Tag: Babylon

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David’s Hit Country Western Song.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good! God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; he looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, not a single one! ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭53‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

It is believed that this Psalm was written by David while he was king of Israel. A few interesting things about this Psalm.

One: The most notable… is that this was a song – A SONG! The mysterious instrument was a Mahalath. It was possibly some kind of guitar. And, a couple of fairly infamous people were named Mahalath – Ishmael’s daughter and third wife of Esau ( Genesis 28:9 ), Isaac’s granddaughter! Also the name of David’s own son (Jerimoth). She was one of Rehoboam’s wives ( 2 Chronicles 11:18 ).

Two: This Psalm shows up twice in the book of Psalms (14 & 53).

Three: These Psalms became popular while Israel was in captivity under Babylon’s rule. Ezra brought it out of the archives of David’s writings and introduced it to the nation, his people, while they were king-less, leader-less and in a foreign land.

But just look at the words of this song that people actually sang while in the lowest of circumstances. It totally reminds me of a “woe is me, country-western” song. I’m sure it was a big hit during its day! David starts the song with a strong theme – “only the fool.” This word for fool is “nabel,” the most evil of fools mentioned in Proverbs. Nabel is the bent and seriously broken fool whose heart has completely been given to evil and the destruction of others. It’s a great, cryptic, rally-cry to declare the kings, the Nebuchadnezzar’s of Babylon to be these most evil fools.

The Israelites were living among the most wealthy, powerful, world conquerors of the ancient days. David sings of God’s perspective of all the might and influence of the nations during his own day – God searches for wisdom among the nations and finds NONE. And it sounds so fitting for the captives of the great Babylon to sing this as their own top song on the playlist. I imagine they gathered together while symbolically “crying in their beer,” finding solace and comfort in the fact that God would have the last word for the evil fools who blatantly, boastfully declare there is no God!

Babylons will rise, but all of them will eventually fall. This Psalm is perfect for the lament of our own soul when we look around and see evil flourishing while wisdom and common sense are fleeting. Thanks David! Play it one more time.

Prayer

​Dad,
These Psalms are timeless as reminders and even comfort when our world feels very much like the evil fools in charge are getting away with so much. Sadly, we have even declared a whole month to celebrate our own arrogance! David’s song, his lament, rings loud and clear even today. I pray as you look out over the human hearts today, that you would find pockets of wisdom, places of good. I know you will have the final word – and it will be just, right and true. Amen.

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A contest of wills.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of course the story of the three Hebrew young men defying the Babylonian king stands out as the epitome of peaceful resistance. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah had set their minds and hearts on obeying God, so if a moral or ethical dilemma were to arise, they were already prepared to make that choice.

However, there is another major character in this story, the Babylonian king. He believed he was all powerful and could command whatever he wanted and it would be fulfilled. Jeremiah paints Nebuchadnezzar as a cruel enemy, but also as God’s appointed ruler of the world and a divine instrument to punish disobedience. Finding a willing narcissist to “rule” the world has never been difficult. It’s finding one that doesn’t let all of it go to their head and destroy everything – that’s the issue.

Several global leaders have risen and mistakenly believed that they were a god, unstoppable and without resistance. How God deals with Nebuchadnezzar is just as much a part of the story as the Hebrew young men! This story wasn’t really about the young men’s faith or courage, it was about God showing both the power to discipline those he loves as well as rescue those he loves. I imagine there have been thousands upon thousands of young and old men or young and old women, who have declared the same thing as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Yet they were not spared! And, each one chose the alternative ending, “But even if he doesn’t [save us]…we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”

The contest of wills between maniacal leaders and God is all just bravado from men who believe they are in control. Daniel explained a dream that predicted the king would go insane for seven years, live in the fields like an animal, with long hair and fingernails, and eat grass. That’s exactly what happened! For a second time Nebuchadnezzar believed in the one true God, but it did not last.

Oddly enough, Nebuchadnezzar’s legacy, think antichrist, continues to offer a bizarre hope in his return. In the 1980’s Saddam Hussein started rebuilding Babylon, insinuating that he was the ancient king, returning to rule the world. In 2019, Vegas has even built gigantic Nebuchadnezzar statue, not so subtlety, declaring Vegas as the new Babylonian playground. The contest of wills between God and hubris humankind lives on. My bet is on God – He never loses.

Prayer

Dad,
If all this weren’t so incredibly sad and heartbreaking, it would be such a dark comedy! It is disturbing that we have the human capacity to bypass You, in hopes of any other possibility of saving us. There is such a desperation to search, such an expensive endeavor to seek a solution that avoids the one and only way to God – through Jesus. These demigods, these global fakes and antichrists, are just world class con artists! We need you so desperately! Pour out your Spirit once again on the earth. Breathe a fresh wind of mercy and grace before we destroy ourselves completely. Help us to see. Remove the blinders from our eyes to see and believe! Amen.

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The End of the Personified City

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Babylon, the great city of antiquity. Bible Study Tools writes, “As Nimrod began his reign, he and his followers had one overriding goal for their new territory; they wanted to ensure the security of their community by building a prestigious landmark to make a name for themselves. “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth” (Genesis 11:4). And includes an interesting note, “The ancient historian Josephus states of Nimrod, ‘He also said he would be revenged on God if he should have a mind to drown the world again; for that he would build a tower too high for the waters to be able to reach and that he would avenge himself on God for destroying their forefathers (Antiquities of the Jews, Book 1, Chapter 4).”

It all seems so oddly paradoxical, that the Vegas of ancient days became more than just a city, Nimrod built an alternative to God’s way – thus an option to a different salvation for humanity. What other option? The option of doing things my way, saving myself. The underpinnings of that thought, that subtle lie is this: I CHOOSE sin over salvation. Translation: God, I can save myself, if you don’t mind!

Babel, then later Babylon became the personification of the great lie, along with the great liar – Satan. Satan is the governor of Babylon. The city, the way of life, the culture and self determined religion, doesn’t just survive – it thrives in pockets all over the globe. You can see it in every “ism” that is known. Not just communism, fascism, socialism and even capitalism. ISM, might as well stand for “I Save Myself!” America struggles with five dangerous “isms”: humanism, pragmatism, materialism, secularism and relativism. All of the “ism’s” are distinctive doctrines, systems, or theories, simply beliefs on how to do life.

Babylon spawned years of tower-building philosophies of how to “out-god” God! But John, the revelator, is shown the destruction of the evil city and the systems, a “home for demons.” And it won’t happen until the end. The spirit, the arrogance, the perpetual lie will continue until the final days. As believers, we have been warned throughout all history NOT to go there, visit there and absolutely not live there and believe in the city motto: “to thine own self be true.” Remember in Shakespeare’s play, Polonius, himself was a pompous, hypocritical, and empty man. Jesus, alternatively said this, “Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Mat 16:25. The antidote to sin isn’t self, it’s Jesus’ sacrifice and we will not find it in Babylon.

Prayer

Dad,
I’ve seen Babylon alive and well, living within my own soul. I do not intend to make it my permanent home. I will choose the New Jerusalem instead, the city of God. I will choose heaven as my final destination and to do so means daily dying to self and having you, and only you SAVE me. Thank you for your grace, mercy and enduring, endless, patience towards me. Amen.

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Ghosts of an ancient city.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a huge millstone. He threw it into the ocean and shouted, “Just like this, the great city Babylon will be thrown down with violence and will never be found again.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭18‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This very old, ancient city, shows up early in the Old Testament in Genesis 11 as Babel, and has echoes of its infamy all the way to the end of all things, in Revelation. Its original name means confusion, because God disrupted human language. Moses wrote, “Look!” he [God] said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!” (Vs.6). The power of common language and unity meant they could accomplish anything they wanted. What did they want? They wanted to live, build and create everything without God! The physical rebellion, fueled by sin and Satan would be enormous. Yet, God let the city and the geopolitical object lesson stand throughout time.

Babylon had many of the most wicked, tyrannical leaders of all time. Even up to 1986 in modern Iraq, Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild Babylon by building the main palace and surrounding courtyard, he did so in honor of the ancient leaders 3000 years before him. He clearly wanted to resurrect the power and purpose of the city.

All of this has been fully known that John saw and wrote about Babylon’s final destruction at the end of all days. Revelation spends a WHOLE CHAPTER warning us of why God despised the city, the epitome of evil. John wrote about the city’s reputation and exactly what it represented: “She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.” Revelation‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬b-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬. This unbridled, unbounded lust for everything humanity sets up as success. This ultimate sin city of achieving and receiving everything the heart desires. All of which is fed, fueled and fulfilled by Satan and our own human appetite for SELF.

No wonder Babylon is seen as the Satan’s playground! It’s not so much the physical location as it is the spiritual identity this city represents. God tells John, it’s all going down to the depths of the ocean. All the parties, the dancing and music. All the spoils of rich rewards – “She bought great quantities of gold, silver, jewels, and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet cloth; things made of fragrant thyine wood, ivory goods, and objects made of expensive wood; and bronze, iron, and marble. She also bought cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, olive oil, fine flour, wheat, cattle, sheep, horses, wagons, and bodies—that is, human slaves.” It will all be tossed. Why? Are these items evil? Is it the singing, dancing, celebration with music and laughter that is evil? Yes, the enslavement of humans is clearly evil, but what about all that’s listed as the stuff humans like? What is so wrong about a city that fulfills all your wants and desires?

The city represents all that is promised OUTSIDE of God himself. It represents the gluttonous, selfish consumption of “good” in deference to God’s provision, life and blessings. The city represents the same old promise of all that we crave, completely lacking the fulfillment of true love, real life and especially God himself. Babylon is the lie of all lies, promising to bring fulfillment to life itself – without God. No matter how good it sounds, looks, smells or feels – its end is putrid emptiness.

Our modern life, our cool high-tech, fast paced, every desire celebrated culture is a giant city of Babylon. And it’s a massive cache of bitcoin that will vanish because it’s all fake. Read Revelation 11, see what John saw. It’s a lie that will be flushed and forgotten! Is God a buzzkill, a party crusher, a downer on happiness? Absolutely not! God just knows us, loves us and wants us to have the real thing – real joy, real peace, real love. It’s only found IN Him, not without Him.

Prayer

Dad,
Oh, that we would know You. Oh, that we could see the difference between fake and real, the difference between the city of Jerusalem and Babylon! One, the city of God, the other the home of demons. I am so thankful that you have given me life and all that is good. I am thrilled that you have forgiven, even forgotten my sin, my shame. I want my life to be 100% hidden in Christ and Him alone! Thank you.

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Extreme civil disobedience.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is another famous story that children learned in Sunday School or summer VBS (vacation Bible School). These children’s learning opportunities were a hit in the era when school was cool.

What a scene right? 90 foot tall by 9 foot wide statue layered in GOLD! Wow. And, in all places to erect it – Babylon. The great city of Babylon – what a history, what an eerie future. A city, symbolic of human’s greatest accomplishments WITHOUT God.

A glorious moment for the globe’s most power leader at the time. Ruling for 43 years, Nebuchadnezzar was the longest-reigning king of the Chaldean dynasty. Being a world renowned dictator, it would not be unusual to have a massive statue built, nor would it be strange to have that statue worshipped in reverence for the king’s great power, wealth and influence. Israel’s disobedience led them into exactly what they seemed to desire so badly. They wanted to disobey God, wishing to be like other nations, wanting to worship images of wood, stone or even gold. Well, here’s the opportunity. Live it up for a 70 year timeout and think about the true God you abandoned! And

This was a big moment. The big statue was built and EVERYONE was commanded to bow! The band plays, the music is heard, all throughout the land, and the time comes for everyone to bow…. and worship the massive statue. But not everyone obeyed. Not everyone went along with the order. Three out of thousands decided they would not do it.

Three Jewish young men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (re-named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) knew the king’s command, heard the music, but would not bow. And they must have made it obvious because some snarky snitches, the local Chaldeans, ratted the men out to the king, saying “They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬. Nebuchadnezzar was furious, to the point that Daniel records, “he flew into a rage.”

The young men were brought in and the king asks them if it was true. He even gave them another chance – bow or be burned! I think it was something that the king said that may have strengthened the guys resolve. Nebuchadnezzar said, “I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments. But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?” It may have been that last question. The most powerful human on the planet at that time declared himself more powerful than the one true God, who created everything that exists! Neb believed that life and death was in his hands and that he could spare or destroy whom he pleases. These young men had enough wisdom to know that it was not true.

God had used this king to do His will and no power on heaven or earth can stop the will of God. The boys had decided they were going to take this all the way to their death if necessary. Neb thought they were calling his bluff. “Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual.” It was so hot that the soldiers ordered to put the men in the furnace were killed instantly from the intense heat. Once INSIDE the massive kiln, they walked around until they were met by Jesus himself.

This is a powerful story reminding us of God’s power to sustain and protect, even in the most dire circumstances. However, the young men’s declaration still holds absolute truth today. It’s a difficult truth in our physical, finite understanding of life, but it is quite astounding when we think about eternity. Even if he doesn’t save us… we will never serve another! If I live, great! More time to do what God has called me to do. If I die, even better (The Apostle Paul reminds us)! For to live is Christ, to die is gain! Philippians 1:21.

Prayer

Dad,
Whew. What a story of faith and resolve at such a young age! Even being raised in captivity, with their names changed, new lives, new jobs, new friends, they still recognized you as their One True God. And what a story they had to tell. Their simple act of civil disobedience eventually led to Neb’s declaration of who you are and even his mental collapse trying to reconcile your power with his real purpose as king. Even Neb discovered who was really in control! Wild thoughts for today’s culture and the ridiculous arrogance among our political, educational, health and science leaders – thinking they have the power to control life and death.