“Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, to bring into the king’s service some of the Israelites from the royal family and the nobility— young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.” – Daniel 1:3-4 NIV

This is quite smart since these guys are the ones most likely to be able to be strategists and leaders in a rebellion against the Babylonians. Through this the Babylonians can do two things: they can monitor those who are potential threats and train high quality allies/citizens by brainwashing them and pushing their culture on them so they understand it and obey it. We as Christians however shouldn’t be easily moved. This doesn’t mean we should rebel, as we are called to respect authority, but it does mean our culture should remain based on God and his word. This means if something goes against God in what the authority asks us, we are to obey God over that authority. The book of Daniel does a great job demonstrating it through idol worship being rejected and miracles being demonstrated, but I’ll leave that for another time. Never let your Godly culture be compromised no matter what the world around you looks like or if worldly authority shifts.