YOU ARE NOT ABANDONED!
(Note: This year, with the exception of some holiday-themes, the weekly devotionals will be a journey through the book of Daniel).
Greetings church family!
Daniel 1:1-2 - In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it. The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him, along with some of the vessels from the house of God.
Exile is defined as the state or a period of absence from one’s country or home, whether forced or voluntary. This is the jarring start to the book of Daniel, and it is the coerced kind. Babylon attacks. Jerusalem falls. It’s inhabitants, along with some of the vessels from the temple, are exiled to Babylon.
The Babylonian exile did not happen suddenly or without warning. It was the tragic culmination of centuries of covenant unfaithfulness. Remember, during the time of the prophet Samuel, the Israelites clamored to have a king in order to be like the surrounding nations. God obliges, and they are given Saul, then David, then Solomon. After Solomon’s reign, the kingdom of Israel fractured into two separate kingdoms - the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah.
With few exceptions, the lineage of kings from both kingdoms did not lead in ways that were aligned with Israel’s covenant with God. Despite repeated warnings from God through various prophets (Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and others), most of the kings of both kingdoms perpetuated the worship of pagan gods and the exploitation of the poor and vulnerable. Furthermore, they were apt to placing their trust in political alliances rather than in God. The prophet Jeremiah summarizes both kingdoms’ attitudes, saying “They did not listen or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck” (Jer. 7:26).
In 722 BC, the nation of Assyria attacked the northern kingdom of Israel and exiled many of its inhabitants. In 597 BC, by the time of King Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1), Judah experienced the same fate at the hands of the Babylonians.
At its heart, exile is separation. Judah was removed from the land that symbolized God’s covenant presence. The temple was gone. The rhythms of worship were disrupted. This physical displacement mirrored a deeper spiritual truth: sin always exiles us from intimacy with God. Isaiah captures this reality plainly—“your iniquities have separated you from your God” (Isaiah 59:2). Exile makes visible what sin does invisibly.
However, Daniel 1:2 provides some interesting insight into the Babylonian exile. “The Lord handed Jehoiakim king of Judah over to him.” Babylon did not rise independently of God’s purposes. Whether over his chosen people, or over foreign empires, God remains sovereign. And because the loving God of heaven is sovereign, we find that the exile he allows is not ultimately intended as punishment, but as a paradoxical act of divine mercy, discipline, and renewal.
The sacred vessels taken by the Babylonians from the Jersualem temple did not cease to be holy because they were stored in the treasury of the Babylonian gods. Their holiness was not based upon where they were stored, but to Whom they truly belonged. The same was true for God’s people. They didn’t cease to be His because they had been transported to a pagan land. In Babylon, Israel had no king, no altar, and no autonomy—yet God spoke more clearly than ever through prophets like Ezekiel and Daniel. God met His people in foreign courts, fiery furnaces, and prayer closets facing Jerusalem. Exile stripped away false securities so that faith could be purified. When the land was gone, the people learned that God was not confined to geography. When the temple fell, they learned that obedience mattered more than ritual. Exile was a time where God could finally cultivate intimacy with his people!
From the perspective of exile being an experience of loss or having to leave “home”, what variation of exile are you currently experiencing? Maybe a divorce? Maybe the death of a loved one? Maybe the loss of employment, or a ruined friendship, or your children moving away? Whatever your situation, it is crucial to remember that exile is not evidence that God has failed His people. When familiar supports are removed, God invites us into deeper dependence. When comfort fades, intimacy can grow.
As we enter a New Year, church family, rest assured that exile is not the end of the covenant story. It is often the road that leads us back to God—wiser, humbler, and more deeply anchored in Him alone.
Happy New Year!!
Pastor Chris
