As we continue our political economy commentary in Daniel (see the first post first), the reader should read Daniel Chapter One. picking up in v3, and beyond, we see the following major activities: 1) Nebuchadnezzar commands that leading Israelites be brought back to Babylon to learn and be brought up in the customs and ways of the Chaldeans, even giving them new names after his own gods, 2) Daniel, one of youths brought back, “resolved” not to “defile himself” by eating the king’s food (which may have been offered to idols), 3) he convinces the eunuchs to test him for 10 days, at which time he and three others were “better in appearance” than the rest, and 4) God gave them learning and skill such that they were “10 times better” than the other advisors in his kingdom after their three year training, and “Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”

The kingdom of men is always about power–gaining it and preserving it. Often, as Jesus reminds us, “the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” So it is with Nebuchadnezzar; to completely conquer an enemy you must go after their youth–you must indoctrinate them into all your ways and have them become one of you. This is still the battle today; those hostile to God will want to capture the youth of our age and indoctrinate them into their worldview. This is why the fight over the education system is so fundamental and so divided. We all know that the left has completely captured all the institutions of culture building in our society. Captured is a bit too strong a word, as in many cases Christians in their zeal and focus on the Great Commission (justly so) have forgotten their first commission to take dominion of all the earth (Gen 1:26-28) and have abandoned participation in some areas of culture. This election cycle has several states where conservatives (Christian and otherwise) are pushing back and fighting for school choice, which understandably leads to harsh reactions on the left. But don’t forget one of our main lessons from yesterday’s post: God is completely sovereign and there is a spiritual dimension behind every earthly conflict you see ongoing.

And in the middle of this seemingly complete conquering of Godly values, the Lord is at work to raise up godly opposition: Daniel as well as Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah (or more famously known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego). So too is He raising up people in our day. Often our mistake is believing the truth of the Bible but thinking it is only directly applicable to those times. We can become functional deists, thinking that God is far away and not working today like He did then. While it’s certainly true that the miraculous activity seen in Daniel (more to come) is a very rare thing (it was so in the Bible as well), it is not true that God is just watching a great movie, eating popcorn on His throne in our day. No, the message from Daniel is that when the world appears hopeless, fix your eyes on God and His promises because He is working. As Jesus reminds us, “My Father is working until now, and I myself am working.” And He is often working in surprising ways, in this case raising up a few young conquered youths to put them in positions of influence, and giving them the courage to testify not to their own strength or abilities, but to the goodness of their God.

But notice how these youths behaved. They didn’t protest for their rights, they didn’t ask for special treatment that would be hard, but rather the opposite–something easy like let us eat only vegetables and water. When the eunuch said no, Daniel continued to stand up for what he resolved in his heart to do, but he wisely and quietly went to the steward and convinced him to give them a short test. Daniel was walking in the biblical wisdom he had no doubt been brought up in, and he knew that a soft word turns away wrath. What is the key implication for us today? That first we must be faithful in the little things–we will never be faithful in big things for God if we are not faithful in the little things. And it is this very faithfulness that both builds our spiritual character (our muscles) so we are strong enough to withstand the challenges that will come. I think of Mike Pence as a modern example. He has been a faithful Christian in public life for many years, and that faithfulness gave him the character to withstand Mr. Trump’s demand that he violate his oath to the constitution. Mike Pence would never have been able to stand up to those pressures if he had not been faithful in smaller tests earlier in his life. In that moment, Donald Trump was operating according to the kingdoms of men–whatever it takes to preserve power in this world. Mr. Pence had to decide did he want to fight for the kingdom of man or did he want to stand for the kingdom of God. I believe he chose wisely.

The faithfulness of these young men was rewarded by God, raising them up to “stand before the king.” Our faithfulness may come at a cost–there is no guarantee that you will be lifted up in this world if you are faithful. But it is certain that God cannot use you as a chosen instrument unless you are faithful.* But notice where they were raised up to: they were added to the magicians, enchanters, and Chaldeans! Daniel and his friends no doubt knew the wickedness of these unbelieving pagans, and yet they offered no complaint (unlike his previous refusal to eat their food). The application for us today is that it is ok to be in politics and lumped in with the ungodly people that are seeking the kingdoms of men–our job is to be the light in those situations and seek to build the Kingdom of God. As we will see with Daniel later, you can faithfully serve the kingdoms of men while not compromising your walk. And in that service to the kingdoms of men, you and I have the opportunity to be a witness to the world. There should be no retreat from culture for the Christian; our job is to transform** and bring it into conformity with the will of God. Whether business, the arts, or politics, we must be shining out light in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Read Chapter 2 for tomorrow’s post.

* The good news is that our lack of faithfulness in a particular test does not preclude God turning us to a path of faithfulness and great service later, e.g., Peter, who denied Christ three times.

** Note that we may not be successful in any transformation–the outcome is up to the Lord. But it’s still our job to be working toward that end.