnezzar, look at how he approaches the king:

Daniel 4:19 NIV

19 Then Daniel (also called Belteshazzar) was greatly perplexed for a time, and his thoughts terrified him. So the king said, “Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you.” Belteshazzar answered, “My lord, if only the dream applied to your enemies and its meaning to your adversaries!

Another example of these Hebrews not crossing a certain line:

Daniel 3:4–6 BE:NT

4 The herald called out forcefully, ‘To you it is being declared, peoples, nations and languages, 5 at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, cithara, trigon, psaltery, ensemble and all types of music, you’re to fall and bow down to the gold statue that Nebukadne’tstsar the king has set up. 6 Anyone who doesn’t fall and bow down will at that moment be thrown inside a red-hot blazing furnace.’

They will seek the welfare of Babylon and it’s affairs, they will be loyal to it until it requires them to critique its idolatry of power, its arrogance and injustice.

But they don’t revolt with suspicion and violence, instead they critique Babylon in a non-violent way by laying down their lives.

Daniel 3:14–18 BE:NT

14 Nebukadne’tstsar avowed to them: ‘Shadrak, Meshak and Abed Nego, do you really not revere my gods and bow down to the gold statue that I’ve set up? 15 If you’re indeed now ready, at the time when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, cithara, trigon, psaltery, ensemble and all types of music, to fall and bow down to the statue that I’ve made … But if you won’t bow down, at that moment you’ll be thrown inside a red-hot blazing furnace. And who is the god who could rescue you from my hand?’ 16 Shadrak, Meshak and Abed Nego answered, ‘King Nebukadne’tstsar, we don’t need to make any response to this. 17 If our God, whom we revere, exists, he’s able to rescue us from the red-hot blazing furnace, and he will rescue us from your hand, Your Majesty. 18 But if he doesn’t, be it known to you, Your Majesty, that we won’t revere your gods or bow down to the gold statue that you’ve set up.’

In this story God vindicates Daniel and his friends for their faithfulness.

They would serve Babylon and seek its welfare, but their loyalty was always to God.

The way of the exile is a combination of loyalty and also subversion.

Loyalty meaning allegience to one’s lawful sovereign or government.

Subversion meaning that you will overturn by an undermining of morals, allegience, or faith.

This way of being an exile is one of tension.

While Daniel and his friends are loyal citizens and officers in Babylon, they still long to go home.

Daniel believed that God was going to send a ruler to bring down Babylon and create a true kingdom of peace.

At first he believed that this king would come in his lifetime, but then He had a dream that revealed that after Babylon would come another oppressive kingdom, and then another, and then another.

Jesus, the Exile

While Babylon falls, another oppressive kingdom comes in its place.

Yes Israel eventually are released from Babylonian captivity, but they are still ruled by Babylon’s successor’s.

They still had to live with the mindset of an exile waiting for the kingdom of God arrive and be set free from their earthly captivity.

Anyone who was going to be in favour with both God and man had to live between the tension of being loyal and subversive to any new version of Babylon that came along.

This leads us to Jesus.

By the time Jesus came, Israel was still technically an exile living under the power of Rome ruled by Caesar.

Some wanted to resist and dedicated there whole lives to planning its overthrow.

Others gave in and adopted its culture and religion.

But Jesus continues the way of the exile of being loyal and subversive.

Matthew 22:15–21 BE:NT

15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might trap him into saying the wrong thing. 16 They sent their followers to him, with the Herodians. ‘Teacher,’ they said, ‘we know that you are truthful, and that you teach God’s way truthfully. You don’t care what anyone thinks about you, because you don’t try to flatter people or favour them. 17 So tell us what you think. Is it lawful to pay tribute to Caesar, or not?’ 18 Jesus knew their evil intentions. ‘Why are you trying to trick me, you hypocrites?’ he said. 19 ‘Show me the tribute coin.’ They brought him a dinar. 20 ‘This … image,’ said Jesus, ‘and this … inscription. Who do they belong to?’ 21 ‘Caesar,’ they said. ‘Well then,’ said Jesus, ‘you’d better give Caesar back what belongs to Caesar! And—give God what belongs to God!’

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 9: Matthew–Mark (Revised Edition) Commentary

Paying the poll tax was the most obvious sign of submission to Rome. In AD 6, Judas of Galilee led a revolt against the first procurator because he took a census for tax purposes (Josephus, Ant. 18.3 [1.1]). Zealots claimed the poll tax was a God-dishonoring badge of slavery to the pagans. The trap, then, put Jesus in the position where he would either alienate a major part of the population or else lay himself open to a charge of treason.

Jesus’ answer would not satisfy either party as the people of the kingdom He inaugurated would render to whichever Caesar is in power whatever belongs to that Caesar, while never turning from its obligations to God.

While Jesus never got involved in political arguments of his day, He was also arrested for speaking out against the corrupt leaders of Jerusalem and Rome.

He critiqued their idolatry of power, and it cost him his life.

But God vindicated Jesus by raising Him from the dead as the true King of the nations. (Link to Daniel and his friends)

Jesus promises that one day, His kingdom would prevail.

Revelation 11:15 NIV

15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Followers Still in Exile

Until the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah, we are still living in a type of exile.

1 Peter 2:11 NIV

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:12–17 The Message

12 Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. 13 Make the Master proud of you by being good citizens. Respect the authorities, whatever their level; 14 they are God’s emissaries for keeping order. 15 It is God’s will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you’re a danger to society. 16 Exercise your freedom by serving God, not by breaking the rules. 17 Treat everyone you meet with dignity. Love your spiritual family. Revere God. Respect the government.

Do you think we are living as exiles in Babylon today?

Revelation 18:1–3 NIV

1 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted: “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal. 3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Babylon exists today as a metaphor for human governments and institutions that demand allegience to its idolatrous ways and its redefinition of good and bad.

There are so many things today that can cause conflict within our lives and we find ourselves asking, “what is the right thing to do?”

For this we must be born and led by the Spirit.

My appeal is that we evaluate ourselves to find out what kind of exiles are we?

Are we the exile that is always suspicious of people, institutions and governments? The exile that spends more time watching Walter Veith videos about conspiracy theories rather than actually serving the people in your community?

Are we the exile that never has a conflict of conscience because we just take on the gods of our culture and accept their definitions of what is right and wrong?

Or are we the exile that lives in the tension between serving our governments and seeking its welfare and peace, while at the same ready to critique when it goes too far and becomes proud and oppressive.

Which exile are you?