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 than 100 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