Virtual Service September 18, 2022
Living for God in a Pagan World-P1
Daniel Chapter One
God Has Used Pagan Authorities To Correct And Discipline His Own People
Daniel 1:1-2 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came unto Jerusalem and besieged it. The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into his land to the house of his god…
2 Kings 24:8-16 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign…he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and the city was besieged. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city and his servants besieged it…
He carried out thence 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 which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. He carried away all Jerusalem, the princes, the mighty men of valour…
…ten thousand captives and all the craftsmen and smiths, none remained, save the poorest of the people of the land. He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon and the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers and the mighty of the land into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. All the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.
2 Chronicles 36:11-14 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the Word of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s name.
He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36:15-20 The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through His messengers again and again, because He had pity on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until the wrath of the LORD was aroused against His people and there was no remedy. He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged.
God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, the treasures of the LORD’s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God’s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
Failure To Obey God’s Will As A Child Of God Invites Discipline
1 Samuel 28:17-19 The LORD has done to you (King Saul) what He predicted through me (Samuel). The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors–to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. (In Eternity) The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines.
Persistence In Sinful Lifestyle Leads To Oppression And Subjugation
(Spiritual Bondage)
Judges 2:11-19 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, Who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. In His anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them.
He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress. Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them.
Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’s commands. Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, He was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.
God Puts The Unredeemed In Our Lives As A Spiritual Exercise
Judges 2:20-23 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to Me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their forefathers did.” The LORD had allowed those nations to remain; He did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.
The Principle of Consequence And Personal Responsibility Has Not Disappeared
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife and you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
Even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. I have already passed judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present. When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord.
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A person will reap what they sow. The one who sows to please the sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.