The Jewish exiles weren’t taken into captivity to live in chains. They were resettled and they were supposed to assimilate and live like Babylonians. Soon after they went to Babylon Jeremiah sent the exiles a letter with these instructions: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters . . . seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (Jeremiah 29:5-7). While they were to get involved in Babylonian life and even contribute to the prosperity of Babylon, it was imperative that they never lose their distinctness. In so many ways they would be just like everyone else. Therefore, they had to ensure that they retained their distinct identity. The lives they would live would be similar to everyone else, but what they lived for had to be different, and it had to show in some way. It is good to share a common life with everyone else in our society. Christians should not be aloof from others. But it is even more important to be different in just this sense. When the music played and everyone around them fell down to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego clearly stood out. They didn’t draw attention to themselves. They just refused to worship what everyone else was worshipping and because of that they stood out. How does your distinctness as a Christian show itself? When are you left standing out?
Reflect on this question and ask God to show you how you need to stand out.
Read Daniel 3:1-18
