Live With Hope

“Babylon is where heaven and earth collide.” — from DANIEL, Sight & Sound Theatres®

Babylon’s origins can be found in the book of Genesis. There is a story about the people of the world coming together to build a great tower that would reach the heavens. God came down (clearly, it wasn’t high enough) and confused their speech, so they couldn’t keep going on this project.

The problem and the gift is that humans are created to have an impact. Our work, our words, and our choices all affect this world. That was the original design of Eden! We were supposed to bring God’s wholeness and goodness to the world.

The trouble began when people decided they wanted to be like God but without God. In the same way, the people of Babylon were trying to unite heaven and earth, but they wanted to do it in their broken way. God had a plan to lead to that reunion, but this was not it. It wouldn’t happen through a manmade structure; it would happen through a man: Jesus.

When we re-enter Babylon during the time of Daniel, not much has changed. Idols were buried under the buildings. There were over 200 temples in the city. Idols and symbols were on and beneath the roads. You literally couldn’t walk down the street without encountering god worship! Even people’s names represented the gods. Daniel’s name was changed to “Belteshazzar,” loosely translated as “the one sent by the god, Bel, who serves the King.” If you know the rest of Daniel’s story, this meaning is very ironic. Daniel’s response to this new life is incredibly simple and challenging. He chooses to put his hope in the Lord and live faithfully.

The first example we get of Daniel and his friends being faced with a dilemma in Babylon is when they are presented with food from King Nebuchadnezzar’s table. This food is meant to be an honor and a luxury. There are several reasons this food would have been compromising for their worship. It could have been meat sacrificed to idols. It could have gone against their purity laws. By offering this food, King Nebuchadnezzar says that Babylon is their identity and provider. This meal would take their worship away from God. When they respectfully and firmly refuse the food, God rewards them with favor. Daniel and his friends would need to make a lot of difficult choices daily. They would have to pray, get creative, and know God’s word intimately to work out the wisdom needed for such a tempting life in Babylon.

While there are big miracles in this story, those miracles were pivotal moments in Daniel's steadily faithful life. Through his faithful actions based on his hope in the Lord, Daniel could influence the direction of a current instead of being swept away by the tide. We are created to make an impact and share Eden, God’s Kingdom—the original design—with the rest of the world. We can do that if we live with hope in the Lord daily.