The book of Daniel reminds us of something we always and forever need to keep in our minds… God is sovereign, and He rules in the affairs of men! Why did God allow a pagan king to capture and lead His people to a foreign land? Here’s a simple answer in the midst of devastation…
Who loves his child more – the father who allows the child to do what will harm him, or the one who corrects, trains, and even punishes the child to help him learn what is right? It’s never pleasant to be corrected and disciplined by God, but His discipline is a sign of His deep love for us. Those are hard words to hear, especially when we’re in the midst of some extremely difficult things.
Before we start this book, let me point this one thing out. God never sends judgment without a warning. Prophecy shows God’s sovereignty. Jeremiah was one of God’s mouthpieces…
My eyes just happened to glance over to the opposite page of my Bible, where Jeremiah writes about a vision he sees. It’s a vision of a basket filled with good and bad figs. Listen to what God says about the good figs (and also read what He says about the bad figs)…
Isn’t that proof of the sovereignty of God? Something else that’s hard to hear… trouble is a blessing when it makes us stronger, and prosperity is a curse when it entices us away from God.
“During the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign in Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 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 and placed them in the treasure-house of his god.” Daniel 1: 1-2
Throughout world history and in the here and now, God uses ungodly people to teach us things or to send messages, and at times allows His work to suffer. BUT, He has it all planned out. He’s in control and He’s watching over all of us. Amen?