TWO CULTURES: BABYLON AND AMERICA
LESSON SEVEN – TWO CULTURES
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jer. 29:11.
I attended a Christian high school graduation recently. The school asked each graduate to select a “life verse.” At that graduation, more graduates selected this verse (Jer. 29:11) as their life verse than any other verse.
BABYLON
Babylon was probably the most advanced culture on earth. Herodotus, the Greek historian, says that Babylon was overwhelming in its size and magnitude. The city was built in a square 13 miles long on each side - a total of 169 square miles. Its streets were lined with houses 3-4 stories in height. (Source: Unger’s Bible Dictionary) The culture was advanced and the city had wonderful attractions. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon built by Nebuchadnezzar was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nebuchadnezzar also erected great temples to Babylonian gods, including his masterpiece - an 8 story ziggurat - the Temple of Bel.
Nebuchadnezzar’s palace was equally immaculate. His throne room was lined with enameled brick configured in exquisite geometric designs. Babylon was protected by a double wall which was deemed impregnable. The city was a fortress filled with wealth and luxury. Babylon was the envy of the civilized world.
AMERICA
Today, the United States of America is the world leader in technology and wealth. Considered for decades the richest nation on earth, the United States is protected by the strongest and most powerful military in the world. It is the envy of the civilized world.
The vast majority of American citizens live in a type of luxury and extravagance unparalleled in history or region. The American hunger for possession is exceeded only by its thirst for indulgence. Its primary values emphasize economic success as a goal so that gratification can be purchased and personally experienced. Here are basic principles of American culture regarding lifestyle:
1. Maintain a big house for your luxury and to impress your acquaintances.
2. Entertain yourself (indulgence) with toys, television, video games or with whatever else your heart desires.
3. Find “security” for yourself and your family in what you own and in what you have hoarded.
4. Expend the remainder of your waking hours acquiring wealth to fund (1), (2) and (3).
GOD’S PEOPLE IN BABYLON
So the question that people of God (Godly people) in a worldly culture must ask is “How much do I partake of the culture? How much does the culture influence me?”
The Jews in Babylon had guidance on this issue. Hundreds of thousands of Jews had been carried into captivity. Jeremiah told them to thrive in the culture in which they lived:
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens, and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. And seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” Jer. 29:4-7.
The Jews in Babylon took this word to heart. They prospered in Babylon, establishing strong and growing communities. Some Jews like Daniel and Nehemiah achieved preeminence in the service of the kingdom. The Jews became an important part of the fabric of Babylonian culture.
GOD’S PEOPLE IN AMERICA
Likewise, Christians in America have partaken of its culture. They work in America’s commercial enterprises of every type. Many Christians are prosperous executives, financiers, lawyers, entrepeneurs, and developers. They possess wealth, prestige and power, and own opulent houses, cars and entertainment. Christians in America are second to no group in quality of lifestyle, play, and politics. Christians are an important part of the fabric of American culture.
REPROACH
During the time that most Jews were prospering in Babylon, a few Jews remained in Jerusalem. The Lord had promised that Jerusalem, because of its sins, would be made a “curse to all the nations of the earth.” Jer. 26:6. The remnant in Jerusalem lived during the “days of its desolation.” II Chron. 36:21. These people eked out their livelihood on parched farms and scorched earth. Defenseless to their enemies, they were subjected to the tyranny and cruelty of neighbors that hated them. As Nehemiah was informed, the people who survived the captivity were “in great distress and reproach.” Neh. 1:3. What would it take for this reproach to be removed?
Our church started a Food Pantry to try to help provide food for needy families. I regularly announced the Food Pantry at Boyz Club, and asked any of the young men to see me if their families needed food. One hot summer evening, at the end of a Boyz Club meeting, eleven year-old Ninh came up to me and pulled on my pants leg. He said, “My family needs food. Can you help us?”
I asked him where he lived. We walked to my car and rode across the street to visit his family. Ninh’s family lived in a small apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bath.
As we went in the door of the apartment, the first thing that struck me was that the temperature did not change when I walked in from the scorching heat outside. The apartment felt stifling. The apartment was equipped with central air conditioning, but Ninh’s family did not have the money to pay for the electricity to run it.
The second thing that struck me was the living room. It was the only living area in the apartment, and it was tiny. But there was a bed set up in the living room with a teenage girl sitting on it. I discovered that a family of seven people lived in these cramped quarters.
I spoke with Ninh’s father to gather information about the family’s circumstances. Ninh helped to translate his father’s broken English. Ninh’s father worked a “minimum wage” job, but he had been ill and missed a lot of work. On initial Food Pantry visits, I try to inspect the kitchen to assess the level of need. When I opened the refrigerator door, it was almost empty.
Thankful for our Food Pantry, I delivered food to Ninh’s family the next day.
There is desolation in our world today.
DISCIPLESHIP AND WEALTH
Discipleship is a tough word. A disciple is a follower. A disciple of Jesus is a follower of Jesus. The question of what it means to follow Jesus presents a dilemma for American Christians today.
We follow Jesus – the same Jesus who never owned a home, a horse, a plow or even a Porsche. Jesus had no savings. When He owed a tax, he had to extract the money to pay it from the mouth of a fish. Mt. 17:27. Itinerant and unattached, Jesus did not even have a place that he could call “home.” “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Mt. 8:20. When He died, Jesus’ only possession available for distribution was the clothing off his back. Mt. 27:35. It is this penniless, homeless, and unworldly model that prosperous Christians claim not only to follow, but also to imitate.
The standard of Jesus for the disciples who tried to follow Him was equally strict. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whosoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.” Lk. 9:23-24. When Jesus sent out His disciples for ministry, He told them not to take bread, or a purse, or money – not even an extra change of clothing. Lk. 9:3. The rich young ruler desired to become a disciple of Jesus. Jesus told him to “go and sell all you possess, and give it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” Mk. 10:21. This commandment is consistent with each one of Jesus’ teachings about wealth, riches, money and the kingdom of God. Here is Jesus’ instruction to His followers: “Sell your possessions, and give to charity.” Lk. 12:33.
So the wealthy, landed, filled and “secure” American Christian beholds his model and hears His instructions. What is our response? How do we reconcile our relative wealth with Jesus’ words and action? Besides a sense of basic denial supported by self-serving justifications, the response of the typical prosperous Christian is separation. We separate our “Christian life” from our “American life.” The American Christian attends church on Sunday and hears the clear teaching of Jesus. Then we spend the rest of the week striving for worldly success. We participate in occasional charitable work, but revel in good “clean” family fun every weekend. We give a little time or money to the poor (maybe even 10%?), but socialize extensively with our equally rich and entertaining friends. We live a schizophrenic life. Our spiritual life is compartmentalized such that it is “just enough” to claim that we have one.
What is the truth? Does the normal prosperous Christian spend his talent acquiring wealth rather than giving it away? Is the bulk of our energy spent on self-indulgence rather than self-sacrifice? Is our time devoted to entertainment rather than to ministry in the kingdom? The shame of the typical American Christian is that he lives just like everyone else in America.
This is the reproach of the American church: It is more influenced by American culture than by the culture of the kingdom of God. Next door live poor, hungry and oppressed people. But comfort and pleasure are more important to us than the needs of our neighbors.
THE COST OF COMMITMENT
Nehemiah lived in the most advanced culture in the world. Not only was his life in the palace lush, but his job was plush. The cupbearer to the king of Babylon served as a close confidant and adviser to the most important man on earth. It was a powerful and profitable post.
But Nehemiah heard the call of God. He left his comfortable lifestyle to go to one of the most desolate places on earth. Imagine what his friends said: “Let me get this straight, Nehemiah. You are going to leave one of the most coveted jobs in the greatest place on earth to travel 750 miles to a desolate town in a remote, outlying province that you have never seen. What are you thinking?”
My friend, Goose, is trying to live a sacrificial life based on the teachings of Christ. His work is to minister the Gospel to the needs of the community around him. Goose serves a very poor section of Charlotte. He has a wife and three young children. I had lunch one day with him to hear how the ministry was going. Goose said:
“I haven’t been able to take a paycheck for 22 days. I am behind in my tax payments. But how am I supposed to keep the money for myself when the people that I know, and that I am called to love, are hungry and without food?
“My family and I have lost our health insurance coverage. My friends tell me that I am foolish. But earthly security is not a kingdom value. Almost none of the people that I tell about Jesus have insurance coverage. How can I spend money on my health insurance when they have such great needs? I have to rely on the Lord to protect me and my family. That is my witness.
“Right now we have two poor neighborhood children staying with us. We have taken young people into our home before who were physically and sexually abused. My friends tell me that I am stupid because I am exposing my young children to dysfunction and danger. But I want my children to participate in the gospel – to see it and to experience it. Just the other day, I overheard my little girl and her poor friend from the apartments talking about how they would like to make bracelets and sell them so they could use the money to give food to the poor and tell other people about Jesus.
“I can’t live my life according to the values of the world. To me, the gospel is not something that you just say. The gospel is something that you are – something that you live. What good is the gospel if it does not change you? So many people come to the Lord, but it doesn’t change how they live or who they are. Jesus calls us to change - to be different than the culture of the world.
“For me, the gospel is my life.”
COMMITMENT
The Lord gave Nehemiah a plan. But the plan had an essential component. That component was the people. But the people of Jerusalem had to change their lifestyle and to commit themselves to the work. And every person in Jerusalem was needed. There were not many people in Jerusalem. The plan would work only if all the people of Jerusalem committed to a life of sacrifice to do the work.
When Nehemiah shared his call to build with the people of Jerusalem, he shared it with two groups of people. The first group was the remnant who had lived in desolate Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity. These citizens of Jerusalem had to give up their jobs and their resources in order to participate in the building of the wall. But that remnant knew that they had to change. They had experienced reproach and shame for many years. They were motivated to build.
The second group had been in Babylon, but they heard the call of God to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild the city. They left their culture in Babylon to do the Lord’s work. The group that left Babylon had to give up their lives of ease and prosperity in Babylon to return to a forsaken place. But the call of the Lord on their lives was strong enough for them to leave and to go. This group was also motivated to build. They were willing to sacrifice to fulfill their destiny in the Lord.
Both groups were motivated to build the wall. These are the type of people that are needed to build a wall in the community. The people who recognize their condition and the condition of the community around them and are committed to do the work of God. The people who hear the call of the Lord and who are willing to change their lifestyle to fulfill their destiny in Him.
THEY FORGOT
But there is a third group of people: Those who did not build.
Jer. 29:11 says this: “For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.” But that is a verse taken out of a passage. Here is the full context of the verse:
For thus says the Lord. “When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.” Jer. 29:10-14.
Jeremiah told the Jews in Babylon to prosper. They fulfilled that part. They built houses, planted, produced, married and multiplied. But, when the time came to rebuild, He instructed the Jews to come back to Jerusalem and to claim their heritage in the Lord!
But what happened? Most Jews liked the culture of Babylon too well! They forgot to return like Jeremiah told them. They didn’t want to leave their wealth; the journey was extremely difficult; and the work was too harsh. The sacrifice was too much. They were not willing to change their lifestyle to obey the Lord.
“The whole number of the exiles that chose to remain [in Babylon] was probably about six times the number of those who returned.” (Source: Easton’s Bible Dictionary). The failure of so many exiles to return from Babylon was the reason only a few – a remnant – were left to do the work of the Lord in Jerusalem. “The city was large and spacious and the people in it were few.” Neh. 7:4. For most of those in exile in Babylon, to leave the homes they had built; to leave the culture and lifestyle they were experiencing; to make that long and arduous journey to return to a broken down city - it simply was not worth it.
The same failure is true of American Christians today. To give up their comfort; to change their lifestyle; and to journey to unsafe and unsavory places to interact with strange persons – even in their own cities; it simply isn’t worth it. The sacrifice is too much. They are not willing to change their lifestyle to obey the Lord.
But the ones who do – these are precious comrades. They recognize their own condition. They see the condition of the community around them. They are willing to change in order to follow and imitate their Lord. They commit to His work. They sacrifice time, money, comfort, and security in order to do His will. These true disciples are the ones who affirm like those in Jerusalem: “Let us arise and build.” Neh. 2:18.
HERITAGE
What did the few Jews who obeyed Jeremiah, left their homes in Babylon, and journeyed to Jerusalem, receive? Their heritage in the Lord. Their heritage in Jerusalem. The plans that the Lord had for them - plans for a future and a hope.
The Jews that stayed in the comfort of Babylon and did not return as Jeremiah told them, what did they exchange for that comfort? They forfeited their heritage in the Lord. They lost their heritage in Jerusalem.
The Lord has a heritage for His people today. It is a heritage that God intends his people to reach out and claim through their work in Him. Ps. 111:6 says “He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.”
Charles Spurgeon expounds on this verse in his commentary, The Treasury of David:
“He hath shewed his people the power of his works.” They have seen what he is able to do and what force he is prepared to put forth on their behalf. This power Israel saw in physical works, and we in spiritual wonders, for we behold the matchless energy of the Holy Ghost and feel it in our own souls. In times of dire distress the Lord has put forth such energy of grace that we have been astonished at his power; and this was part of his intent in bringing us into such conditions that he might reveal to us the arm of his strength. Could we ever have known it so well if we had not been in pressing need of his help? We may well turn this verse into a prayer and ask to see more and more the power of the Lord at work among us in these latter days. “O Lord, let us now see how mightily thou canst work in the saving of sinners and in preserving and delivering thine own people.” “That he may give them the heritage of the heathen.” He put forth all his power to drive out the Canaanites and bring in his people. Even thus may it please his infinite wisdom to give to his church the heathen for her inheritance in the name of Jesus. Nothing but great power can effect this, but it will surely be accomplished in due season.
The heritage that the Lord intends for His people today is to bring the nations to Him. To save sinners so that they, too, become disciples and followers of Him. The peoples are our inheritance.
Here is the fundamental choice: Are we willing to forsake the pleasures of our Babylon to claim our heritage in the Lord? It takes hard work together as a community to build a wall. Are we willing to leave our Babylon in order to bring nations to the Lord? Is obedience to the Lord’s clear commands to make disciples that important to us?
How important is our heritage in the Lord? Does it mean enough to us to forsake our wonderful American culture?
This choice is vital, and it has eternal consequence. Nehemiah did not have many resources, but he did have motivated people who were committed to the work.
What is your choice?
MEDITATION: “A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, And like a high wall in his imagination.” Prov. 18:11
1. To what extent is your life and your time invested in your possessions?
2. Have you ever felt a conviction that your possessions and lifestyle reflect the values of worldly culture rather than Jesus’ example?
3. If so, what action did you take in response to that conviction?
4. Is there a difference between believing the gospel and living the gospel?
5. Describe your heritage in the Lord at this present time.
REVIEW:
1. American culture is reminiscent of Babylon.
2. What it means to follow Jesus presents a dilemma for the typical American Christian today.
3. The reproach of the American church is that it is influenced more by American culture than by the culture of the kingdom.
4. Many American Christians love themselves more than they love their neighbor.
5. Nehemiah’s call required a significant change of lifestyle.
6. The gospel is our life, not just a belief.
7. Building the wall required sacrifice by the people who built it.
8. Most Jews in Babylon were not willing to leave their luxury to build in Jerusalem.
9. The Jews who returned from Babylon claimed their heritage in the Lord.
10. The heritage of the saints is the nations of the earth.
This blog is from Chapter 7 of THE CALL: BOOK THREE - FRUITFUL (Transforming Your Community) by David Thurman. It is a bonus section to the Facebook series, LIVING WATERS.
