Big Idea:
Our God reigns in Babylon.

What do you do when your life gets turned upside down? What do you do when life takes a turn, but not for the better? What do you do when the relationship you thought was heading toward engagement crumbles? What do you do when the marriage fails? What do you do when the job is lost—or your career takes off but doesn’t bring the peace and satisfaction you thought it would? What do you do when your child is born with special needs, their health begins to fail, or they go wayward?

Every one of us eventually has to reckon with the fact that the dream we had for our lives and the reality of our lives do not align. So, what do you do when life gets turned upside down?

The book of Daniel begins with Daniel’s life being turned upside down. Daniel 1:1 tells the story: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. The year was 605 BC, and the king of the world’s superpower—Babylon—rode into Daniel’s hometown, Jerusalem, and destroyed it. But the shrewd King Nebuchadnezzar didn’t kill everyone. He took the Israelite teenagers of royalty and nobility—the best and the brightest—to Babylon to be re-educated so they could serve as advisors in the court of the king who had just conquered them. Daniel’s life was turned upside down.

You can relate. Everything changed, but not for the better.

So, what could Daniel hold onto that had not changed? And what can you hold onto when your life is shaken?

Notice verse two: Daniel 1:1-2a — In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand… Did you see that? The Lord gave Jerusalem into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t conquer Judah. The gods of Babylon didn’t defeat the one true God.

Years earlier, God told His people that if they did not walk by faith in Him, He would discipline them and remove them from their land. Despite appearances, Daniel’s life wasn’t out of control. The Lord was still in charge—not Nebuchadnezzar. Everything in Daniel’s life changed, and yet, more fundamentally, nothing changed. God was still reigning.

And when Daniel and his friends arrived in Babylon, God was still reigning. Notice the repeated “And God gave” refrain that describes Daniel’s experience in Babylon:

Daniel 1:9 — And God gave Daniel favor…

Daniel 1:17 — As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill…

When life turns upside down, you can hold onto this truth: God hasn’t. He is still in charge and in control. Everything is going His way.

That brings us to the big idea of Daniel chapter one: Our God reigns in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar doesn’t reign in Babylon. When life gets turned upside down, it’s not out of control. Our God reigns in Babylon.

This raises a question: How do we live under the reign of God while living in Babylon? How do we live under God’s reign when everything is being turned upside down? Daniel 1 gives us three answers:

Remember Your Identity

Resolve to Be Undefiled

Rest in God’s Faithfulness

REMEMBER YOUR IDENTITY (vv. 1–7)

Life in Babylon is full of pressure to forget who God is and who you are. The only way to live under God’s reign in Babylon is to remember your identity.

When Daniel and his teenage friends from Judah arrived in Babylon, they were placed under an intentional Babylonization plan designed to make them forget God and their identity. Daniel 1:3–7 describes how their literature, food, and names were changed.

First, the king changed their literature. Instead of being shaped by God’s Word, they were immersed in Babylonian wisdom. We become what we read, watch, and scroll through. You become what you behold.

Second, he changed their food. He gave them the king’s food to make them believe the best things in life came from Babylon rather than from the Lord. Luxury and comfort can easily lull us into forgetting God.

Finally, the king changed their names. Their Hebrew names, which included God’s name and pointed to His character, were replaced with pagan names tied to Babylonian gods. As Iain Duguid notes, this was a subtle yet profound attempt to shift their very identity.

Our world applies the same kind of pressure today. How do we resist this God-amnesia? One way Daniel and his friends did so was by continuing to call each other by their Hebrew names. They reminded one another of their God and their true identity.

If you are in Christ, you too have been given a new name: Christian. That is your true identity. Forgiven. Adopted. Beloved. Secure. Every Sunday, we gather to remind one another of who Christ is and who we are in Him.

If you’re not yet a Christian, Christ offers you a new identity—one that cannot be lost. It is sturdier than “lawyer,” “mom,” “student,” or any other title. He offers forgiveness of sins, a new and permanent name, and a family to help you remember it.

The first way to live under God’s reign in Babylon is to remember your identity.

RESOLVE TO BE UNDEFILED (v. 8)

The king changed their literature, their food, and their names. But it was the king’s food where Daniel finally drew the line: Daniel 1:8 — But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king’s food, or with the wine that he drank.

Daniel’s resolution was not a dramatic protest but a quiet conviction. He chose a point of resistance so Babylon would not get into him.

We may not know exactly why Daniel refused the king’s food, but likely he knew it would make him feel too at home in Babylon. For Daniel, this was a matter of conviction. Not everything that is permissible is beneficial.

So let me ask you: What convictions might you need to develop? What might you need to say “no” to so that Babylon doesn’t get into you? These aren’t about legalism but about protecting your soul.

It could be limiting screen time, setting boundaries with money, choosing modesty, or refusing to participate in workplace practices that compromise your faith. Even if they are not inherently wrong, you may need to resolve not to engage in them so that you can remain undefiled.

To live under God’s reign in Babylon, resolve to be undefiled.

REST IN GOD’S FAITHFULNESS (vv. 9–21)

Finally, we must rest in God’s faithfulness—even without guarantees. Daniel made his resolution, then trusted God with the outcome.

He asked for permission to eat only vegetables and drink water for ten days, trusting that God would sustain him. And God did. Daniel and his friends looked healthier than all the others. God preserved them and even promoted them, giving them favor and wisdom that surpassed all the Babylonian advisors.

Sometimes when you resolve to remain undefiled, God may bless you with promotion. Other times, He may allow you to lose your job, your reputation, or even your life. Either way, you can trust His faithfulness.

Why? Because there was One greater than Daniel—Jesus Christ—who perfectly remembered His identity, perfectly resolved not to be defiled, and perfectly trusted His Father. Instead of being promoted, He was crucified. But through His death and resurrection, He secured eternal victory for us.

Jesus’ perfect faithfulness guarantees God’s faithfulness to you. Because of Him, even if your resolutions lead you down into suffering or death, you will be exalted with Christ forever.

So remember your identity, resolve to be undefiled, and rest in God’s faithfulness. Our God reigns in Babylon.