Continuing the conversation of the last post, God’s People in Exile…
As we discovered, the Exile was disorienting. The old markers of identity were gone – the land, the temple, the city, the king. For Judah, exile in Babylon was not just a political defeat; it was a theological crisis. Who were they now? Did God abandon them? Was His covenant promise broken?
It was in this crucible that the prophets spoke. Their words were not simply predictions of future events, but God’s active voice, calling, warning, reminding, and comforting His kingdom people in a foreign land. If we listen carefully, we hear how God was reshaping His people – not in the glory of Zion, but in the dust of Babylon.
Jeremiah: Faithfulness in the Long Haul
Jeremiah is often remembered as the weeping prophet, the man who mourned the fall of Jerusalem. Yet in his letters to the exiles, he provided a surprising word: “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce… seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf” (Jeremiah 29:5, 7).
This was not a pep talk about a speedy return. In fact, Jeremiah told them the exile would last seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10). God was not offering escape but faithfulness. He was teaching His people how to live when the outward signs of His kingdom seemed absent.
It’s striking that God’s command was not withdrawal, but engagement. Settle in. Plant. Build. Marry. Have children. Work for the flourishing of Babylon itself. In other words, even in exile, Israel’s vocation as God’s people did not change. They were still called to be a blessing among the nations (Genesis 12:3). It’s the stuff “love your enemies” comes from.
Ezekiel: God’s Glory on the Move
Ezekiel’s prophetic visions must have startled his fellow exiles. His first encounter – a storm wind, living creatures, wheels within wheels, a blazing throne – was a revelation that God’s glory had not been left behind in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 1). The unthinkable was true: the God of Israel was not bound to the temple. He was with His people, even in Babylon.
That vision redefined holiness. Exile stripped away the illusion that God lived only in stone buildings. It showed that His presence is mobile, transcendent, and faithful. Yet Ezekiel also confronted the people with the reason for exile: their rebellion, idolatry, and covenant unfaithfulness. He dramatized their sin with street theater and symbolic acts – lying on his side, shaving his head, packing up like an exile.
But Ezekiel’s message was not only judgment. He spoke of a new heart and a new spirit (Ezekiel 36), of God breathing life into dry bones (Ezekiel 37). In exile, God was not just punishing – He was remaking His people from the inside out.
Daniel: Living as a Witness in the Empire
Unlike Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Daniel’s story unfolds inside Babylon’s palaces. His life was less about spoken prophecy and more about embodied testimony. Refusing to defile himself with the king’s food (Daniel 1), interpreting dreams (Daniel 2), and standing firm in the face of lions and fire (Daniel 3, 6), Daniel demonstrated that allegiance to God could survive – and even thrive – under foreign rule.
Daniel’s visions reminded the people that the empires of this world are temporary. Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome – they rise and fall. But “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44). In exile, this was a daring reminder: God’s kingdom was not defeated. It was eternal.
Lamentations: Learning to Grieve
Alongside these prophetic voices, we hear the raw lament of the book aptly titled Lamentations. It is poetry soaked in grief: “How deserted lies the city, once so full of people!” (Lamentations 1:1). Yet woven into the sorrow is a line that anchors hope: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail” (Lamentations 3:22).
God’s people were learning that lament is itself a form of faith. To cry out in anguish is to believe that someone is listening. Even in exile, grief became a way to remain tethered to God.
What God Was Saying in Exile
Taken together, the prophets give us a fuller picture of God’s voice in exile:
- Live faithfully where you are. Exile is not an excuse for disengagement. God calls His people to seek the peace of the city – even foreign cities.
- My presence goes with you. God’s glory is not tied to geography. He is present in palace and prison, in temple and tent, in Jerusalem and Babylon.
- Your identity is intact. Though stripped of land and temple, Israel remained God’s covenant people. Exile was discipline, not abandonment.
- The future is mine. Empires rise and fall, but God’s kingdom endures. The exile was not the end of the story – it was a chapter in God’s ongoing plan.
- Grief is a language of faith. To lament is not weakness but worship, acknowledging both the pain of loss and hope in God.
Exile and Us
We, too, live as exiles. The New Testament picks up this theme, calling followers of Jesus “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11). We belong to a kingdom not of this world, yet we dwell within it.
The prophets remind us that exile is not spiritual silence. God still speaks, calling His people to faithfulness, presence, and hope. He calls us to bless our neighbors, to live distinctly yet compassionately, to remember that our true citizenship is in His kingdom.
Exile strips away illusions, but it also clarifies identity. It reminds us that God’s presence is not confined to buildings or borders. He is with us wherever we are – and He is shaping us, even in “foreign soil,” to be His kingdom people.
Practical Theology Today 