From 7 to 70

      Recall the two part question left unanswered, i.e. why 70 years, and who would God choose to rescue His people from Babylon? 

       Let’s begin by examining the time period of 70 years.  We learned that when the Israelites entered the Promised Land God had instructed them to work the land for 6 years and let the land rest every 7^th year.  But Israel disobeyed, and required chastisement.

     “Therefore He (God) brought against them (Judah) the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword…And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him (Nebuchadnezzar)…until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths.  As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”  2 Chronicles 36:17, 20-21

     The above passage explains the significance of the 70 years and confirms that the events described were to fulfill the word of Jeremiah spoken many years before Judah was deported to Babylon.

     Thus, Israel did not honor the Sabbath of the land for 70 Sabbaths, or 490 years.  They were to be in bondage one year for every Sabbath they did not honor.

     “Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon…for their iniquity…So I will bring on that land all My words… which Jeremiah has prophesied…”  Jeremiah 25:12-13

     Note again God’s absolute sovereignty when He proclaims in advance ‘I will punish’ and ‘I will bring…’

     The passage from 2 Chronicles also reveals that the king God appointed to overcome the king of Babylon and rescue His people was the king of Persia.

     And just as Assyria was punished for their treatment of Israel, so it would be for Babylon.

     The prophet Isaiah provided much greater detail about the future Persian king who would free the Jews and overthrow Babylon 150 years before he was born.

     “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb.  ‘I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone…who confirms the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers…who says of Cyrus, “He is My shepherd, and he shall perform all My pleasure,” saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built, and to the temple, your foundation shall be laid.”’”  Isaiah 44:24, 26, 28

     A marvelous fact about Cyrus was that he was called by name by God many years before the Jews went to Babylon.

     And so it was.

     “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held – to subdue nations before him…to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut…For Jacob My servant’s sake, and Israel My elect, I have even called you by your name…though you have not known Me.”  Isaiah 45:1, 4

    

     And as would be expected, history confirmed God’s ‘I will’ prophecies.

     “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mount of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia… ‘Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: all the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me.’” 

Ezra 1:1

     Near the end of the 70 year captivity, the Medes and Persians would rescue the Jews and grant them permission to return to Judah and rebuild the temple.  Such was done in 538 BC.

      Thus Cyrus freed the Jewish people.  Note also that Cyrus acknowledged that God had given him the right to rule all the kingdoms of the earth.  Little did he know time that Alexander was lurking right around the corner foreordained by God to overthrow the kingdom of the Medes and Persians in accordance with His predetermined, sovereign time.

     How incomprehensible is the sovereignty of God!

     Who other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob can document world history in great detail before it happens?   

     Such sovereignty is in full display even today, although perhaps, unrecognized.

     Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

    

God's Sovereignty and the Number 7

     This column will introduce a detailed example of God’s sovereignty on a particular issue that spans a continuous time period of 800 years involving several prophets.

     This example had its beginnings between Israel’s redemption from Egypt and their possession of Canaan 40 years later.

     During the 40 years in the wilderness God revealed His required standard of conduct to the Israelites.

     One such statute dealt with letting the new land rest every 7^th year.

     “And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.  Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD.  You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.”’”  Leviticus 25:1-4

     The instructions were straight forward and presented an opportunity for the Israelites to trust in God’s word and provision.  If they would trust their God, He would provide plenty in the 6^th year to carry them over until the 8^th year’s planting was harvested.

     The test involved trust and obedience.  Sounds like a famous hymn title.  Nothing has changed for this age.

     As the time approached for the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, God told them of blessings they would enjoy for obedience to His laws and statutes.

     “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments... that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 28:1

       Before proceeding, it should be noted that God’s promises to Abraham were unconditional; however, Israel’s continued, uninterrupted possession of the land was conditioned on their obedience.

     At the same time that God listed numerous blessings for obedience, He cautioned about the consequences of disobedience.

     “But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes… that all these curses will come upon you…”  Deuteronomy 28:15

     Numerous curses were spelled out for disobedience including that Israel would be a borrowing nation instead of a lending nation.  Sound familiar?

    But then there was another curse that applies to the current discussion of not obeying the Sabbath of the land.

     “The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, a nation of fierce countenance…”  Deuteronomy 28:49-50

     Note God’s sovereignty in the above passage ‘The LORD will bring a nation against you…’ 

     Approximately 800 years after God originally announced His plan to bring a nation against Israel for their disobedience, the prophet Jeremiah echoed the curse pronounced at the time of Moses.  Obviously Jeremiah hadn’t conversed with Moses.  Jeremiah’s time was approximately 628 – 570 BC.

     “‘Behold, I will bring a nation against you from afar, O house of Israel,’ says the LORD. ‘It is a mighty nation…a nation whose language you do not know…’”  Jeremiah 5:15

     Note again: ‘I will bring…’

     Shortly thereafter, Jeremiah gets a little more specific with a final warning, but Judah ignored him.  Judgment was inevitable, and so it was.

    

     “And this whole land shall be… an astonishment, and (you) shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.  Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon…for their iniquity…”  Jeremiah 25:11-12

     Therefore, because Israel did not honor the Sabbath of the land every 7^th year God would send the king of Babylon to devastate Jerusalem and deport many Israelites to Babylon for 70 years.

     After the 70 years were completed God would rescue them by the hand of another king.

     What is so significant of the time of punishment of exactly 70 years and who would be the foreordained king God will use to rescue them?

     We’ll explain that next week.

     Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

    

Incomprehensibl Sovereignty of God

     It is impossible for the finite mind to fully comprehend God’s involvement in the affairs of men.

     Consider that the majority of the Bible is not just history, but history written before it actually happens.  God always announced in advance what His future actions would be by stating ‘I will.’

     “…For I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure…’  Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass.  I have purposed it; I will also do it.”  Isaiah 46:9-11

     Such absolute sovereignty applies both to individuals as well as nations.

     King Solomon addressed God’s absolute sovereignty in all things.

     “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.”  Proverbs 16:33

     The question arises, i.e. who has God picked for president in the upcoming election?

     “A man’s steps are of the LORD; how then can a man understand his own way?”  Proverbs 20:24 

     Many men have established plans and goals for their lives only to discover later that their lives don’t in the least resemble those plans.

     “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  Proverbs 21:1

     King Solomon himself experienced God’s sovereignty when he departed from the LORD by taking foreign wives who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.  God announced that Solomon would lose his kingship. 

     “Now the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite…” 1 Kings 11:14

     This verse is taken from the NKJV while the KJV used the word ‘stirred’ instead of ‘raised.’

     Many times in the Scriptures it is stated that ‘God stirred the heart of…’ in order for the one stirred to fulfill God’s purpose.  We’ll also see that concept in the New Testament.

     Another great example of God’s sovereignty relative to the nation of Israel is found in Isaiah.  Recall that God used nations such as Assyria to chastise Israel when they disobeyed.

     “Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger and the staff in whose hand is My indignation.  I will send him against an ungodly nation (Israel), and against the people of My wrath I will give him charge…yet he does not mean so, nor does his heart think so…” Isaiah 10:5-7

     God declares that Assyria is in the palm of His hand to be used against Israel, although the king of Assyria is not aware of the fact that he is being used. And even though God directed Assyria, He will also punish them for their actions.

     “Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Lord has performed all His work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, that He will say, ‘I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria…’ For he says: ‘by the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom…’”  Isaiah 10:12-13

     And even though God had orchestrated Assyria’s actions, they will still be held accountable because of their haughtiness, thinking they had acted in their own power and wisdom.

     Let’s examine briefly God’s sovereignty relative to Christians in the church age.

     Jesus said:

     “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”  John 6:44

     The Greek word for ‘draws’ has a profound synonym, i.e. ‘stirs.’

      People who seek God do so only after God stirred their hearts.  Just like the king of Assyria, a person believes they have exercised their own free will.  And so it is.

     Paul also explained that God’s sovereignty in the Christian’s life is responsible for actions that promote the kingdom of heaven.

     “…for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13

     Therefore, God’s sovereignty is supreme in all things.  No one can boast of anything.

     God’s intervention is totally compatible with man’s free will.    

     We will expand on the doctrine of God’s incomprehensible sovereignty in the next several weeks.

Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com

    

    

    

God's Will Becomes Man's Choice

     The Bible is not silent on the sovereignty of God as He imparts His will to His servants.  God’s servants may be His elect, or those whom He will use to affect His plan for His elect.

     One such method God uses is to ‘stir up’ the hearts of His subjects to espouse and subsequently enact His will.

     Recall the time when King Saul was jealous of the newly anointed David and sought to kill him.  Saul also feared David because he knew that God was with him.

     David had several opportunities to slay Saul, but he did not.  He recognized that Saul was God’s anointed king and he (David) did not have the right to kill him.  David said:

     “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD’s anointed.”  1 Samuel 26:11

     Instead David and Abishai approached the sleeping Saul and took the jug of water and spear that were by Saul’s head as proof that they had the opportunity to kill Saul but did not.

     David then called out to Saul in the dark of the night inquiring why he (Saul) wanted to kill him. 

     David realized that the reason might be due to his own personal sin or it might be an unjust action.  David acknowledged that God might have put the desire in Saul’s heart to kill him.

     “…If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering.  But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD…”  1 Samuel 26:19b

     The Hebrew for ‘stir’ in the present context is cuwth and has several illustrative synonyms including ‘stimulate,’ ‘persuade,’ and ‘moved.’

     Several hundred years later when the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh were unfaithful to God, God brought on their captivity under the Assyrians.  God put His plan into the spirit of the Assyrian king.

     “And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land…So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria…”  1 Chronicles 5:25-26a

     The day would come when God would ‘stir up’ terrible revenge on the Assyrians whom He had ‘stirred up’ to take a portion of Israel captive.

     “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD of hosts… ‘For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their (Israel’s) destruction.’  And the LORD of hosts will stir up a scourge for him like the slaughter of Midian…”  Isaiah 10:24-26a

     And thus it was:

     “And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the LORD went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand…”  2 Kings 19:35

     The LORD ‘stirs up’ and then He does according to His immutable purpose.

     Perhaps one of the most profound examples of being ‘stirred’ is when the pre-appointed King of Persia, i.e. Cyrus, freed the Jews from Babylonian captivity to return to their native land to rebuild their temple.

     “Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, … ‘All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me, and He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah…’”  2 Chronicles 36:22-23

     The Hebrew word for ‘stirred’ in the present context is uwr with several similar synonyms including ‘open the eyes,’ ‘wake,’ and ‘arise.’

     Inasmuch as the one that is stirred actually embraces God’s purpose as his own, he is subsequently held accountable for his actions.  He is either blessed or cursed for his actions.

     Perhaps some of America’s seemingly unfathomable foreign policy can be explained by this phenomenon. 

     Those who God stirs to chastise Israel, or befriend their enemies, will suffer great consequences for their actions.

     Again, it is seen that God’s purpose is immutable and His sovereignty incomprehensible. 

Share your thoughts walt.thrun@gmail.com