The book of Daniel exemplifies best what it means to exist, operate, and be a light in a dark place. Two of the most famous stories that come from that book are the story of the lion’s den, and the story of the furnace.
To summarize, the lion’s den story starts with some of king Darius’s men conspiring against Daniel. Jealous of Daniel and his position as governor of Persia, some of Daniel's subordinates set a trap for Daniel to frame him and have him thrown into a pit of lions for what would be a death penalty.
As an exile, Daniel prayed three times a day facing Jerusalem, and that became the other men’s impetus for ensnaring him. They were able to convince the king to make a decree that anyone who prayed to anyone except the king, would be put to death. The king agreed, not knowing this would entrap Daniel. None of this deterred Daniel, who continued in his prayer life. Once the decree was signed and solidified, the other men deliberately found Daniel in his home praying, and brought him to the king who was devastated.
Long story short, Daniel was thrown in the den of lions, but the Lord sent an angel to close the lion’s mouths all night. When the king and his men came back the next morning, they found Daniel alive, which divinely proved Daniel’s innocence to the king. The story ends with king Darius having the men who set Daniel up thrown into the lion’s den, along with their entire families. The story even says that before the men even reached the ground of the pit, the lions grabbed them and crushed all of their bones. This story can be found in the 6th chapter of the book of Daniel.
The other story is a few decades earlier, still in exile, but under Babylonian rule. This story is probably even more popular than the first; three Hebrew boys whose names many of us Christians learned were Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But those names weren’t their real names. Those were the names king Nebuchadnezzar gave to them after his siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Their real names were actually Hananiah (Adonai is gracious), Mishael (who is like Adonai?), and Azariah (Adonai is my help).
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, like their friend Daniel, found great favor with the king and because of how they distinguished themselves among the rest of his workers, the king promoted them to high positions in his kingdom. In the 1st chapter of the book of Daniel, Daniel and three boys had resolved not to defile themselves with the king’s food. Something like this would be punishable by death, but God gave favor to them and the king was able to see that not only was the food they requested better, it caused them to outperform everyone else. They risked their lives because of their strong convictions, and it paid off. The king then ordered that everyone eat what the Hebrew men ate.
Later on however, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were challenged again. King Nebuchadnezzar had a 90-feet high and 90-feet wide golden statue in his likeness built for everyone to see and worship. The king declared that whenever his subjects heard the music playing, they had to bow down and worship the golden statue upon the threat of death. The music played, and Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused. This sent the king into a frenzy as he screamed and yelled and ordered that the three boys be thrown into a blazing hot, fiery furnace. And I love this exchange so much, so I’ll share the next part here:
In a raging fury N'vukhadnetzar ordered that Shadrakh, Meishakh and 'Aved-N'go be brought. When the men had been brought before the king, N'vukhadnetzar said to them, "Shadrakh! Meishakh! 'Aved-N'go! Is it true that you neither serve my gods nor worship the gold statue I set up? All right, then. If you are prepared, when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, zither, lute, bagpipe and the rest of the musical instruments, to fall down and worship the gold statue, very well. But if you won't worship, you will immediately be thrown into a blazing hot furnace—and what god will save you from my power then?" Shadrakh, Meishakh and 'Aved-N'go answered the king, "Your question doesn't require an answer from us. Your majesty, if our God, whom we serve, is able to save us, he will save us from the blazing hot furnace and from your power. But even if he doesn't, we want you to know, your majesty, that we will neither serve your gods nor worship the gold statue which you have set up."
Daniel 3:13-18
For those who know their bible, you know that the story ends with the boys being thrown into the furnace, but not burning up, and the king’s servant see’s what looks like an angel in the furnace with them. They then come out, and the king declares that their God is the true and living God. The king blessed Adonai and gave Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah even higher ranks in his kingdom than before.
These two stories, the rest of the book, and even the last chapters that deal with apocalyptic prophecies are all a blueprint specifically for us believers working in otherwise Godless arenas.
Being a light does not mean blending in. Following trends is not being a light. Compromising your personal convictions to reach a higher status is not being a light. It is actually the opposite; it’s dimming your light.
Being a light means offending the darkness.
Whether one intends to or not, if they are a light, walking into a dark space is an affront to the dark and those living in it. To be a light is to be different. To be a light is to be disruptive. As a songwriter, I can say that being a light means daring to create something that doesn’t really sound like anything current at the moment, but trusting that God will inspire you with a new sound. It means saying things that are sometimes contrary to the prevailing school of thought. It means not dancing to every beat, and not laughing when it isn’t funny.
Being a light is a daily decision that I don’t always actively make, if I’m being honest. Some days are more difficult than others, but being a light in a dark place is a weighty responsibility.
Like Daniel, some of us may be called to serve in the very courts of the most powerful, and secular empire in the world; not to boast about how much God is opening doors for us, but because we have a specific mandate and assignment that we need to fulfill while we occupy that space.
Others of us may be called to the wilderness, like the prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, who lived in the same time as Daniel, but in the squalor Jerusalem, prophesying to those left with them. Our calling may be primarily to fellow saints, encouraging, teaching, and equipping. This is also a calling that is very important.
It’s crucial to know where we are called, lest we assimilate to Babylonian debauchery or sink into a suicidal depression in a wasteland.
But for the Daniels of the world. For the Hananiahs, Mishaels, and Azariahs, if we know that we are called to be a light in Babylon, we must be prepared to offend the darkness. What would be the point of king Nebuchadnezzar appointing Daniel as governor of Babylon if all Daniel did was post selfies about how fortunate he is with #blessed in his caption? What would be the point of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah’s promotion if all they did with it was host Babylonian parties at their mansions and use their power for personal pleasures? Surely God wanted more for—and more importantly, from—them than to enjoy opulence. Maybe the opulence is not actually the point.
The prophets, the book of Daniel, and the scriptures in the book of Revelations speak of the ultimate destruction of Babylon in the end times. Babylon as an empire does not physically exist anymore, but the system that represents it still does. Soon, this crooked system of greed, corruption, human trafficking, systemic murdering of babies in the womb, and more will be put to an end forever. Part of our job as lights in the darkness is to pull as many people as can be pulled out of it before it’s too late. This makes me think of the scripture in Revelations 18:4-5, which says:
Then I heard another voice out of heaven say:
"My people, come out of her!
so that you will not share in her sins,
so that you will not be infected by her plagues,
for her sins are a sticky mass piled up to heaven,
and God has remembered her crimes…”
We are not supposed enjoy the darkness. We are supposed to help people get out of it.
When we are light, we don’t have to be contrary just for the sake of being contrary. Being a light means our lives are in a perpetual state of contrariness. Daniel already had a life of prayer, so he just kept doing what he was doing. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were already devoted to serving the God of their forefathers, so to not bow to Nebuchadnezzar was just to continue living out their lives.
Being a light means we are different, and seen as such. It means we are sometimes ridiculed and even persecuted, but other times called upon for help, and even other times, promoted and exalted for the glory of God and sake of His kingdom. We are supposed to strive for excellence in everything we do. When we do that, promotion comes. Proverbs 18:16 says:
A man's gift makes room for him
and brings him before the great.
But make no mistake; being placed before kings and queens is not so we can be praised by man for our accomplishments. It means our assignment from God has reached a royal level. It means our light must shine in those arenas. It means there is deep darkness that needs to be vanquished.
Being a light means offending the darkness.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-14