This week wraps up the First5 study of exile that I’ve found so impactful, and as I review the scriptures from the past few weeks, one thing that stands out is this: Exile is not an excuse for disobedience.
This concept is evident throughout Scripture. Israel was exiled in Egypt until God raised up Moses to deliver them, but they were to remain faithful and not be influenced by Egyptian worship. Then they disobeyed God’s command to enter the Promised Land, resulting in an additional 40 years of wandering, and then another warning not to mix with idolatry and paganism when they did enter the Promised Land. Failure to obey resulted in exile once again, but the covenant promises didn’t change. We see in the life of Daniel the continued importance of faithfully obeying God’s commands. As Babylonian captivity stretched into decades, the Israelites were told to build homes, plant gardens and work for the good of the land they lived in, but to avoid listening to false prophets (Jeremiah 29:4–11).
The theme continues through the New Testament, starting with Jesus’ words recorded in Acts 1:8. After the resurrection, the disciples wondered if it was finally time for Jesus to assert his authority through an earthly kingdom, but the answer was, not yet. Instead, they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit to continue the Great Commission. They weren’t given a time frame, and for most of them, it wasn’t easy. John, the last living apostle, experienced exile in a penal colony, where he recorded Jesus’ words we know as Revelation. Paul, converted from persecuting the early Christians to become a prolific evangelist and author of much of the New Testament, experienced shipwreck, imprisonment, beatings and more, but again, his writings emphasize the need to remain obedient.
The concept continues into the modern era. Richard Wurmbrand, founder of The Voice of the Martyrs, whose testimony is shared in “Tortured for Christ,” is just one of many faithful believers who kept, or continue to keep, their eyes on Jesus and his promises as they suffer for their faith and even witness to their captors.
Current culture doesn’t make it easy to live in exile from our promised destiny. Within the last year, a teacher in Ireland was jailed for refusing to use “preferred pronouns” that affront the biological reality of God’s creation; many Christians have prayed for Jack Phillips as his refusal to use his artistic cake-baking skills for a gay wedding went to the top courts; questionable language in Missouri’s current Amendment 3 question could force God-fearing teachers, health professionals and others to take a stand.
Believers then and now live in the “already, but not yet, as we have spiritual blessings detailed by Paul in Ephesians 1, yet experience such challenges. We must look to biblical history and inspirational testimonies, stay in fellowship and community with other Christians, and most of all, depend on the Holy Spirit for the power Jesus promised as we stay obedient and work for him even during our exile.
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