Babylon is not just about ancient history. The proverb exists in our pockets and tempts us to give to every dul, every noise, every decadent desire we can imagine.
The Old Testament tale in Daniel’s first chapter feels surprisingly modern. This is a heartfelt commentary on the choices Christians face every day. While it could be “The Content is King,” it could be a well-known marketing phrase, it is also a calm analysis of our culture.
For Daniel, it was Nebuchadnezzar, the literal king. For us, it’s content.
After conquering Israel, the king ordered his chief of staff to make the royal men of Judah work as servants of Babylon (Daniel 1:3-4). But it wasn’t just the service. Nebuchadnezzar wanted more. He was after their entire identity.
Men were taught language, exposed to literature, and immersed in Godless culture. Does that sound familiar?
Today we live in Digital Babylon and what can be described. This is a world curated for us, made up of streaming platforms, social media trends, influencers and celebrities, all redefine our identity, rewire our beliefs, and reorient our desires.
We are not forced to do so. We are slowly seduced – seduced to embrace the world. Repeated throughout the Bible, Christians are called to protect themselves from the traps of Godless culture.
The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Don’t copy the actions and habits of this world; let God change it as you wish, and turn him into a new man.” And in 1 John 2:15 the apostle John writes:
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Before consuming content, we should keep those encouragements in mind before following the Christian trends.
In the 21st century, we should live counterculturally just like Daniel.
“But Daniel decided not to taint himself by eating the food and wine given to him by the king,” the prophet wrote in Daniel 1:8. “He asked the Chief of Staff for permission to not eat these unacceptable foods.”
Ashpenaz, the chief of staff of Nebuchadnezzar, feared that Daniel would become frail by refraining from the king’s prescribed diet. But Daniel was certain he was certain that he had a countercultural diet that was in line with God’s teachings. He persuaded Ashpenaz to try it for 10 days.
“At the end of the 10 days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and more nourishing than the young man who had eaten the food assigned by the king,” Daniel writes in verse 15.
Daniel wrote the supernatural ability that God gives him and his friends a “unusual aptitude” to understand Babylonian culture and language, and interprets the meaning of visions and dreams.
Daniel was in the world, but not. He was separated as God’s ambassador in a Godless culture.
In this digital Babylonian Christians are called Daniels. It is not an algorithm or a tendency, but a man and a woman who listens to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit.
The same God who saved Daniel in Babylon saves us today and gives us wisdom, boldness and unmistakable favors available to all believers who turn from king to king of kings.
In the world where Babylon lives in our pockets, the call remains the same. Like Daniel, he decides not to be shaped by the world, but to stand for the kingdom instead.
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