During its time in the historical spotlight, the Babylonian Empire achieved giddy heights of power and influence. Under Nebuchadnezzar, even God Himself referred to it as a "head of gold" among the mighty empires of history. But history also tells us that Babylon fell in 539 BC, and no one has heard from it since. According to the Bible, however, that statement is completely false.
Let's start at the beginning: the city of Babylon shows up in Genesis 11, where wicked men who sought unity under one language and one government attempt to construct the Tower of Babel in order to reach heaven itself. God promptly intervenes, scattering them across the earth with different languages.
And yet Babylon reforms and rears its head again later in history. The judgment of God comes upon it again, but not before God uses them to chasten His wayward nation of Israel. After Cyrus the Persian conquers Babylon, it once again seems like game over for Babylon.
And yet we get to Revelation 14 and 17, and guess who is there? Babylon, this time referred to as "Mystery Babylon." Its hatred of God and God's people is on display for all to see here - no longer veiled by towers and conquests. Here, amidst the events of the Tribulation, Babylon is destroyed once and for all.
In Scripture, there is more to Babylon than meets the eye. It is more than just a government, an empire, a culture or a religion, although it includes those things. It seems to be a sort of anti-kingdom contrary to God's kingdom. As such, you can expect Satan's fingerprints to be all over it.
For today, however, let's focus on one portion of the Babylonian picture - the portion found in Daniel 1:3-5.
Babylon Wants Your Children
In Daniel 1:3-5, we see the Babylonian seeks to assimilate captured Jewish children into their culture. Assimilation is the most surefire way to conquer someone - instead of destroying them, make them one of you! Why children? Because they're easy targets. The adults generally have convictions born from experience. In case you're wondering, that's a nice way of saying they are stubborn. But children, due to their age and lack of experience, are much more malleable. Here's what the passage in Scripture says:
3 And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king's seed, and of the princes; 4 Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. 5 And the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might stand before the king.
Let's break it down and look at the four characteristics Babylon wanted to exploit with the children in order to assimilate them.
Characteristic 1: Vanity
Verse four tells us that the Babylonian king wanted "children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured..." In other words, Babylon wanted children who were attractive and popular.
Of course there is very little that we can do to change our appearance. Some of us might be more naturally attractive than others, but none of us - regardless of our natural appearance - are immune to the urge to be more popular and attractive. Some spend great deals of money on all sorts of things to make themselves more attractive, and some go to great lengths to earn the praise and admiration of others - oftentimes people they don't know, or have never even seen! Why? Because when you're in service to Babylon, it demands that you meet its standards of attractiveness and popularity.
Sadly, the ones most obviously affected by all of this are children. You see evidence with both genders, but it is especially visible with young women. In my personal opinion, the "fashions" of today drive them to practically erase their God-given appearance in favor of an entirely artificial, almost inhuman sort of "perfection." This then presents them with the opportunity to sacrifice their characters - and even their souls - in pursuit of the attention and popularity they so desperately desire.
But what does God say? Let's pull several pieces of Scripture together to draw a conclusion. Regarding women, the Lord says:
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: But a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
Proverbs 31:30
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
I Timothy 2:9-10
For the men, the Lord provides us with the contrast of Saul and David. Of Saul, the Lord says:
And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
I Samuel 9:2
Then of David, the Lord says:
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.
I Samuel 16:12
It is also instructive to consider what God said about David's brother, Eliab:
And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him. But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
I Samuel 16:6-7
Finally, regarding one seeking the admiration of the world, the Lord says:
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:18
So what can we conclude? The Lord has little regard for a person's so-called "attractive" physical appearance. He puts no value whatsoever on fashionable clothing or jewelry, and reminds us that beauty is vain (in other words, we all get old and wrinkled eventually). But the Lord's instructions, and the contrast He shows us between Saul and David, keep us from a dangerous extreme in our thinking: there is nothing wrong with taking thought about your appearance, and there is nothing wrong if you are naturally "ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to" (you lucky dog!). Saul, David, and even Eliab were all handsome fellas. Abraham's wife Sarah was still turning men's heads well into her 90's, and Esther sounds like she was a real show-stopper when she walked into Ahasuerus' court.
We should take care to be tidy, hygienic, healthy, modest, and well-dressed, because these things are a good testimony and allow us to have a proper audience with lost people (for more on this topic, check out this article on staying healthy in service to the Lord). The problem arises when we pursue being attractive and popular by the world's standards, for the world's purposes. Babylon only cares about the outward appearance, and even then it only cares insofar as it serves its own wicked purposes. But the Lord looks on the heart. And make no mistake: if you follow the Lord's expectations rather than Babylon's then Babylon will hate you for it.
Characteristic 2: Education
Verse four also tells us the Babylonian king wanted children who were "skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science..."
It's not hard to see that the world worships education. The more degrees you can accumulate, the more letters you can string behind your name, the more philosophically you can speak, the more regarded you are. But ironically, it would seem the more Babylonian education you have, the less you actually know! This sort of education leads to a rejection of the truth rather than a discovery of it!
...ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
II Timothy 3:7-8
So the goal of Babylonian education is to reject to the truth, but can you guess what the crown prince of this sort of "education" is? It's SCIENCE. Have you noticed that science seems to be the ultimate trump card today? It doesn't matter what your practical experience is, or what history has demonstrated, or even what common sense plainly dictates. If SCIENCE says something different - no matter how ridiculous - then SCIENCE must be right!
Let's pause and clarify something: there are two flavors of science - Babylon's and God's. Like most things in Babylon, the science of Babylon is a counterfeit of the science of God. What I'm calling the science of God is observing and understanding how God's creation works, starting with the understanding that God is the creator. It is true science. The science of Babylon has no interest in true science, although it is forced to tolerate it to a degree. The science of Babylon is a religion (because it relies more on faith than on facts) that uses it highfalutin' vocabulary and intellectual reputation to browbeat people into submission. That's why in I Timothy 6:20-21 it says:
O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.
Did you notice how God describes this science? He says it is science "falsely so called." He also associates it with "vain babbling." He also draws attention to how it can cause people to err concerning the faith. Of course Babylon accepts Babylonian science. But even believers are subject to the browbeating and deception if we do not stand fast on the WORD OF GOD as our FINAL AUTHORITY! For more on that topic, check out this article on final authority as the foundation of life.
Who has the final word: God or science falsely so called? Babylon would like nothing more than to browbeat our impressionable young people into allowing it to be their final authority. This is the same "science" that claims a man came from a monkey, a man being sexual with another man is normal, and a man could actually be a woman (among other things). The "gospel" of science is being taught in our grade schools, colleges, universities, entertainment, and music. Sadly, it is even subtly being taught from some pulpits when men stand before congregations and explain away God's miraculous actions with the "logic" of Babylon.
What is God's estimation of all this? He minces no words in I Corinthians 3:18-20 when He says:
Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
So what is a Bible believer to do? The only thing we can do - unflinchingly stand on the word of God!
Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Proverbs 9:9-10
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.
Psalm 119:99
Characteristic 3: Compliance
Verse four concludes with the Babylonian king's desire that the children be "such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans."
Above all, Babylon wants teachable young people. It doesn't want young people to have righteous convictions. It doesn't want young people to have standards. It wants malleability. It wants moral flexibility. It wants relativity. It wants compliance. It wants obedience. It wants to usurp the authority of God and parents in the lives of children. It wants to be the final authority that is obeyed above all others. In fact, it wants to be the ONLY authority. It wants young people ready to turn on family and church like snarling animals at the least provocation. It wants politically active students of culture rather than spiritually active students of God's word.
Its agents are everywhere, and it is all too easy to allow them to babysit a child. 30 minutes in front of the iPad? An hour in front of the television? Week after week in a classroom with a God-rejecting teacher? A cell phone with unfettered access to the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week? It adds up, and the result is children sacrificed to Babylon. Our sons and daughters are being given to Molech (Jeremiah 32:35).
But what does God have to say? A child's obedience is not a bad thing - in fact, God expects it! It is a matter of to whom that child is obedient. Who is the authority? It should be God, followed by parents.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29
Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:20
Characteristic 4: Indulgence
Verse five adds that "the king appointed them a daily provision of the king's meat, and of the wine which he drank" for these children..."
It's interesting that the Babylonian king appointed the children a daily provision of his meat and drink. Undoubtedly it was the best in the kingdom, but it could also be an act of feigned benevolence that creates a sense of dependence. In essence, it is the king saying "I will provide you with your daily bread, and I will give you better than anything your family or your God ever did."
And its hard to turn away from a good meal, isn't it? Hearty food that tastes good leaves us fat and satisfied both literally and figuratively...until we get hungry again, of course. A sweet, juicy apple tastes great...until you've had a handful of Oreos. Roasted chicken is delicious...until you've had deep fried chicken nuggets. You were satisfied with a baked potato...until you had a salty plate of french fries. Water quenches your thirst the way God intended...but a ice cold Coca-Cola really hits the spot. Do you see the point I'm trying to make? I'm not arguing for or against any specific foods. I'm trying to highlight the Babylonian strategy of developing a taste for indulgence, and the weaponizing it to snatch away hearts and minds. Why would the Jewish children ever want to go back to the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic law after they've had a taste of the Babylonian king's provisions? Why would children find enjoyment at church when they have a taste of the hi-definition, pulse-pounding excitement of a video game, or have been amused by the latest slew of fly-by-night entertainment? Sadly, sometimes the church tries to compete by using Babylonian tactics. If you have ever been subjected to the "rock concert" style of praise and worship - which includes smoke machines, ever-changing screen-saver style graphics, worldly fashion, and vapid lyrics, then you'll know what I mean. If you want to jump down the rabbit hole of that subject, check out the articles on why music matters, songs about foundations, songs about God's holiness, and recommended listening.
Back to the topic and hand: although it is food in the context of the passage, Babylon certainly isn't limited to what we eat. Entertainment, amusement, comfort, luxury, convenience...it's not hard to find something that the flesh is all-too-willing to indulge in. But let's not forget that God is not some cruel, ascetic Lord who demands that we live a monastic lifestyle. Everything that Babylon offers is in some way a corruption of God's intentions, and God intends for us to enjoy things! Consider the following passages of Scripture (emphasis added to help make the point):
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
James 1:17
Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Psalm 16:11
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy...
I Timothy 6:17
Enjoyment is not a bad thing. I would even argue indulgence is not a bad thing. It is a matter of what we're enjoying, and what we're indulging in. We could probably all benefit from indulging in the Lord a bit more!
Satan's Fingerprints
Remember how I said we could expect to see Satan's fingerprints on Babylon? Consider that each of the characteristics in Daniel 1:3-5 plainly appeal to the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (see I John 2:16 and Genesis 3:6). Also consider how little it takes to go through the course of Babylonian indoctrination. The king's program was only going to take three years! Three years - less time that the average student spends in college, and certainly less than they spend in grade school. That's how quickly Babylon can take a child.
Satan's tactics also rely on defilement: he takes something otherwise good, and warps it into something ungodly. There is nothing inherently wrong with being attractive (like David in I Samuel 16:12 or Esther in Esther 2:15), well-liked (like Jesus Himself in Luke 2:52), educated (like Moses in Acts 7:22), obedient (like Peter in Acts 5:29), or enjoying things in life (as is made plain in I Timothy 6:17). It is to what end these things are done that matters. It is the heart that matters (see I Samuel 16:7). Satan - and his wicked Mystery Babylon world system - wants your allegiance if he can get it, but he would be just as satisfied, or perhaps more satisfied, to take the allegiance of your children with his subtly.
It is scenario that, apart from God, puts us in checkmate. Without His help, our children will waste their lives chasing vanity, waste their minds indoctrinated by education, waste their wills in compliance to the enemy, and waste their bodies on the pleasures of sin for a season. It is wholesale destruction, and the only remedy is God. Unfortunately, the deceptiveness of sin, the urges of the flesh, and the subtly of Satan mean that the majority of people, saved or lost, become subject to this Babylonian indoctrination. Notice what God says:
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence.
I Corinthians 1:26-29
Wise, mighty, and noble people are not exempt from salvation, or from service to the Lord after being saved. But they have been subject to a system that has trained them to reject truth, scoff at faith, and hate righteousness. It keeps the lost on their way to hell, and the can keep the saved impotent in their service.
The Example of Moses
Egypt, like Babylon, is used as a picture of the world system in Scripture. Unlike Babylon, however, Egypt's first tactic was to slaughter the children rather than to assimilate them. There is one notable exception, however. Moses was raised in the household of Pharaoh's daughter as one of the princes of Egypt. He, like the Hebrew children in the book of Daniel, had access to all of the education, affluence, and power of Egypt, which Scripture notes for us:
And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds.
Acts 7:22
Moses was neck deep in a Satanic world system, exposed to to every vanity, education, compliance, and indulgence they had to offer. And yet Moses made it through unscathed. How did he do it? Scripture tells us...
By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
Hebrews 11:24-26
Calling All Men: Save the Children!
Let's conclude today with a call to action, specifically for the men. God designed the family to include a father and a mother, and both serve important, distinct roles in the raising of children. Women are important, as evidenced in the life of Timothy (see II Timothy 1:5). But the Lord has a very specific command to fathers that we should give special heed to in light of today's topic. He says:
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:4
Both fathers and mothers are responsible for raising children, but the Lord seems to place special emphasis on the father's role in the spiritual development of a child. Why? Because in God's design, men are the head of the household. They bear the authority, second only to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. But this can also extend beyond biological families. We should also consider our spiritual families. Paul had no biological children, and yet he considered himself a father to those whom he had led to Christ:
For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel.
I Corinthians 4:15
Likewise, in the matter of the spiritual development of believers, including children, we are told:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16
Did you notice the reference to children? The Lord places believers in the body with different gifts for the purpose of helping to mature us from spiritual children to spiritual adults, just as a father would do for his biological children. And guess what? According to II Timothy 2, these roles should all be held by men.
So...calling all men. Whether you have biological children or not, you have a role to play in protecting children from a Babylonian system what wants to snatch them away and swallow them whole. You are called upon to first raise your own children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, but also to play a role in doing the same for other children as the Lord gives opportunities to do so. It's a high calling, and a sobering task, but God never said that being a MAN would be easy, and the children need us. Let's get to it.
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