Trust is not purchased

It's such a straight-forward little sentence that one might miss the significance if one isn't looking....hard.

The sentence is "During the third year of King Jehoikim's reign in Judah, King Nebuchacdnezzar of Babylon came to Jerusalem and beseiged it."

The follup sentence is just as devastating: "The Lord gave HIM victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah..."

God's chosen people, what's left of them, were defeated for a number of reaons, not the least of which is that the Lord allowed it. Think of that for a moment. Let it perulate. Let it ferment.

God was so tired of the chosen people's faithlessness that He allowed them to be defeated on the battle field, allowed them to be beaten. takrn. allowed them to be taken hostage and made into slaves.

God even allowed their religious "stuff" to be taken.

It was over. Centuries of worship were wiped awat in an instant.

But God used King Nebuchdnezzar, used him to help keep the royal service, used him to keep the blood lines, used him to rebuild the temple HE, Nebuchdnezzar, had destroyed.

Maybe you remember the story of the food, how Daniel convinced the the attendant to test them for 10 days,and at the end of that peiod the four Israelites were in better health than the others who had eaten normal food and drank normal liquid.

The point of the story, Daniel 1 and my own, is that God will take care of you. As we walked this morning, it was made aply larified God is quite capable. Trust him. Trust God to make the way smooth. Trust him.

On my office wall at home is the phrase Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain."

That is the prayer of Jabez from 1 Chronicles 4:10.


The 11th verze reads: So God granted him what he requested.

We are going to spend a month or so in the book of Daniel. We are going to stewaa "trusting God even in captivity."

Be strong.