Assimilation

Assimilation

Inspiration MinistriesBy Inspiration Ministries2 Minutes

From our perspective, Babylon might look like a massive, united, national machine. But history reminds us that nothing was stable for the people in that region. Tribes continually competed for dominance. Change could take place swiftly. We see that after the death of Nebuchadnezzar as control shifted to Belshazzar and then Darius and Cyrus, and a new tribe became dominant.

Aware of this reality, men like Nebuchadnezzar never took control for granted. We see this concern in their attitude toward Daniel and other Jews.

The Babylonian rulers wanted these men to be assimilated into their culture and to be loyal. As a result, many young Jews were trained with the goal of getting them to act and think not like Jews but Babylonians and Chaldeans.

We see this concern in the reaction to the image of gold set up by Nebuchadnezzar, as everyone was told to “fall down and worship” the king (Daniel 3:5). When Daniel’s friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego would not bow down, Nebuchadnezzar reacted with rage. Yet ultimately, these men were allowed to retain their faith.

The challenge for us is to realize that we, too, can feel forced to assimilate and be pressured to think like everyone else. We feel compelled to lay aside our beliefs and faith in God. Like Daniel and his young friends, we need to have the boldness to stand for what we believe and retain our relationship with God.