BABYLON

     In the book of Jeremiah, the people of God committed grave sin against the Lord by turning to idols and performing abominable acts. As a result, the Lord judged them and brought destruction upon the land. In the mercy of God, He provided a way for Israel to return to Him and be restored. He opened the door of captivity. He promised that those who will accept captivity in Babylon shall live and return. I believe that today there are still times when God leads His people to a Babylon experience and just like in Israel it is for the purpose of restoring and perfecting His saints.

     Babylon can mean many things to different people. In the time of Daniel, Babylon was all of these things put together.

It was a place of captivity which to us can translate to trying situations in our lives that limit our movement and options.
It was also a place where the Israelites were under the rule of a fierce king which to us can translate to being under leaders or authorities who are ungodly, unjust, or difficult.
It was also a place of worldliness where the passing pleasures of sin were everywhere, which to us can mean being in the company of people or under circumstances that expose us to the lusts of this world and fleshly desires.
It was a foreign land to the Israelites which to us can mean an unfamiliar experience or place. It was also a place of hardship which to us can mean being under very difficult trials and chastening of God.
It was a place Israelites lived in for 70 years, which to us can translate to experiences God brings us to that lasts for quite some time. 

     Babylon in short is a place of testing that God ordains for a season.

     What is the purpose of Babylon? God leads people to Babylon to restore those who have been lost like most of Israel in the time of Jeremiah as well as to perfect those who are pressing on in God like Daniel and his friends. God in His mercy leads people to situations as those experienced by the Israelites in Babylon for their own good. It is an opportunity to be cleansed of impurities and learn to seek and obey God.

Jeremiah 24:5-7  “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. 

     As the above passage states, those who are called to a season of captivity are there because God desires to build them up and plant them. It will be a time of blessing as they know the Lord more and learn to follow Him more.

     However, the question is will we follow God to Babylon?

     When the Israelites were offered the option of captivity as a way of redemption many refused. Their response was very natural. There truly is an aversion in man towards hardships and discipline. So when Israel saw trouble coming its way because of its own stubbornness and wickedness, what does it do? Rather than turning to God by accepting the chastening of God and obeying His instruction to go to Babylon, Israel attempts to save itself from the consequences of its sins by turning to worldly strength. But in the end this proved futile and only led to greater disaster.

     Today this same decision may be offered to us by God. Will we choose to follow God which at the surface appears as captivity but in actuality is deliverance or will we choose to follow the world's path which at the surface looks like deliverance but in actuality is destruction? 

     What will help us follow God when His path leads us to Babylon? It helps to understand the heart of God, that He never leads us to paths that will not be for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

     It also helps to have the end in mind. Babylon holds the key to entering into the promises of God. Babylon was used by God to raise up faithful men such as Daniel, Ezekiel, Ezra and Nehemiah. They were men who were used by God to fulfill His purposes for their nation. And God molded and raised them up in Babylon. If we will accept our own Babylon experiences God can also prepare and launch us to our callings.

     In Babylon experiences we get to know God more intimately. Trials bring us to deeper knowledge of God comfortable situations can never lead us to. When we go through times of hardship and discipline, it produces an openness and softness in our hearts as well as a dependence on God. Babylon experiences bring a transformation to those who will yield.

     There is also a warning to those who will reject Babylon, the trials and discipline of God. They will be overtaken by that which they are trying to escape.

Jeremiah 42:13-16 “But if you say, ‘We will not dwell in this land,’ disobeying the voice of the Lord your God, saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell’— Then hear now the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.  

     We must remember that when God leads us to a Babylon experience that it will be the safest place on earth for us because it is God’s perfect will. Danger comes to those who are outside the will of God because they are outside His covering.

How should we respond to our Babylons?

     Be a Daniel who possessed an excellent spirit and did well in Babylon. He had an excellent spirit because wisdom entered his heart.

Daniel 6:3 Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm. 

     Dr. Paul Caram in his book Victory Over the Self-Centered Life tells us that “wisdom is knowing how to react and respond to people and situations. It is the ability to see things from God’s perspective. Wisdom produces an excellent spirit. When we begin to see situations through God’s eyes, we will be changed.” That excellent spirit produced by wisdom is what will see us through Babylon. Therefore it is important that we gain wisdom.

How does wisdom enter our hearts?

a. Walk in righteousness and holiness. Daniel chose to keep himself pure and not be defiled by the Babylonian King’s food. As a result of his choice we know that he and his friends became ten times wiser than all the wise men in the king’s court. God added wisdom to him because he chose to obey God’s word. He was not a mere hearer but a doer of God’s word. The word of God will lead us to righteousness and holiness.

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:” 

James 1:21-25 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

     One of the keys to having wisdom enter our hearts is to be a doer of the Word of God. The Apostle James tells us to lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness. He also warns us against being deceived into thinking that we are ok because we have heard the word. He likens it to seeing your image in the mirror and recognizing that there are issues but simply walking away after doing nothing. The Word is no good to those who only listen but do not act.

     On the other hand, if we will practice what the word says, our obedience will result in God’s favor like what Daniel experienced. Babylon will seek to lure us to the pleasures of sin, to temptations by presenting to us the desires of the flesh. Like Daniel may we seek to be pure and right before God by living out His Word.

b. Be an active and consistent seeker of the heart of God. Wisdom is given to those who seek God intentionally. When Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the wise men of his kingdom tell him his dream and interpret it, Daniel knew how to respond because he sought the Lord.

Daniel 2:17-18 Then Daniel went to his house, and made the decision known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, that they might seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 

Daniel 2:20-23  Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. 21 And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him. 23 “I thank You and praise You, O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might, And have now made known to me what we asked of You, For You have made known to us the king’s demand.” 

c. Humble yourself before God.  Submit to the chastening and corrections of God.  Jesus humbled Himself and grew in wisdom because of it.

Luke 2:51-52 Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 

     Jesus, the King of kings allowed Himself to be subject to Joseph and Mary. And it says there, that as He did, He grew in wisdom. When we humble ourselves before God and submit to the authorities and the disciplines He gives whether we like them or not, God will increase our wisdom. If you are in a situation today where you are under leaders or situations that are difficult but you know it is God’s will for you to be under it, if you will respond in humility God will honor you and grant you the grace to endure your difficulty just like what happened to Daniel. And God promises that in due time, He will exalt you.

     Finally, let us remember that as much as it is God who purposes for people to enter Babylon, we must also allow Him to be the one to lead us out of it. Our stay in Babylon is for a season. 

Isaiah 52:11-12 Depart! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord. For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the Lord will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. When it is time to leave, God will put everything in order. Do not hurry to get out of your Babylon by trying to find your way of escape. Endure to the end and let God take you out of your Babylon experience in His perfect time. Allow God to perfect His work in you. An untimely withdrawal from God’s discipline leads to an unfinished work that deprives us of the fullness of God’s purposes for us. Thus, may we patiently wait upon the Lord’s deliverance. Let us cry out to God to finish His work in us and not take us out of Babylon until He is done. 

James 1:4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.