Nebuchadnezzar’s Victory
Daniel 1:1-2
Introduction
Over a century before Nebuchadnezzar marched on Jerusalem and Judah, the circumstances of this divine judgment are announced by Isaiah to King Hezekiah. Isaiah 39:5-7. The prophecy is very clear, they will be under the yoke of the Babylonians.
I. Historical Background:
A. Long before Daniel ‘s day, the United Kingdom of Israel once ruled by Saul, David, and finally Solomon, were divided into two nations.
B. The northern kingdom, known as Israel (sometimes called ¯Ephraim by the prophets) was consistently wicked, worshipping idols and forsaking the law of God.
C. In the O.T. prophets, Ephraim is sometimes used to refer to the northern kingdom of Israel (Isa. 7:2,5,8-9,17; 11:13; Ezek. 37:16-19; Hos. 4:17; 5:3-15).
D. Ephraim also refers to the nation Israel as a whole (Jer. 7:15; 31:7-9,18-21).
E. The southern kingdom, known as Judah, was often wicked, too, but had times of repentance and revival.
F. The prophets of God warned of future judgment against Israel if she did not repent from her wicked ways.
G. Israel did not listen, and God‘s judgment came upon them in the form of defeat and dispersion by the Assyrians.
H. Assyria wants to extend her empire by adding the southern kingdom of Judah to her conquests, but God intervened, sparing Judah from the hand of the Assyrians.
I. God pointed to the fall of Israel at the hand of the Assyrians as an object lesson for wayward Judah. He warned of a similar fate for Judah at the hand of the nation of Babylon.
J. Judah refused to heed these warnings, so captivity came upon the southern kingdom as well.
II. Victory of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 1:1-2)
A. Nebuchadnezzar’s besieging of Jerusalem took place during the reign of Jehoiakim, the 17th king of Judah and eldest son of Josiah ( 2 Chron 36:2, 2 Chron 36:5). Jehoiakim’s younger brother Jehoahaz had been placed on Judah’s throne after Pharaoh Necho killed King Josiah in 609 B.C. But Necho dethroned Jehoahaz and placed Jehoiakim on the throne (2 Chron 36:3-4).
B. Jeremiah had warned Jehoiakim of impending invasion by Babylon. And Jehoiakim had heard of the prophet’s instruction to God’s people to submit to Babylon without resistance. So when Nebuchadnezzar besieged the city, little or no resistance was offered, and Jehoiakim was captured and taken to Babylon. Thus, Judah came under Nebuchadnezzar’s authority.
C. This is the beginning of the important prophetic time period — the times of the Gentiles. This period began in 605 B.C. and will extend until Jesus returns as the Messiah.
D. The times of the Gentiles is that extended period of time in which the land given in covenant by God to Abraham and his descendants is occupied by Gentile powers and the Davidic throne is empty of any rightful heir in the Davidic line.
E. Nebuchadnezzar took only “part of the vessels,” as he did not intend wholly to overthrow the state, but to make it tributary, and to leave such vessels as were absolutely needed for the public worship of Jehovah. Subsequently all were taken away and were restored under Cyrus (Ezr. 1:7).
Illustration/Application;
God had made a covenant with Israel in Moab (Deut. 28-30) just before she entered the land (Deut. 29:1). In this covenant God set forth the principle by which He would deal with His people. Their obedience to Him would bring blessing (Deut. 28:1-14) but disobedience to Him would bring discipline (Deut. 28:15-68). In this second portion God outlined the disciplines He would use to correct the people when their walk was out of line with His revealed Law. These disciplines would seek to conform them to His demands so they would be eligible for His blessings. The ultimate discipline He would use to correct His people was the invasion of Gentile nations who would subjugate them to their authority and disperse them from their land (Deut. 28:49-68).
III. Significance of Shinar Babylon (Dan. 1: 2)
A. Babylon (Shinar), historically been the focal point of opposition and rebellion against God and His plan. It is a place hostile to faith, not only in the past but also in the future. Babylon will play a major role in the end times (Rev. 17-18).
B. This is not just any foreign capital that the Jews are being deported to, this is the heart of Satanic opposition to God. Babylon is the epitome of satanic and occultic activity.
1. Gen. 10:10 – tells us the beginning of the kingdom of Babel. the founder of the kingdom of Babel (Shinar) is Nimrod (Gen. 10:8)
2. Gen. 11:2 – The tower of Babel served as an attempt to rebel against God’s divine plan.
C. God used the nation of Babylon to judge Israel in the days of the kings. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, carried the Jews away captive and destroyed the walls and temple of Jerusalem (2Kings 24; 2 Chr. 36; Jer. 52). After the seventy-year captivity of the Jews, God destroyed Babylon (Jer. 50; Isa. 13:17-22; Dan. 5).
D. In the book of Revelation, God foretells the rise of another Babylon in the last days before Christ returns. This last-days Babylon will be the embodiment of all the evil and rebellion of men throughout history (Re 14:8; 17:5; 18:2,10,21). Thus, the O.T. Babylon was both a historical city and kingdom, and was also a prophetic symbol for the future Babylon. The final Babylon will be destroyed by Christ
E. “Babylon is repeatedly used by the prophets in a symbolic sense. Two Babylons are to be distinguished in the Revelation: ecclesiastical Babylon, which is apostate Christendom, headed up under the Papacy; and political Babylon, which is the Beast’s confederated empire, the last form of Gentile world-dominion. Ecclesiastical Babylon is “the great whore” (Re 17:1), and is destroyed by political Babylon (Re 17:15-18), that the beast may alone be the object of worship (2Th 2:3-4; Re 13:15). The power of political Babylon is destroyed by the return of the Lord in glory” (Scofield).
IV. Message of the first 2 verses
A. The first two verses of the Book of Daniel state when and how the, prophet was taken to Babylon. The events in the book began in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah.
V. Conclusion:
The prophesy against the Kingdom of Judah was finally fulfilled. Despite of all the warnings that the Lord has given, they did not obey. The events, stories, as well as the personal testimonies in this book is still applicable to us modern readers. So, I invite you to join us in the weeks to come as we, study God’s Word.
