Series: Call me or Listen
Lamentations 3:55-57 ESV
Daniel 3:16-28 ESV
Daniel 6:7-9 and 6:20-26 ESV
Romans 8:28 ESV
The lament from Lamentations from scriptuwas from God’s people for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple build by King Solomon. It was completely destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.
For years the prophets foretold the destruction if the children of God did not turn to God. Even Moses spoke of it and Moses was sent to deliver Israel in 1446 B.C.
When the destruction came it was complete. Jerusalem and the beautiful Temple that had been their place of worship since 957 B.C. was gone forever.
Understand the Temple and the city of Jerusalem were front and central to Israel’s culture and history.
Now it was all gone and every able bodied man and boy was taken into captivity to serve King Nebuchadnezzer. Most of the girls, women, and old men were left behind to try to survive. In today’s world if that happened the women would begin rebuilding immediately but in ancient times women had specific tasks and they were not trained (or even told) they could do the same work men could do. For the older men and the women who were left behind their task was to survive.
Meanwhile in Babylon (1700 miles away from Jerusalem when following the river) the brightest and best of Israel were chosen to serve the King when they were forceably moved into King Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were among the elite men/boys selected to serve the king.
Even though their selection was supposed to be an honor, they missed their homeland and the captivity lasted around 70 years. Scholars believe while the men of Israel were allowed to eventually return home, many of them were too old to make the journey so they were buried on foreign soil. They never saw their homeland again.
The lament, a passionate expression of grief or sorrow included the sorrow that came about because they were living in captivity in a foreign land. Probably most of them knew they could die on foreign soil. They would have known no soldiers would come from Israel to save them.
Lamentations 3:55-57 says, “I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea, ‘Do not close your ear to my cry for help!” You came near when I called on you; you said, ‘Do not fear!’”
Certainly those taken into captivity cried out to God for their grief was great, but we are reminded that when they cried out, God heard them and promised they did not need to be afraid.
When we look at the big picture from scripture of those who were taken into captivity we see the mighty power of God at work.
It was in Babylon that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (who served the Babylonian King) were told to bow down to the golden image god of the king or they would be thrown into the fiery furnace.
We are told in Daniel 3:16-18, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
Because they refused they were thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:19-23).
Once the three men were in the furnace we are told in Daniel 3:24-28 “Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up in haste. He declared to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” He answered and said, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire. And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them. Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside: the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.”
The great conquering King of Babylon was converted to worship Yahweh God and he ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship the God (THE) God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
It was in Babylon that Daniel was thrown into the lions den. Daniel answered to King Darius who is thought to rule the Medo-Persian Empire from in Daniel’s lifetime.
In Daniel 6 we are told that Daniel distinguished himself and in doing so he drew attention to himself. In Daniel 6:7-9 we are told, “All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which cannot be revoked.” Therefore King Darius signed the document and injunction.”
We need to understand the men who went to the King didn’t really care about worshipping the god in question. They knew Daniel would not bow down and he would be thrown into the den with the hungry lions.
So, while the King did not want to throw a Daniel in with the lions, he signed the irrevocable law and he was bound to toss Daniel into the den with the lions.
The den was sealed off and the next morning when the King unsealed the den were are told in Daniel 6:20-26:“The king declared to Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.” Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God. And the king commanded, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages that dwell in all the earth: “Peace be multiplied to you. I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God, enduring forever; his kingdom shall never be destroyed, and his dominion shall be to the end. Ever so gradually, the Entire kingdom they served came to realize the God of Israel was THE God.”
Can you imagine what kind of impact that had on the entire region?
If Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had stayed in Israel, would word of Yahweh God have spread to other regions?
So, while there was a lament for those living in a foreign land because they missed their homeland of Israel, the message of Yahweh God was told far and wide.
From bad to good. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8:28, “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”
Paul knew that all too well.
He had worked his entire life to become a Pharisee and one day in a flash that was gone.
Instead he became the man who traveled to spread the message of the Gospel and he wrote the bulk of the New Testament letters we have today.
Bad to Good.
Always when we turn to God.
Spiritual Practice: Your Experience
Think of a time where God brought good from bad. Thank God for being there for you.
In God, Deborah
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