I noticed something as I was reading the book of Daniel recently.
In Daniel chapter 5, we read a story of King Belshazzar having a huge party with the nobles of Babylon. During this party, a hand appears from thin air and writes on the walls of the palace. No one can read the writing. Not the wisest or most powerful of Babylon has a clue. Growing desperate, the king of the global superpower says that anyone who tells him what the writing means will be loaded with riches and made third in command of the kingdom. Still no one can give him what he wants.
Until the queen reminds the king that living in Babylon is a man who “has the spirit of the holy gods in him”. Daniel is brought before the king, who one again promises incredible political power with all its accompanying advantages. Daniel, who has severed multiple kings in Babylon since arriving as an exile from Jerusalem, translates the message for the king…but not before he says this:
“You may keep your gifts for yourself and give your rewards to someone else. Nevertheless, I will read the writing for the king and tell him what it means.”
Compare this to Joseph. After interpreting dreams for Pharaoh, Joseph accepts the offer to become the second highest ranking official in what was the global superpower of his day. Only a short time after Joseph dies, a new Pharaoh develops disdain for the Jews and enslaves them. It’s 400 years later when God tells Moses that he is going to free his people in the Exodus.
These two stories can be instructive for a modern American Christian. Let’s consider how:
I have no criticism to offer Joseph. He followed the path the Lord gave him, and through this path his family was kept from starvation. But it seems that Daniel perhaps learned from this story — that any cooperation and participation in governmental systems will eventually lead to subjugation. So when Daniel is offered an incredible opportunity, he doesn’t seem to be tempted for a moment.
When I saw church leaders visiting the Trump White House and fawning over the president, it made me sick to my stomach.
When I watched Joe Biden deliver a “sermon” in Atlanta in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. it made me sick to my stomach.
Government has a role, ordained by God, and as a result the church should not consider it a priority to engage with secular systems of power. The church must stand separate. Israel was given prophets before there was ever a king. Many of the kings HATED the prophets because they were the one area the king has no power.
Bad leaders always hate people who have the brains and balls to question them, and the prophets — both male and female — had a calling from God which gave them permission and boldness to challenge those with political power.
In modern America, too many churches are selling their calling to lick he boots of political leadership in hopes of gaining power. Church leaders often follow the example of government or military leadership instead of healthy biblical examples like Daniel or Jesus, who utterly refused to participate in political or governmental structures.
It’s no wonder the American church is dying. Fewer people are attending. Those that do attend are showing up less frequently. When the church chooses to become a bad xerox copy of government or societal structures or systems, it’s not hard to understand why. It no longer offers truth, but simply echoes of what they can hear on Fox News or MSNBC. It offers enslavement, as in the case of Joseph, instead of freedom from the death spiral of a society where anger and fear are leading to increased violence.
Egypt and Babylon. One a tale of caution, the other is a blueprint we can follow. Will American Christians be willing to take the the path which will result in being hated by both sides instead of the comfort of being part of a toxic system, or will we continue to buy comfort at the cost of our soul? It’s one or the other, and there is no middle ground.