VIDEO The Prophecies of Jesus Christ, Israel conquered by Babylon, Daniel, Cyrus

The Endless Love of Jesus Ministries
Sept 3, 2016

The struggle between Judah and Babylon was long and ultimately disastrous for Judah. During the reign of King Jehoiakim (609—597 BC), “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years” (2 Kings 24:1). The beginning of Jehoiakim’s servitude was 605 BC. Three years later, Judah’s king rebelled against Babylon, refusing to pay the tribute. Nebuchadnezzar quelled the rebellion and took prisoners back to Babylon—Daniel and his three friends among them. After Jehoiakim’s death in 597 BC, his 18-year-old son, Jehoiachin, became king, reigning for three months and doing evil in God’s sight (verses 8–9).

During Jehoiachin’s reign, in 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin gave himself up, and we have the following report: “The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign and carried off all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold in the temple of the LORD, which Solomon king of Israel had made, as the LORD had foretold. He carried away all Jerusalem and all the officials and all the mighty men of valor, 10,000 captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. None remained, except the poorest people of the land” (2 Kings 24:11–14). This second deportation of Jews to Babylon included the priest Ezekiel, who later wrote the book that bears his name.

The nation of Judah continued to exist under Babylonian rule with King Zedekiah installed in Jerusalem as a puppet king. But Zedekiah, too, rebelled, and “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah” (2 Kings 25:1–2).

The city fell in 586 BC: “[Nebuchadnezzar] burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile. (2 Kings 25:9–12).

After the destruction of Jerusalem, Gedaliah was placed in charge as a governor in Judah (2 Kings 25:22). He was killed two months after his appointment (seven months after the fall of Jerusalem, cp. verses 8 and 25), causing many of the remaining Jews to flee to Egypt in fear of their lives (verse 26). This group of refugees included the prophet Jeremiah, who was forced against his will to go to Egypt.

The book of 2 Kings ends with King Jehoiachin being released from prison in Babylon and given freedom to dine at the king’s table in Babylon. Though originally a king, Jehoiachin became a foreign prisoner of war and was thankful to be released from prison. These dire events had all been predicted by God’s prophets. The Jews’ exile in Babylon lasted for 70 years, as Jeremiah predicted (Jeremiah 25:12). Then the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem and start rebuilding. That period of history is described in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The life of Daniel can be read in his own writings in the book of Daniel and in Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3; and Mark 13:14. There are some striking similarities between the life of Daniel and that of Jacob’s son Joseph. Both of them prospered in foreign lands after interpreting dreams for their rulers, and both were elevated to high office as a result of their faithfulness to God.

Daniel’s integrity as a man of God gained him favor with the secular world, yet he refused to compromise his faith in God. Even under the intimidation of kings and rulers, Daniel remained steadfast in his commitment to God. Daniel also teaches us that, no matter who we are dealing with, no matter what their status is, we are to treat them with compassion. See how concerned he is when delivering the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (Daniel 4:19). As Christians, we are called to obey the rulers and authorities that God has put in place, treating them with respect and compassion; however, as we see from Daniel’s example, obeying God’s law must always take precedence over obeying men.

As a result of his devotion, Daniel not only found favor with those around him, but above all he found favor with God and was held in high esteem by Him (Daniel 9:20-23). Notice also in those verses what the angel Gabriel told Daniel about how swiftly the answer to his prayer was dispatched. This shows us how ready the Lord is to hear the prayers of His people.

 

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The God of Order

The earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Genesis 1:2 nrsv

Seth took all the medications he could find in the medicine cabinet. Raised in a family filled with brokenness and disorder, his life was a mess. His mom was regularly abused by his father until his dad took his own life. Now Seth wanted to “just end” his own. But then a thought came to mind, Where do I go when I die? By God’s grace, Seth didn’t die that day. And in time, after studying the Bible with a friend, he received Jesus as his Savior. Part of what drew Seth to God was seeing the beauty and order in creation. He said, “I . . . see things that are just beautiful. Someone made all this.”

In Genesis 1, we read of the God who indeed created all things. And although “the earth was complete chaos” (v. 2 nrsv), He brought order out of disorder. He “separated the light from the darkness” (v. 4), placed land amid the seas (v. 10), and made plants and creatures according to their “kinds” (vv. 11-12, 21, 24-25). The One who “created the heavens and earth and put everything in place” (Isaiah 45:18 nlt) continues to, as Seth discovered, bring peace and order to lives surrendered to Christ.

Life can be chaotic and challenging. Praise God that He’s not “a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Let’s call out to Him today and ask Him to help us find the beauty and order He alone provides.

By:  Tom Felten

Reflect & Pray

What chaos are you experiencing in your life? How can God help you bring order and peace to it?  

Creator God, thank You for the peace and order You alone provide. In You, broken things become beautiful.

Learn more about the book of Genesis.

A Guidebook for Life

Are you seeking—and sharing—wisdom from the Lord? 1 Kings 2:1-9

Suppose the wisest person you know left you with a manual for living—what words of wisdom do you think it would contain? The pages would probably be crammed with encouragement, advice for challenges, and instructions for moments when you don’t know what to do. The manual would likely be very personal and unique to the life its author lived, not a bland book filled with vague platitudes. And you’d probably cling closely to its words. 

That’s similar to what King David did for his son. Nearing death, David encouraged Solomon to obey God, and he also left instructions concerning his enemies and allies. Solomon listened to his father and thereby secured his kingdom. Though Israel’s second king wasn’t perfect, he loved the Lord and was humble enough to ask for help in leading His people (1 Kings 3:3; 1 Kings 3:9).

We, too, can make good use of people’s hard-won advice. More importantly, however, God’s Word provides dependable guidance through its statutes, commandments, ordinances, and testimonies. Now and then we’ll undoubtedly find ourselves in weighty situations where the next step is unclear. Whenever that happens, we cherish the wisdom we’ve gleaned from others. But even more valuable is time spent with the Lord, seeking His will and direction.

Korah’s Dispute

“Woe unto them! for they have…perished in the gainsaying of Core.” (Jude 1:11)

Jude describes the Levite Korah’s rebellion against Moses (Numbers 16) as an antilogia (to speak against, dispute, contradict). During that time, Moses and Aaron were the spokespersons for the Lord, with authority and direct instructions from God. The Scriptures take that place today.

Korah and 250 other “princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown” (Numbers 16:2) had decided that they were just as “holy” as Moses and were demanding some share of the leadership (and presumably some of the control). This was far more than a mere leadership struggle.

Israel had just come through several major miracles (Red Sea parting, manna, water from the rock, etc.), had been given the Ten Commandments, and had built the tabernacle. They had rejected the report of Joshua and Caleb on God’s promise about Canaan and were in the middle of trying to choose a captain to “return into Egypt” (Numbers 14:4). God was really angry with them!

Korah led this “gainsaying” in an attempt to thwart God’s direction through Moses. Today, that would be equivalent to insisting that science (or philosophy or theology) is just as holy as the text of Scripture. God’s method of testing this antilogia was simple: each leader was to prepare his own censer and incense (equivalent to his interpretation of God’s Word) and see how God responded to him.

They perished in a most spectacular display of ruin—“the ground clave asunder that was under them” and they “went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation” (Numbers 16:31, 33). God does not tolerate rejection of His message, “for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” (Psalm 138:2). HMM III

Do You Want Christ To Touch You At Your Deepest Point Of Need?

Here are five observations from an incident in the life of a leper whom Jesus healed :

1. We must acknowledge we have a need.

A lowly leper falls at Jesus’ feet and beseeches Him, “Lord, you can make me clean.“

Of all the people Jesus could have helped, He chose the one in desperate need. Christ cautions the self-sufficient non-lepers of the world: “You say, ‘I am rich… I do not need a thing‘… You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.“(Revelation 3:17)

2. We must come to Jesus.

The leper came and besought the Master for the solution to his miserable condition.

Many of us in seeking a solution to our needs seem to go to everyone and to everything but Jesus: Friends, seminars, books, tapes… you name it. But not to the Lord Jesus.

“You refuse to come to Me to have life.“(John 5:40)

3. We must come to Jesus in humility.

The leper fell on his knees worshipping Jesus and begging Him for help, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.“

James reminds us, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.“(James 4:6)

4. We must come to Jesus believing He can and will help us.

The leper cried out, “You can make me clean.“

Because it is our Father’s intent to conform us into the Saviour’s image, we can be assured that He will do whatever is best for us toward that end:

“In all things God works for the good of those who love Him… For those (whom) God… predestined (He)… conformed to the likeness of His Son.“(Romans 8:28a, 29a)

5. We must come to Jesus and ask Him to help us.

James cautions, “You do not have, because you do not ask God.“(James 4:2b)

By our asking for help we are acknowledging the fact that we have reached the end of our resources and are now relying upon His. Our “extremity” then becomes God’s “opportunity.“

“Love your enemies.”

Matthew 5:33-48

Matthew 5:37

Does not this forbid every kind of oath, not only profane swearing, but even that which is generally enjoined by civil governments? It would be hard to prove the contrary. Certainly, Christians ought to avoid all such expressions as “upon my honour,” “upon my word,” and the like, for such language goes beyond the “yea and nay” which is allowed them. Men. who swear profanely greatly err when they imagine that thus they secure credence, for every sensible person knows that a man who is accustomed to common swearing is quite able both to lie and to steal. Clean language becomes those who have been washed in the blood of Jesus. The tongue is an index of the health both of soul and body. He who is not pure in word is assuredly not pure in heart, and shall not see the Lord.

Matthew 5:38, 39

Retaliation is not a Christian word, and revenge is only fit to be spoken of by the devil and his children. To bear and yet to bear still more is the mark of a soul renewed by grace.

Matthew 5:40, 42

Generosity and willing sympathy are beauties of the sanctified character. It is far better to suffer a great wrong than to provoke litigation, and manifest a contentious spirit. Those who are always standing up for their rights, and will never put up with an injury, have not yet caught the spirit of the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 5:43-45

Good for evil is to be our only weapon, and with this we are to fight perpetually, cost us what it may. The love of God falls on men who deserve it not, and so also must our kindness. It would be far better that a hundred evil persons deceived us, and so obtained our aid, than that one suffering fellow-creature should be neglected because of the wickedness of others. Hardness of heart gradually grows upon men through contact with a deceitful and oppressive world; but we must not allow evil influences to mastery us, and steel our hearts against our fellows.

Matthew 5:46-48

Lofty is this ideal, but we must aim to reach it. Universal benevolence and unconquerable love are the crown and glory of a holy character; without it we are still deficient, whatever virtues we may possess. The sternly just man must rise higher, and become the meek forgiver of injuries, and the generous friend of the needy. O God of love, educate us to this, for Jesus’ sake.

Father! I see thy sun arise

To cheer thy friends and enemies;

And when thy voice from heaven descends,

Thy bounty both alike befriends.

I hope for pardon through thy Son,

For all the crimes which I have done;

Oh, may the grace that pardons me,

Constrain me to forgive like thee.

Running Life’s Race

Let us run with patience the race that is set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

The writer to the Hebrews gives us good New Testament counsel: “Let us run the race with patience.”

The Holy Spirit here describes Christian believers as runners on the track, participants in the race which is the Christian life. He provides both strong warning and loving encouragement, for there is always the danger of losing the race, but there is also the victor’s reward awaiting those who run with patience and endurance. So, there are important things each of us should know and understand about our struggles as the faithful people of God.

For instance, it is a fact that the Christian race is a contest. But in no sense is it a competition between believers or between churches! As we live the life of faith, we Christians are never to be in competition with other Christians. The Bible makes this very plain!

Christian churches are never told to carry on their proclamation of the Savior in a spirit of competition with other Jesus-churches. The Holy Spirit tells us to keep our eyes on Jesus not on others who are also running the race!