Daniel: Introduction (2)

Introduction
In the book of Daniel, God reveals much about Himself, and about His power to exert His presence and power among even the most violent and godless people. Daniel’s story should encourage us to hope in God more fervently, and trust Him more completely, for His power to do good is greater than all the evil works and ways of men – like those of the armies of Babylon, a bitter and hasty nation, as God showed them to Habakkuk.

Read Habakkuk 1.5-11.

Read Lamentations 1.1-3.
How lonely sits the city
That was full of people!
How like a widow is she,
Who was great among the nations!
The princess among the provinces
Has become a slave!
She weeps bitterly in the night,
Her tears are on her cheeks;
Among all her lovers
She has none to comfort her.
All her friends have dealt treacherously with her;
They have become her enemies.
Judah has gone into captivity,
Under affliction and hard servitude;
She dwells among the nations,
She finds no rest;
All her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.

Think it Through
1.  Jeremiah was reflecting on the aftermath of Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem in his Lamentations. Keep in mind Habakkuk’s description of these people. What were the effects of Nebuchadnezzar’s victory on the people of Jerusalem? Can you imagine what that must have been like? How would those people have felt, as they were carried away from their homes to captivity and slavery in a biter and hasty nation like Babylon?

2.  Why was it important to God that His people be brought low like this? Do you think God still does this sort of thing? Can you think of any examples? Is there any warning for us in what happened to the people of Jerusalem and Judah under Nebuchadnezzar?

Meditate
“And so we, too, who in our lives are sick with shameful lusts and reprehensible excesses and other inflammatory effects of the passions, need the Savior. And he administers not only mild but also stringent medicines.” Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD)

“If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” Hebrews 12.7

Lord, let Your Word warn me of sin, remind me of Your love, and put me in fear of Your chastening, so that…

Pray

O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed,
Happy the one who repays you as you have served us!

Psalm 137.8

Psalm 137.7, 8 (The Gift of Love: Though I May Speak)
Remember, Lord Your boasting foes, who hate Your Word and visit woes
On your dear sheep that they may die: Cause them to weep and mourn and sigh.

T. M Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing adapted from The Ailbe Psalter. All quotations from Church Fathers from Ancient Christian Commentary Series, General Editor Thomas C. Oden (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006.