Daniel (3)
The Lord delivered …into his hand
Daniel (3)
The Lord delivered …into his hand
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. And the LORD delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Shinar and put in the treasure house of his god. (Daniel 1:1-2)
When did Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon come to Jerusalem? It was in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah. He came and besieged the city. Note the following word:
→ “The LORD delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some the articles from the temple of God.”
• This verse does not say that Nebuchadnezzar himself took the articles from the temple of God, but rather that “the LORD delivered …into his hand.” This means that the LORD allowed him to take them.
• God allowed him to take away these articles. And God also delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his hand. This speaks of God’s authority.
• If it weren’t for the permission of “the LORD” (God), King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon could not have taken the things God had in the temple, and these things would not have happened. It was God that permitted. The authority was in God’s hands. God reigns in all things in the universe. God reigns in human history. God also reigns in human kingdoms.
★ New Testament records the scene of Lord Jesus being interrogated by Pilate.
Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you realize that I have power to free you or to crucify you?”
Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:10-11).
• Pilate was a man of power on earth, and he had the authority to release Jesus or to put Him on the cross. But that authority came from God. Without God’s permission, Pilate had no authority to do this.
• “It was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer …… makes his life a guilt offering ……he poured out his life unto death…… For he bore the sin of many ……” (Isaiah 53:10-12, Romans 3:35-26)
→ He took these articles to the land of Shinar.
• The land of Shinar, along with Chaldea (Genesis 11:31) and Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2-4), refers to the Babylonian region.
• Shinar is the oldest name, originally referring to a plain located between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. These two rivers are the cradle of the Shinar’s culture (Sumerian civilization).
★ The land of Shinar was where the descendants of Ham established their kingdom:
• Ham was Noah’s youngest son (Genesis 9:24).
• Ham’s sons were Cush, Mizraim (i.e. Egypt), Put, and Canaan.
• Cush also had several sons, one of them was Nimrod. Nimrod means “rebellious”. “He was a mighty hunter before the LORD”, meaning he was a man who dared to rebel against the LORD. He grew to be a mighty warrior on the earth.
• Nimrod later established his kingdom. “The first centers of his kingdom were Babel, Elijah, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, all in the land of Shinar.” (Genesis 10:8-10)
→ Regarding the land of Shinar, we need to read Genesis 11:1-9, because this passage connects Shinar with Babel.
• Babel means “confusion.” What caused this confusion?
Next post will focus on reading “the Tower of Babel” (Genesis 11:1-9).