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Daily Strength Blog

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. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,
with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the
house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.
My father often said; “Just wait. The chickens will come home to roost.” By that he meant
sooner or later, every transgressor will experience the consequences of his behavior.
Just as surely as a chicken finds its way back to the henhouse at night, the penalty of sin
finally will come home to every sinner. Daniel lived in a time when the chickens were
coming home to roost.
The northern kingdom, Israel, already had reaped the results of its transgressions and had
been taken into captivity by the. Assyrians in 722 B.C.
God spared the southern kingdom, Judah, for more than100 years after Israel’s fall. But the

leaders and people of Judah continued in their wicked ways, with King Manasseh (697-642
B.C) being the most corrupt of all (2 Kings 23:26).Baal worship, divination and even human
sacrifices were a part of daily life.
God finally used the Babylonians to chastise His people by taking them into exile, first in 605
B.C. (when Daniel, among others, was taken), then again in 597 B.C and finally in 586 B.C
when Jerusalem was destroyed.
God is gracious and merciful, but He is also holy and just this requires Him to confront sin,
which destroys the people He loves: Unless He can turn the hearts of His people from their
wicked ways; they will not only harm themselves but also miss out on an intimate
relationship with Him. This is more than God can tolerate.
If you are being chastised for Sin, remember that it is because God loves you and wants to
turn your heart back toward Him.
Be grateful that God cares enough about you to want. The very best for you, even if it means
temporary pain: Remember, temporary pain can bring permanent blessing.
GOD’S DISCIPLINE IS ULTIMATELY AN ACT OF LOVE.

WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in

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