Captive in Babylon
Daniel 1:1-4
Message #1
Today we start a verse-by-verse study of the book of Daniel. Daniel is such an incredible book. It has some of the greatest “life lessons” in the Old Testament. And it has the most crucial prophetic foundations in the Old Testament.
The book of Daniel is one half “narrative history” with incredible lessons that can be taught in Sunday School and in Seminary with equal power. It’ll change the life of a seven-year-old or a seventy-year-old. It’s that powerful. And the book of Daniel is one half “foundational prophecy.” It’s so foundational that you cannot understand New Testament prophecy without the book of Daniel.
I really am excited to get into the book of Daniel. But… you can’t just jump right into Daniel because the historical setting is too vital, too critical. How can we really feel the historical setting of Daniel if we don’t first set the stage and paint the picture that leads up to the book of Daniel? You’ve got to put yourself where Israel is when Daniel starts.
Today, I need to summarize a huge section of the Bible that’s critical to understand, heading into Daniel. In fact, you can’t really grasp the significance of Daniel without grasping where Israel is at when the book of Daniel is unfolding. So, please bear with me as I summarize 350 plus years of the history of the Israelites and some part of 18 books of the Bible – in story form. That’s how big a time frame I’m going to cover today.
King David was the first good king after Saul for Israel and ruled over all of Israel in about 1000 B.C. David’s son, Solomon followed, and Solomon built the great temple of God and God had blessed Solomon with great wisdom. But Solomon ended up being influenced more by money and women than by his Godly wisdom. With all of Solomon’s wives and concubines came their pagan gods and their idol worship. And so, to appease them, he built temples to those pagan gods – in Israel. It was from that time on Israel was crippled by their love for the world’s idols and pagan gods.
And so, because of Solomon’s “Turning away from the Lord” and turning toward these idols and pagan gods of the world, the Lord declared after Solomon’s death the nation of Israel would be split in two.
So, after Solomon, his son Rehoboam ruled and in his youthful arrogance, over exerting his rule, he split the twelve tribes of Israel into two kingdoms. Ten tribes in the north called Israel and two tribes in the south called Judah. Now, I wish that the ten tribes in the north were called something other than Israel, because we know them ALL as Israel. But that’s what they were called.
The first king (Jeroboam) of the northern ten tribes immediately set them on the path to destruction by setting up golden calves in the north to be worshipped and by continuing to bring in the idol and pagan worship that had actually started with Solomon.
So, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms and in essence, during this period there were a total of 43 kings over the two kingdoms of Israel, and for each of these kings the Bible says whether they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, or what was evil. And here’s how the numbers fell; 10 kings out of the 43 did what was right in the eyes of Lord and all of those kings were in the southern two tribes of Judah. 33 kings did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord continuing to rebel against and reject God, and continuing to turn the nation of Israel more and more to the pagan gods of the world. Though there were some high points and some Godly kings the overall direction of this period of time was Israel falling away, falling away and falling away from the Lord.
God sent one prophet after another to warn Israel of the consequences of turning away from him and running after the gods of this world. Prophet after prophet after prophet was sent, calling the people back to God and warning them of the eventual consequences of their continued sin. Warning after warning, for 350 years through 18 books of the Bible.
You remember Elijah on Mount Carmel and the showdown with the prophets of Baal, right? That was in Israel. Those 450 prophets of Baal were in Israel. Those people gathered around were Israelites. That wasn’t a pagan moment. That was an Israelite moment, when the sole prophet of God had to go up against 450 prophets of Baal in the culture of Israel. That’s just the primary prophets, not to mention the ones that had honorable mention. They were all sent to the people of God to warn them of the consequences. The consequences of their continued sin, their continued rebellion and their continued rejection of God as a nation. And to plead with them to turn back from their love of the world and turn back to God.
Warning after warning, prophet after prophet and God’s people (in general) continued to run after their love of the world and the idols of the world. Like Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. However, it is important to say, it was never ALL of Israel, just MOST of Israel. God has always had a believing and faithful remnant, no matter how bad the culture got, God always had those “interspersed” within the culture that remained faithful.
But not so for the masses, and God repeatedly warned his people… that the consequences for their rebellion and sin would eventually be their removal from the Promised Land. It would take me days to show you… how many times God had mercy on his people while they were living in outright (in-your-face) sin and rebellion.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy…
And even after the consequences for their sin did come, still God gave the promise of his mercy afterward, because our God’s mercy is new every morning. It’s unending. And it’s new every morning for you. And it’s unending for you. And for Israel.
But those consequences did finally come, first to the northern ten tribes. For almost 300 years since the kingdom divided after Solomon the north never did follow the Lord wholeheartedly, though they had plenty of chances and a few “bright spots.” And so, ultimately the Lord allowed the Assyrian Army to conquer them and the Assyrian carted off the majority of those Israelites and dispersed them into the world of Assyria. The entire northern area of the Promised Land that the people of Joshua had fought so hard to win for Israel was lost as the consequence of Israel’s rebellion and rejection of God.
And so, the northern ten tribes were carried off and dispersed into Assyria and basically disappeared. But, it’s interesting to note, the Israelites of those ten tribes that were carried off and dispersed into Assyria emerge again in the New Testament as the Samaritans, half Jew, half gentile and hated by the "pure Jews.”
Anyway, so now Israel was down to just two tribes left in the area of Jerusalem, Benjamin and Judah, and the king of Assyria tried to come down and take them too. But Judah had a righteous king at the time, Hezekiah, and so God fought for Hezekiah and saved Jerusalem. Unfortunately, after Hezekiah, came his son Manasseh who was the most wicked king in Israel’s history… but who also repented and God forgave him and to some extent restored him.
So as time continued these two remaining tribes in the south had many bad kings and a few good kings. Near the end was Josiah, who was a good and Godly king and began his reign at eight years old. But to give you an idea of how far away from God’s law the nation of Israel had gotten, when Josiah was twenty, he began a campaign to (again) destroy all the pagan idol worship in Israel. And while he was in the midst of that, a servant found a scroll of the Law of Moses buried in a basement of the temple, and he read it to Josiah. The king of the nation of God’s people was blown away, hearing the Law of God for the first time. The nation of Israel which was built on the Laws of God had gotten so far away from God that God’s law was no longer any part of that nation’s culture.
Can you imagine a nation, originally built on the Laws of God getting so far away from God, that God’s laws no longer had any place in the culture of that nation? If you can imagine that, you might think that nation was headed for some trouble, and you might be right.
So, after Josiah (last of the Godly kings) the remaining two tribes of Israel went into a straight downward spiral. Until, after 350 years of God’s mercy, God had to allow the consequences of Israel’s rebellion and sin to fall upon them.
Finally, for Israel, God had had enough! It was time to bring to pass the consequences of Israel’s sin and rejection of God; or did you think the consequences of that God warns us about would never come to pass?
Guys (aside from Israel being God’s covenant people and the fact that God will never end supporting caring and fighting for them) the Old Testament History of Israel is the history of a nation that was established by God, and according to God’s laws, and then turned away from God…and turned away from God and turned away from God. Should God only warn and never actually bring the consequences that he is warning about?
Daniel 1:1–4 (NLT)
1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia (Shinar ESV) and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.
4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”
Daniel is one of those strong, healthy young men gifted with knowledge and good judgment and with upbringing suited to serve in the Royal Palace. That’s Daniel. He’s one of the first waves of captives taken to Babylon as prisoners, which was a direct consequence of 350 years of rebellion and rejection of God by the nation of Israel. That is how Daniel gets to Babylon, and that is why our study of Daniel occurs in Babylon.
This is because for over 350 years the nation of Israel had been in rebellion and rejecting God and ultimately the consequences was God removing them from the Promised Land and sending them into captivity for 70 years. That is the setting in which the book of Daniel takes place.
But here is the good news. The book of Daniel is primarily about God’s sovereignty. It’s about the fact that God is in control no matter what things look like around and it’s about the fact that God has a plan! God has a specific and a perfect plan to bring his good will to pass. And the book of Daniel is about us serving God right where we find ourselves.
No matter what the culture is like.
No matter what the situation is like.
No matter what the people around us are like.
The book of Daniel is about:
Knowing that God is STILL on the throne
Knowing that God is INVOLVED
Knowing that God has a PLAN
And Knowing that you have a CHOICE - to either follow God – against the flow – or reject God and follow the world.
And so, the stage is set for the book of Daniel, by Israel being driven out of the Promised Land and taken captive into Babylon for 70 years as a direct consequence for their rebellion and rejection of God.
While the people are in the midst of their sin, you are going to see God’s continued mercy and his continued grace. When your sin brings consequence, don’t you blame God and say “God, why did you do this to me?” God didn’t do that to you, your sin did that to you. Don’t blame God for your sin.
Turn over to Jeremiah (three books to left of Daniel) and listen to Jeremiah’s clear prophecy against the remaining two tribes of Israel (called Judah).
Jeremiah 25:1–11 (NLT)
1 This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah. This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began his reign.
2 Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem,
3 “For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now—the Lord has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.
4 “Again and again the Lord has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.
5 Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever.
6 Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’
7 “But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.
8 And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me,
9 I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy (servant). I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.
10 I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones (grinding) will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out.
11 This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
Israel was removed from the Promised Land and sent as captives into Babylon as a direct result of their rebellion and rejection of God. But our God is an incredibly merciful God and God has a plan to show mercy and give hope even after 350 years of Israel’s rebellion and rejection. And if you have been rebelling and rejecting God for 350 years, God still has a plan for you and a plan to show you mercy and give you hope. Listen to what God says as Jeremiah continues his prophecy against Israel. Flip over to Jeremiah 29:10-11.
Jeremiah 29:10–11 (NLT)
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. (That’s when the Book of Daniel takes place) But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Wait a minute! That’s a famous verse! Are you telling me that famous verse comes on the heels of God bringing the consequences of 350 years of Israel’s sin? Yep! I sure am!
Before their consequences even hit them, God says: I have a plan for your good – on the other side of the consequences of your sin.
We thought Jeremiah 29:11 was for graduates and depressed people, and it’s all well and good to use in those situations. But Jeremiah 29:11 is actually God’s promise that follows God’s people experiencing the consequences of their sin. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it? And look at how this promise ends:
Jeremiah 29:12–14 (NLT)
12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
Guys, God is in control and has a plan for our good, even when we are experiencing the consequences of our sin. That is the condition of the nation of Israel as we go into the book of Daniel. And maybe, this is your condition as we go into the book of Daniel. If you are experiencing the consequences of your sin (or are about to) know that God’s plan for you is for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
God’s plan for you is good. He has not turned his back on you. He has not left you in the consequences of your sin on your own. He has a plan. And he is at work for your good while you suffer at your own hands. And because of your rebellion and rejection, God is still at work. All you have to do is look to him wholeheartedly and you will find him and he will end your captivity to sin, and restore you, and bring you home again to your own land with him.
The book of Daniel is one half “narrative history” with incredible lessons that can be taught in Sunday School and in Seminary with equal power. It’ll change the life of a seven-year-old or a seventy-year-old. It’s that powerful. And the book of Daniel is one half “foundational prophecy.” It’s so foundational that you cannot understand New Testament prophecy without the book of Daniel.
I really am excited to get into the book of Daniel. But… you can’t just jump right into Daniel because the historical setting is too vital, too critical. How can we really feel the historical setting of Daniel if we don’t first set the stage and paint the picture that leads up to the book of Daniel? You’ve got to put yourself where Israel is when Daniel starts.
Today, I need to summarize a huge section of the Bible that’s critical to understand, heading into Daniel. In fact, you can’t really grasp the significance of Daniel without grasping where Israel is at when the book of Daniel is unfolding. So, please bear with me as I summarize 350 plus years of the history of the Israelites and some part of 18 books of the Bible – in story form. That’s how big a time frame I’m going to cover today.
King David was the first good king after Saul for Israel and ruled over all of Israel in about 1000 B.C. David’s son, Solomon followed, and Solomon built the great temple of God and God had blessed Solomon with great wisdom. But Solomon ended up being influenced more by money and women than by his Godly wisdom. With all of Solomon’s wives and concubines came their pagan gods and their idol worship. And so, to appease them, he built temples to those pagan gods – in Israel. It was from that time on Israel was crippled by their love for the world’s idols and pagan gods.
And so, because of Solomon’s “Turning away from the Lord” and turning toward these idols and pagan gods of the world, the Lord declared after Solomon’s death the nation of Israel would be split in two.
So, after Solomon, his son Rehoboam ruled and in his youthful arrogance, over exerting his rule, he split the twelve tribes of Israel into two kingdoms. Ten tribes in the north called Israel and two tribes in the south called Judah. Now, I wish that the ten tribes in the north were called something other than Israel, because we know them ALL as Israel. But that’s what they were called.
The first king (Jeroboam) of the northern ten tribes immediately set them on the path to destruction by setting up golden calves in the north to be worshipped and by continuing to bring in the idol and pagan worship that had actually started with Solomon.
So, the nation of Israel split into two kingdoms and in essence, during this period there were a total of 43 kings over the two kingdoms of Israel, and for each of these kings the Bible says whether they did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, or what was evil. And here’s how the numbers fell; 10 kings out of the 43 did what was right in the eyes of Lord and all of those kings were in the southern two tribes of Judah. 33 kings did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord continuing to rebel against and reject God, and continuing to turn the nation of Israel more and more to the pagan gods of the world. Though there were some high points and some Godly kings the overall direction of this period of time was Israel falling away, falling away and falling away from the Lord.
God sent one prophet after another to warn Israel of the consequences of turning away from him and running after the gods of this world. Prophet after prophet after prophet was sent, calling the people back to God and warning them of the eventual consequences of their continued sin. Warning after warning, for 350 years through 18 books of the Bible.
You remember Elijah on Mount Carmel and the showdown with the prophets of Baal, right? That was in Israel. Those 450 prophets of Baal were in Israel. Those people gathered around were Israelites. That wasn’t a pagan moment. That was an Israelite moment, when the sole prophet of God had to go up against 450 prophets of Baal in the culture of Israel. That’s just the primary prophets, not to mention the ones that had honorable mention. They were all sent to the people of God to warn them of the consequences. The consequences of their continued sin, their continued rebellion and their continued rejection of God as a nation. And to plead with them to turn back from their love of the world and turn back to God.
Warning after warning, prophet after prophet and God’s people (in general) continued to run after their love of the world and the idols of the world. Like Solomon said, there is nothing new under the sun. However, it is important to say, it was never ALL of Israel, just MOST of Israel. God has always had a believing and faithful remnant, no matter how bad the culture got, God always had those “interspersed” within the culture that remained faithful.
But not so for the masses, and God repeatedly warned his people… that the consequences for their rebellion and sin would eventually be their removal from the Promised Land. It would take me days to show you… how many times God had mercy on his people while they were living in outright (in-your-face) sin and rebellion.
Mercy, Mercy, Mercy…
And even after the consequences for their sin did come, still God gave the promise of his mercy afterward, because our God’s mercy is new every morning. It’s unending. And it’s new every morning for you. And it’s unending for you. And for Israel.
But those consequences did finally come, first to the northern ten tribes. For almost 300 years since the kingdom divided after Solomon the north never did follow the Lord wholeheartedly, though they had plenty of chances and a few “bright spots.” And so, ultimately the Lord allowed the Assyrian Army to conquer them and the Assyrian carted off the majority of those Israelites and dispersed them into the world of Assyria. The entire northern area of the Promised Land that the people of Joshua had fought so hard to win for Israel was lost as the consequence of Israel’s rebellion and rejection of God.
And so, the northern ten tribes were carried off and dispersed into Assyria and basically disappeared. But, it’s interesting to note, the Israelites of those ten tribes that were carried off and dispersed into Assyria emerge again in the New Testament as the Samaritans, half Jew, half gentile and hated by the "pure Jews.”
Anyway, so now Israel was down to just two tribes left in the area of Jerusalem, Benjamin and Judah, and the king of Assyria tried to come down and take them too. But Judah had a righteous king at the time, Hezekiah, and so God fought for Hezekiah and saved Jerusalem. Unfortunately, after Hezekiah, came his son Manasseh who was the most wicked king in Israel’s history… but who also repented and God forgave him and to some extent restored him.
So as time continued these two remaining tribes in the south had many bad kings and a few good kings. Near the end was Josiah, who was a good and Godly king and began his reign at eight years old. But to give you an idea of how far away from God’s law the nation of Israel had gotten, when Josiah was twenty, he began a campaign to (again) destroy all the pagan idol worship in Israel. And while he was in the midst of that, a servant found a scroll of the Law of Moses buried in a basement of the temple, and he read it to Josiah. The king of the nation of God’s people was blown away, hearing the Law of God for the first time. The nation of Israel which was built on the Laws of God had gotten so far away from God that God’s law was no longer any part of that nation’s culture.
Can you imagine a nation, originally built on the Laws of God getting so far away from God, that God’s laws no longer had any place in the culture of that nation? If you can imagine that, you might think that nation was headed for some trouble, and you might be right.
So, after Josiah (last of the Godly kings) the remaining two tribes of Israel went into a straight downward spiral. Until, after 350 years of God’s mercy, God had to allow the consequences of Israel’s rebellion and sin to fall upon them.
Finally, for Israel, God had had enough! It was time to bring to pass the consequences of Israel’s sin and rejection of God; or did you think the consequences of that God warns us about would never come to pass?
Guys (aside from Israel being God’s covenant people and the fact that God will never end supporting caring and fighting for them) the Old Testament History of Israel is the history of a nation that was established by God, and according to God’s laws, and then turned away from God…and turned away from God and turned away from God. Should God only warn and never actually bring the consequences that he is warning about?
Daniel 1:1–4 (NLT)
1 During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.
2 The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. So Nebuchadnezzar took them back to the land of Babylonia (Shinar ESV) and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.
3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, his chief of staff, to bring to the palace some of the young men of Judah’s royal family and other noble families, who had been brought to Babylon as captives.
4 “Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,” he said. “Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon.”
Daniel is one of those strong, healthy young men gifted with knowledge and good judgment and with upbringing suited to serve in the Royal Palace. That’s Daniel. He’s one of the first waves of captives taken to Babylon as prisoners, which was a direct consequence of 350 years of rebellion and rejection of God by the nation of Israel. That is how Daniel gets to Babylon, and that is why our study of Daniel occurs in Babylon.
This is because for over 350 years the nation of Israel had been in rebellion and rejecting God and ultimately the consequences was God removing them from the Promised Land and sending them into captivity for 70 years. That is the setting in which the book of Daniel takes place.
But here is the good news. The book of Daniel is primarily about God’s sovereignty. It’s about the fact that God is in control no matter what things look like around and it’s about the fact that God has a plan! God has a specific and a perfect plan to bring his good will to pass. And the book of Daniel is about us serving God right where we find ourselves.
No matter what the culture is like.
No matter what the situation is like.
No matter what the people around us are like.
The book of Daniel is about:
Knowing that God is STILL on the throne
Knowing that God is INVOLVED
Knowing that God has a PLAN
And Knowing that you have a CHOICE - to either follow God – against the flow – or reject God and follow the world.
And so, the stage is set for the book of Daniel, by Israel being driven out of the Promised Land and taken captive into Babylon for 70 years as a direct consequence for their rebellion and rejection of God.
While the people are in the midst of their sin, you are going to see God’s continued mercy and his continued grace. When your sin brings consequence, don’t you blame God and say “God, why did you do this to me?” God didn’t do that to you, your sin did that to you. Don’t blame God for your sin.
Turn over to Jeremiah (three books to left of Daniel) and listen to Jeremiah’s clear prophecy against the remaining two tribes of Israel (called Judah).
Jeremiah 25:1–11 (NLT)
1 This message for all the people of Judah came to Jeremiah from the Lord during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah. This was the year when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon began his reign.
2 Jeremiah the prophet said to all the people in Judah and Jerusalem,
3 “For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now—the Lord has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened.
4 “Again and again the Lord has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention.
5 Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the Lord gave to you and your ancestors forever.
6 Do not provoke my anger by worshiping idols you made with your own hands. Then I will not harm you.’
7 “But you would not listen to me,” says the Lord. “You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer.
8 And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me,
9 I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy (servant). I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever.
10 I will take away your happy singing and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will no longer be heard. Your millstones (grinding) will fall silent, and the lights in your homes will go out.
11 This entire land will become a desolate wasteland. Israel and her neighboring lands will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years.
Israel was removed from the Promised Land and sent as captives into Babylon as a direct result of their rebellion and rejection of God. But our God is an incredibly merciful God and God has a plan to show mercy and give hope even after 350 years of Israel’s rebellion and rejection. And if you have been rebelling and rejecting God for 350 years, God still has a plan for you and a plan to show you mercy and give you hope. Listen to what God says as Jeremiah continues his prophecy against Israel. Flip over to Jeremiah 29:10-11.
Jeremiah 29:10–11 (NLT)
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. (That’s when the Book of Daniel takes place) But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Wait a minute! That’s a famous verse! Are you telling me that famous verse comes on the heels of God bringing the consequences of 350 years of Israel’s sin? Yep! I sure am!
Before their consequences even hit them, God says: I have a plan for your good – on the other side of the consequences of your sin.
We thought Jeremiah 29:11 was for graduates and depressed people, and it’s all well and good to use in those situations. But Jeremiah 29:11 is actually God’s promise that follows God’s people experiencing the consequences of their sin. It doesn’t get much better than that, does it? And look at how this promise ends:
Jeremiah 29:12–14 (NLT)
12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
Guys, God is in control and has a plan for our good, even when we are experiencing the consequences of our sin. That is the condition of the nation of Israel as we go into the book of Daniel. And maybe, this is your condition as we go into the book of Daniel. If you are experiencing the consequences of your sin (or are about to) know that God’s plan for you is for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
God’s plan for you is good. He has not turned his back on you. He has not left you in the consequences of your sin on your own. He has a plan. And he is at work for your good while you suffer at your own hands. And because of your rebellion and rejection, God is still at work. All you have to do is look to him wholeheartedly and you will find him and he will end your captivity to sin, and restore you, and bring you home again to your own land with him.