Scripture to Read: Daniel 1:1–2
God has much to teach us in the Book of Daniel. We first read in Daniel 1:1–2, "In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god." It’s the third year of Jehoiakim. Daniel would have been about 15 years old when he was taken into captivity. They were taken about 350 miles east to a place called Shinar in Hebrew. The Greeks called it Mesopotamia. King Nebuchadnezzar came against Israel in three waves. First, in 605 B.C., Daniel, his friends, and a few princes were first taken captive. Nebuchadnezzar came a second time and took captive most of the rest of the nation of Israel around 596 B.C.—the prophet Ezekiel was taken then. Ezekiel and Daniel had their ministries, not in Israel, but in exile. Nebuchadnezzar came a third time in 586 B.C. and captured the rest of Israel. He destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple at that time. This was also when the prophet Jeremiah penned The Book of Lamentations as he grieved Solomon’s temple being destroyed. God used Nebuchadnezzar to bring His loving discipline upon Israel (Hebrews 12:5–11). When we willingly sin, God loves us enough to discipline us so that we’ll repent and pursue Him and not the world.
Challenge & Application
• When has God had to lovingly discipline you in order to lead you to repentance and start walking with Him again?
• Who did God use in your life to bring about His loving discipline, and how did He use them?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!