Context | Sunday, June 4, 2023

Amen! Praise God! Praise the Lord! He is good. You can be seated this morning. Good morning and welcome to Cross Connection Church. We're so glad that you are here with us today. We are going to be getting into the Scriptures in just a moment, so if you have your Bible, you might want to take that out. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and an usher will bring you one. If you don't own a Bible, you can keep that as a gift to you.

Today, we are going to be starting a new series of teaching in a different book of the Bible. We have been in the Book of Joshua this year, but we're going to take a significant leap from Joshua to the Book of Daniel. I have to say, it is a significant leap from the conquest that we have just been studying in the Book of Joshua. We have been in chapters 10, 11, 12, and 13 in the Book of Joshua, which is the sixth book of the Bible. Now, we are going to jump ahead many hundreds of years in the storyline of the Old Testament for the nation of Israel.

We will find the people of Israel in exile in the nation of Babylon. It’s a big leap, and so we have to do a little bit of groundwork in the story and some context to understand where we are at. That is what we will be doing today.

For the last several years here at Cross Connection Church, we have been studying the Old Testament of the Bible. The Bible divides into two major sections: the first two-thirds of the Bible, from the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, until the Book of Malachi, are the Old Testament. The last third, from the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—until the very last book of the Bible, Revelation, is the New Testament.

For about ten years here at Cross Connection, we studied through the New Testament of the Bible. We used a New Testament book called Acts as the timeline that led us through our studies because the Book of Acts is a history book about the early church from about 2,000 years ago. During that timeline, most of the New Testament books were written. Most of the New Testament books were letters that were written to individuals or churches. We used the Book of Acts as our study guide for the New Testament.

After we finished our ten-year study through the New Testament, I knew I wanted to go back into the Old Testament. I was looking for a book that would serve as a good study guide to help us understand the Old Testament, and so we have been using the Book of Deuteronomy for that purpose.

For a few years here at the church, I have been emphasizing that the fifth book of the Bible, the Book of Deuteronomy, serves as a lens through which the rest of the Old Testament becomes very clear. This book contains a message from the great lawgiver and leader of Israel, Moses, which he delivered to the people of Israel just before they entered the land that God had promised to them.

If you've ever heard the term "the Promised Land," it refers to the land promised to Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel, and all of his descendants. Just before his descendants entered the Promised Land, Moses delivered this significant message, which we call the Book of Deuteronomy. Within this book, a principle or concept emerges that serves as a lens through which the entirety of the Old Testament makes sense. Scholars and Bible teachers have referred to this as the Deuteronomic Principle.

I have discussed this before, and if you have been a part of Cross-Connection Church for the last several years, you may have heard about it. The Deuteronomic Principle is essentially a conditional framework by which God was working among His people, the children of Israel, throughout the Old Testament. It can be summarized as a simple "if this, then that" algorithm. If the children of Israel followed the Lord, sought Him, and were obedient to His commands within the Covenant relationship they had with God, then they would experience God's blessing, flourish, and enjoy abundance as His people in the Promised Land.

Conversely, if they turned away from His commands and departed from the Covenant relationship, they would experience the removal of His blessing, provision, protection, and presence. Consequently, they would face not blessings but curses. This principle is most clearly articulated in Deuteronomy chapter 28. You can turn there if you'd like; I won't go through all of it, but I want to highlight some key points from this chapter.

In Deuteronomy chapter 28, Moses summarizes the entire Covenant relationship between God and the children of Israel. He states that if they obey and remain faithful to the commandments and the Covenant, they will experience blessings. However, if they depart from the Covenant relationship and reject those commands, they will face curses. He expresses this very clearly in Deuteronomy chapter 28, verse 1, where he begins with, "Now it shall come to pass if..."

You diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully all His commandments, which I command you today. Then the Lord your God will set you high above the nations of the earth, and all these blessings will come upon you. He says, "Blessed you shall be in the city, and blessed you shall be in the country. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body and the produce of your ground. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you go out, and blessed shall you be when you come in."

In verse 8 of Deuteronomy 28, He says the Lord will command this blessing upon you, and He will bless you and establish you. If verse 9 says you keep the commandments of the Lord and walk in His ways, then all these blessings shall overtake you and overcome you.

Now, a little question to make sure you're all listening this morning: How many of you would like to have God's blessing in your life? Most of you are raising your hands. If you're not, wake up! We all want God's blessing to occur in our lives.

Now, this was spoken and written specifically for the children of Israel; that's the context. It's for them, these people, the descendants of Abraham, who were coming into the promised land. However, it has general application for us as well. If we seek and follow the Lord and His ways, then we will experience His abundance and blessing in our lives.

Now, that gets us into a whole other discussion about what God's blessing looks like in comparison to the way we think of blessing. They might be different, but the general principle is still true: If we walk in His ways, then we will experience His blessing.

But Deuteronomy 28 doesn't end there. Down in verse 15, this Deuteronomic "if-then" principle continues. He says this: "But it shall come to pass if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God to observe carefully His commandments and His statutes, which

Today, I would like to not experience the curses of God. Yes, amen! We want the blessing; we don't want the curse.

Following the Book of Deuteronomy, you have the rest of the Old Testament, beginning with the historical Book of Joshua, which we've been studying through since the beginning of this year. Then comes the Book of Judges, followed by the time of Samuel, the Kings, and the Chronicles of Israel. In the remainder of the Old Testament, the history books of the Bible—Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles—illustrate this whole principle play out.

The deuteronomic principle begins to move during that period of time. God said, "If you will obey me, then blessing; if you will not obey me, then the opposite of blessing. I will remove my hand of protection, my presence, my provision, and you will experience the curses of the law." In fact, as soon as the children of Israel began to come into the promised land, if you go back and look at some of the passages we've been reading in the Book of Joshua, at one point in time, Joshua amassed the people of Israel between a valley and two hills: Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.

On one mountain, the blessings of the law from Deuteronomy 28 were read over the people, and on the other mountain, Mount Ebal, the curses of the law were read over the people. It was like a re-establishing of the Covenant once they had come into the promised land. All of it was to say this: if you will obey, then there will be blessing and flourishing in abundance; if you will disobey, then cursing and all these things will come upon you.

The whole of the Old Testament story follows that narrative under that principle. We see it played out in the lives of the people of Israel in the historic books of the Bible: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and so forth. It is in that context, when the children of Israel began to walk away from the Lord and depart from God's covenant, that we are introduced to the prophets.

The last section of the Old Testament contains the major and minor prophets, names like Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Malachi, among others. Some names are very hard to remember or sound out, like Habakkuk and Haggai. These prophets arise as the children of Israel are on a downward spiral, walking away from God's commandments and beginning to experience the removal of His presence.

Protection and His blessing then God would raise up prophets who would go and speak to the children of Israel. Most of the time, the prophets would go to the leaders of Israel, the kings of Israel, and call them back to repentance.

What you discover when you read the prophets, and this is why the book of Deuteronomy is so important for understanding the Old Testament, is that you find figures like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were experts in Deuteronomy. A lot of times, we read the Old Testament prophets looking for what they have to say about our day in 2023. There may be some things— in fact, I do believe there are some things written in the Old Testament prophets that have direct correlation and application to our day.

However, mostly, the prophets of old looked at the condition of their nation. They observed the actions of the people in their time and said, "If this, then that." God said, "If you will obey the covenant, then here are the blessings that I will give to you. But if you disobey and turn away from it, here are the cursings."

So, figures like Isaiah and Ezekiel were experts in Deuteronomy. They viewed their nation through the lens of that deuteronomic principle and said, "Hey, this is what you're doing. If you don't change course, if you don't repent, then here's what's going to happen." Many of the predictions made by the Old Testament prophets were really conditional predictions. It was, "If you will repent and turn, then these blessings will come. But if you continue down this course, this is what is going to happen."

Some of you here today exercise a prophetic gift in your own household. You say to your own kids, "If you keep doing this, then this is going to happen." Amen? You might have been like that with your kids before. "If you do this, this is what will happen. But if you do this, here's the blessing that will happen." If you make your bed, you get it— the deuteronomic principle: if this, then that.

The prophets show up and speak these conditional predictions upon the people, using the book of Deuteronomy as the lens through which they viewed the events occurring in their nation. Because of this, the book of Deuteronomy becomes the key to understanding the Old Testament. If you want to understand the Old Testament prophetic books, you need to get to know the book of Deuteronomy. It will make more sense. It is also a good lens for us to consider the world in which we live.

Applied specifically to the people of Israel thousands of years ago, there are general principles that apply to us today. One of the great kings of Israel, a wise man named Solomon, observed and wrote in Proverbs chapter 14, verse 34, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." I like how it is said in another English translation, the New Living Translation, which translates Proverbs 14:34 as "Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

There is a lot of talk in the United States of America, especially in this upcoming political season, about making America great. I want to suggest to you that it will not be a politician who makes America great. It will be when the people of God continue to follow God in faithfulness and witness that to others around them. Only then will we experience greater greatness in our nation or in any nation, because godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

I think probably most people in our culture would agree, and many people throughout the world would say that the United States of America has been a great nation. However, we have not always been a good nation, and we will cease to be a great nation insofar as we are not a good nation. If we do not seek to be a people who follow the principles and patterns of what God speaks in His Word, then we can expect that our nation will not experience greatness and will continue on a downward spiral.

This is not just the story of Israel in the Old Testament; it is a story of many people groups or nations throughout all times in history. We should take careful note of what is happening in these passages. We are watching many of these unfortunate things unfold before our eyes as God removes His hand of protection or His presence and blessing from a people such as ours.

So, what is it that we should pray for, hope for, or look for? Should we seek a new political leader or some sort of Messianic person to come and fill the void in the capital? No, we should seek that the leaders we have in families, cities, nations, and churches would rise up to seek to follow the Lord, repenting of their sin. This is the "if this, then that" principle, and the final step in this downward spiral towards cursing is given to us in Deuteronomy chapter 28.

In verse 36, where Moses speaks to the people, reading from the New Living Translation, he outlines a crucial warning. He states that if they depart from God's covenants and commands, then the Lord will exile them and their king to a nation unknown to them and their ancestors. In exile, they will worship gods of wood and stone. They will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends them.

This illustrates the simple framework that the whole of the Old Testament operates under: the deuteronomic "if this, then that" framework presented in the Book of Deuteronomy. To sum it up, we could say it like this: point number one, if you're taking notes, there is a sermon guide in your bulletin. Those who reject God are ultimately rejected by Him and exiled from His presence and blessing. That's a heavy point, and it brings me no joy to say it.

This principle is clearly demonstrated when we read the stories of the Old Testament. We have already seen it on a smaller scale, what we might call a microcosmic scale, in the Book of Joshua. As we have been studying through the Book of Joshua this year, we came to chapter 7, where the children of Israel, who had been blessed by God in their entry into the Promised Land, experienced defeat before a very small town called Ai.

The reason for their defeat at Ai was that one man in the nation of Israel had disobeyed the commandment of God and stolen from Him. His name was Aiken, and as a result of Aiken's sin, the entire nation felt the effects. Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Even if it's a small sin, a hidden sin that nobody else knows about, sin brings disgrace.

We observed this on a microcosmic scale with the sin of Aiken, but we see this cycle repeated over and over again in the Old Testament. We will continue to see it as we progress in our studies. Following Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 28, the children of Israel, as we have seen in our studies over the last six or eight months, entered the Promised Land under Joshua. We have been watching the conquest of Israel in the Book of Joshua.

Over the last couple of weeks, we've reached a point where the nation has been divided. After about seven years of conquest, the land is now being divided among the different tribes of Israel. Each tribe is receiving its lot of inheritance, and they are beginning to find rest in the land.

In the last chapters of the Book of Joshua, specifically chapters 15 through the end, we will see Israel take possession of the land and begin to experience rest. We will finish our studies in Joshua near the end of this year, after completing our studies in Daniel during the summer. However, Joshua is not the end of the story; it is merely the end of the beginning.

After Joshua dies, we enter the Book of Judges. In Judges chapter 2, verse 10, we read that there arose a generation that did not know the Lord nor the works He had done for Israel. The text tells us that everyone did what was right in his own eyes, and they did evil in the sight of the Lord. This encapsulates the story of the Book of Judges.

In Judges, we observe a cycle under the deuteronomic principle: if this, then that. Israel would serve and follow God for a time, experiencing His blessings, protection, and provision. The nation would flourish under a leader who guided them toward godliness. However, when that leader died, Israel would begin to turn toward idolatry and away from God. As they slid into immorality, they would find themselves in bondage to their enemies, leading to national decline. In their distress, they would call out to God in prayer, and He would raise up a deliverer, known as a judge in the Book of Judges.

Individuals like Jephthah, Samson, Gideon, and Ehud were raised up to lead the people against their enemies. They would guide the nation through times of reformation, renewal, revival, and repentance. The nation would thrive as long as that judge was alive, but once the judge died, they would descend into the same downward spiral again. This cycle repeats throughout the Book of Judges.

Eventually, we come to the last of the judges who would lead Israel, named Samuel. His story can be found in the Book of First Samuel in the Bible. During Samuel's time, the people approached him and expressed their desire for a king. They said they no longer wanted a judge to lead them; they wanted a king like all the other nations around them. They believed that having a king would solve their problems.

A better leader would fix this. We need a king. This sounds nothing like any other time in history or in any other place, does it? If we just had a better leader, a better king, then everything would be better. We want a king to rule over us, and thus begins the long and storied history of Israel's kings.

Initially, there was a united monarchy, when the whole nation was united under one king. Later, the nation split by civil war into two kingdoms, resulting in a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom, leading to a divided monarchy. If anything becomes clear as you read through the stories of Kings and Chronicles in the Old Testament regarding Israel's history, it is this: if you cannot obey and follow God as king, do not expect that an earthly king will make things better.

This is such an important truth for us to remember. Paul tells us in the New Testament book of First Corinthians that all these things in the Old Testament were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the age have come. Here we are, living in what the Bible calls the last days. Ever since Jesus ascended into heaven, we have been living a very long period of the last days.

In this time, God says to take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. Remember what happened to the children of Israel. They thought that if they just had a better earthly king, he would make things better. But if you cannot serve God as king, don't think that an earthly king will make things better. There is always this Messianic desire that wells up within us: if we just had a better king, then things would be better.

For a short time under the united monarchy, Israel seemed to experience some good things. Their first king was a man named Saul. They chose King Saul because he looked the part. The Bible tells us in First Samuel that from his shoulders up, he was taller than everyone else, which means he was a head taller than everyone. They said, "That's the guy; he looks the part."

This is basically where we are in our day. Ever since the advent of television, we have gotten to the point where we choose our leaders based on whether they look presidential. That was the case for them as well. Saul looked the part, so they chose him. Let me tell you, Saul had some issues. Eventually, probably a decade from now, we'll get to First Samuel and learn more about it. It may not be that long, but it could be. Saul had his issues, and then after Saul came David.

Christians love King David, a man after God's own heart, but he had a lot of issues too. He was a better king than Saul, but he was a really bad dad, and his family fell apart, causing problems for the entire nation. After David was his son Solomon, who was a very wise man, as the Scriptures tell us. However, he also had a lot of issues and was a really bad dad as well. This led to his son Rehoboam becoming king.

We have this saying, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," but in Solomon's case, that was not true at all. Solomon was this great wise man, while his son Rehoboam was not wise and led the nation poorly. Under him, the nation was divided into two kingdoms.

After the time of Solomon and his son Rehoboam, there were two kingdoms: the Northern Kingdom of Israel, referred to in Kings and Chronicles as Israel, and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This is where the story becomes really confusing. If you've ever read through Kings and Chronicles, you may have found it hard to put all the different threads together. It’s like you're talking about this king and that king, this place and that place, and it goes back and forth between the Northern Kingdom and its capital, Samaria, and the Southern Kingdom and its capital, Jerusalem. It can be very confusing to keep all the different lines of thought going.

What becomes very clear when reading through Kings and Chronicles is that the kings of Israel were a mixed bag. Some were good, but most were not. In fact, the Northern Kingdom of Israel, with its capital in Samaria, never had a good king. Some led well, but most did not. Some were godly, while most were more pagan than God-fearing.

It is in that context that we are introduced to the prophets. The prophets would come and speak to the kings, whether they were in the Northern Kingdom with their capital in Samaria or in Judah with their capital in Jerusalem. The basic call of the prophet was to repent. They would say, "You are doing this, this, and this," and we know from Deuteronomy 28 that these actions will lead to destruction. The ultimate end will be exile; you will be exiled from the land that God has given to you because it is His land, not your land. The prophets would come and beg and plead with the kings to change their ways.

Leaders of the people are often called to guide them in righteousness. Many times, those prophets, instead of having their words heeded, would be persecuted, beaten, and sometimes killed for their message. This situation continued until about 700 years after the children of Israel entered the Promised Land under Joshua.

In the 8th century BC, specifically in 722 BC, King Sargon II of Assyria led his armies into the northern kingdoms of Israel. They laid siege to the city of Samaria, and in 722 BC, Sargon II destroyed the city. He took the people of the Northern Kingdom of Israel into captivity, which I like to call the Assyrian relocation program, scattering them throughout the Assyrian Empire. These people became known today as the Lost Tribes of Israel. The ten northern tribes of the Northern Kingdom, with Samaria as its capital, were dispersed in the late 8th century BC. Those who reject God are ultimately rejected by Him and exiled from His presence and blessing.

A couple of decades later, around 701 BC, King Sennacherib of Assyria besieged the cities of Judah, the Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom had already been taken into captivity and exiled from the land, but Judah did not heed the warning. They failed to turn to the Lord in faith and repentance. As a result, the Assyrians began to conquer each of the cities of Judah.

Sennacherib, the king, documented his conquests. If you can read cuneiform, you can find the annals of Sennacherib on a five-and-a-half-foot-tall octagonal pillar located in the British Museum of History. There, the writings detail how his armies destroyed 42 walled cities in Judah. Only one city remained: the capital city, Jerusalem. At that time, Hezekiah was the king. As the Assyrian armies, led by Sennacherib, destroyed city after city throughout Judah, Hezekiah turned to God in faith and repentance, calling for God's provision.

Protection secured the city of Jerusalem. You can go today to Jerusalem and walk through what is called the Tunnel of Hezekiah, which he constructed at that time to secure water for the city. You can walk through the tunnel today down at the Pool of Siloam in the lower part of the Old City of David in Jerusalem. Hezekiah secured the city, and he sought the Lord. In His grace, God delivered Hezekiah and the city of Jerusalem. The story is recorded for us in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.

In one night, an angel went forth from God. This sounds far out and miraculous, but if you line it up with what happens in history, you realize that something miraculous had to occur. In one night, 185,000 soldiers of Sennacherib's army were destroyed by God, and Jerusalem was defended and protected by His miraculous, gracious, and merciful protection. Hezekiah and the nation of Judah were saved and delivered.

Not only was Hezekiah and his nation delivered, but he personally was delivered as well. Isaiah chapter 38 tells us that during that time, Hezekiah had a grave illness that came upon him, possibly related to all the stress of everything that was going on. God sent the prophet Isaiah to speak to Hezekiah as he dealt with this debilitating illness. Isaiah approached him and said, "Hey King, you're going to die and not live. Set your house in order." Isaiah didn't have the best bedside manner.

The Scriptures tell us in Isaiah 38 and also in Second Kings that as Isaiah was leaving, Hezekiah turned himself and prayed to God, saying, "God, I have served you and I have sought you. Would you give me extended life?" God sent the prophet back to him and told him, "God's going to give you 15 more years."

At this point, you might be thinking, "I thought we were studying through the Book of Daniel." We will get there. Hezekiah and Judah were delivered, and then right after that, around 700 BC, Isaiah chapter 39 and Second Kings, right around chapter 20, continue the narrative.

Hezekiah entertained an envoy from the city-state of Babylon, where the king of Babylon brought Hezekiah a gift. Why would the king of Babylon bring Hezekiah a gift? The city-state of Babylon, located in modern-day Iraq, was at that time in Mesopotamia, situated between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Babylon was a great, mighty city in the southern part of the nation, while to the north was Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. These two cities had been in conflict, with power struggles occurring between Assyria, Nineveh in the north, and Babylon in the south for hundreds of years.

At this point, Nineveh had been basically debilitated because God destroyed 185,000 of Sennacherib's soldiers. Sennacherib returned to Nineveh and never attempted to conquer again after that. Therefore, the king of Babylon sent a gift to Hezekiah to express gratitude for dealing with the Nineveh problem. Hezekiah entertained this envoy, the son of the king of Babylon.

In Second Kings 20 and Isaiah chapter 39, it is noted that Hezekiah showed them everything that was in his household. As this envoy was leaving, Isaiah the prophet came to Hezekiah. In Second Kings chapter 20, verse 14, Isaiah asked King Hezekiah what the men had said and where they were from. Hezekiah replied that they came from a far country, from Babylon, the ancient city that had come to see him. He had entertained the king's son from Babylon.

Isaiah then asked Hezekiah what they had seen in his house. Hezekiah answered that they had seen everything in his house and that there was nothing among his treasures that he had not shown them. Isaiah, in Second Kings chapter 20, verse 16, said to Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and what your fathers have accumulated to this day shall be carried away to Babylon. Nothing shall be left," says the Lord. "They shall even take some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget, and they shall become eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."

Hezekiah responded to Isaiah, acknowledging that the word of the Lord he had spoken was true. He then asked, "Will there not be peace?"

Truth, at least in my days, is one of the saddest statements in the Bible. In fact, every time I read it, it gives me chills. Hezekiah entertained the son of the king of Babylon and showed him everything in his house. Isaiah came and said, "You shouldn't have done that. Everything in your household is going to be carried away to Babylon, even some of your own sons that will descend from you. They are going to be carried away to Babylon and will be made eunuchs in the house of the king of Babylon."

Hezekiah's response was that it was for another generation to deal with. At least there will be truth and peace in my days. I just kick the can down the road; at least that's how I read it. Maybe someone else would read it differently, but that sure seems to be his attitude.

Point number three, if you're taking notes this morning: be careful when you think you stand. You may not be prepared for the greatness of the fall. Hezekiah was given 15 more years of life, and when he died, Second Kings chapter 21 tells us that his son Manasseh became king when he was 12 years old. Manasseh ended up being the worst king that Israel, or in Judah, would ever have.

It says in Second Kings 21, verse 2, "He did evil in the sight of the Lord according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel." He rebuilt the high places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars in the house of God, in the temple of God. He built altars to Asherah and Baal, and he built altars to the host of heaven, to all the stars, just like the Babylonians.

Then, in verse 6 of Second Kings chapter 21, it says, "He made his son to pass through fire." This is a quick little reference that is easy to skip over, but it says so much with so little. He led the children of Israel into the worship of a god called Moloch, where they offered their children on the extended arms of a cast iron steel idol over a fire. They offered their children to Moloch.

In the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, which is the Valley of Hinom on the west side of the city of Jerusalem, Gehenna is what we know of it today. He practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spirits and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke God to anger. Manasseh seduced the people of Judah to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.

So the Lord spoke to His servants the prophets and said, "Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abominations, therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel: I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears it will make their ears tingle. I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will forsake the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hands of their enemies, and they shall become victims of plunder to all their enemies because they have done this evil in My sight."

Moreover, in II Kings chapter 21, verse 16, it is written that Manasseh shed very much innocent blood; they killed many children. In Deuteronomy chapter 18, God spoke through Moses to His people and said, "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through fire. All who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. Because of these abominations, the Lord your God drives out from before you the nations."

About 90 years after Hezekiah received that word from the prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 39, and about four generations after King Manasseh led the people of Judah into severe wickedness before the Lord, one of Manasseh's descendants, a man named Jehoiakim, became king. Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he became king. II Kings chapter 23 says he did evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done. II Kings chapter 24, verse 1, states that in his day, Nebuchadnezzar was king over Babylon. Chapter 24, verse 2 of II Kings continues the account.

The Lord sent against Jehoiakim and Judah raiders to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. Surely, at the commandment of the Lord, this came upon Judah to remove them from God's sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and because of the innocent blood that he had shed. He filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

Note that: the Lord would not pardon. Point number four, if you're taking notes, is that some sins are so awful that God will not pardon. I want you to hold that in your mind for a moment. What did he do that God says, "I'm done; I will not pardon this"? He filled Jerusalem with the blood of the innocents as they killed their children and offered them to this god, Molech.

Hold that in your mind for a moment. Since 1973, the United States has killed more than 60 million babies in the womb. God says, "I will not pardon this." It was Billy Graham's wife who said to him, and he later shared, "If God does not judge the United States of America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." It's heavy.

What does this have to do with Daniel? Daniel chapter one. It only took me 40 minutes to get there. Daniel chapter 1, verse 1: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem and besieged it. This is the first round of sieges that Nebuchadnezzar will bring against Jerusalem over the course of about 15 years. The Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, along with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar.

To the house of his God, he brought the articles into the treasury of his God. Isaiah told Hezekiah that these goods in his house and in the temple would be carried away to Babylon.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel, some of the king's descendants, and some of the nobility of Jerusalem. He sought young men in whom there was no blemish, but who were good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge, and quick to understand. These young men had the ability to serve in the king's palace, and they might be taught the language and the literature of the Chaldeans in Babylon. The king appointed for them a daily provision of the king's delicacies, of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them so that at the end of the time they might serve before the king.

Now, among those sons of the nobility of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. To them, the chief of the eunuchs, Ashpenaz, gave names. He changed their names to Daniel, giving the name Belteshazzar to Hananiah, the name Shadrach to Mishael, the name Meshach to Azariah, and Abednego to Azariah.

You have probably heard of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Every story needs a little bit of context—sometimes 40 minutes of context. Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: I think it's sad that we only know them by their Babylonian names. Say their names: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah.

These young men were part of the nobility of Judah. There were others, but these four were transplanted from their home in Jerusalem to the palace of the king in Babylon to be educated in the language and literature of the Chaldeans. They served Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, but they were stripped of their Hebrew names and given Babylonian names. They were stripped of their Jewish clothing and culture, receiving new Babylonian garments and culture. They were stripped of their Jewish religion and trained to be pagans in Chaldea. Additionally, they were castrated and made eunuchs, set under the chief of the eunuchs, Ashpenaz.

Kind of similar to the culture in our day, the spirit of Babylon continues. If this, then that. Daniel was given the name Beltashazar. Daniel means "God is my judge," while Beltashazar means "Bel's prince." Bel was one of the chief gods or deities of Babylon. His friend Hananiah was given the name Shadrach; his name meant "beloved of the Lord," and now he would be called "illuminated by the sun god." Mishael, whose name meant "who is God," was given the name Meshech, which means "who is like Shaq," not the basketball player, but the god in Babylon. Azariah was given the name Abednego, changed from "the Lord is my help" to "servant of Nego," one of the great gods of Babylon.

They were stripped of everything: their homeland, their friends, their family, their clothing, their culture, their language, their religion, and their manhood. They were planted in Babylon. Now, you might think that in that situation, they were in a perfect spot to cause internal severe subversion and strife. They could work from the inside like 007 to take it down. Not so fast. Every story needs a little bit of context.

I want to close today with some context found in a passage of Scripture, which I think some of you have a favorite verse from in the book of Jeremiah, chapter 29. So, if you have your Bibles, open to Jeremiah chapter 29. At the time that Daniel was taken away to Babylon with Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael, Jeremiah was the prophet in Jerusalem still. He wrote a letter, as he was inspired by God, to those who had been exiled into Babylon, and it's recorded in Jeremiah chapter 29, beginning at verse 4.

This was God's word to the captive exiles in Babylon: "Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who are carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them."

Plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased while you're in Babylon and not diminished. Seek the peace of the city Babylon, where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for Babylon, for in its peace you will have peace.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets or your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed, for they prophesy falsely to you in My name. I have not sent them, says the Lord. For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good toward you and cause you to return to this place, Jerusalem. You're going to be there a while; buckle up and get comfortable.

After seventy years, for some of you know this verse: I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Every story needs a little bit of context; that verse has been ripped from its context so many times. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all of your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.

As hard as it may be for us to reconcile this, here's a key point: sometimes God's purposes and plans are fulfilled through captivity and affliction. What does this mean for us today? First, I think it's really important to recognize that God is at work even when His people are in captivity. That's what we see in the Book of Daniel, or we will see in the Book of Daniel. It's so easy for us to read the Book of Daniel and try to read all the amazing predictions, and there are some amazing predictions in Daniel, which caused...

Skeptics say it could not have possibly been written while Daniel was in Babylon because the details are so specific and perfect. They argue that it must have been written much later, after the events took place. However, it is easy for us to get clued in on all the visions, dreams, and interpretations in Daniel and think that this is all about us today. Yet, God says there is a bigger message here; He is still at work even when it seems like He is not doing anything.

First, we must recognize that God has a plan for us even in our affliction. Second, we need to understand that we have a work to do, even when the darkness seems to get darker. God has called us to be a light shining in a dark place. All of this is very applicable for us because increasingly, the culture we live in looks a lot like Babylon. God has called us to be salt and light in a very dark and flavorless world. Oh, that we would learn the lesson from Daniel, Azariah, Mishael, and Hananiah. Amen.

Let us stand and pray. God, sometimes it feels like our culture is being stripped of the things that seem to be good, and it looks less and less like what we remember it to be. But as it becomes less and less familiar, would You cause us to shine brighter and brighter? Help us, just as Azariah's name means "the Lord is my help." Grant us boldness and faith to stand in the midst of a difficult and dark place.

God, help us to put on the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation. Shod our feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Put on the belt of truth, take up the sword of the Spirit, and the shield of faith. Lord, help us, having done all, to stand; to stand therefore. Give us boldness and grace.

For we ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen."

Hey, Cross Connection! It's Pastor Garrett here, and summer is rapidly approaching. With summer comes Vacation Bible School (VBS). If you haven't gotten your kids signed up for our VBS this year, it's going to be from June 19th through the 23rd. It's a nighttime VBS, and we would love for your kids to be there. It's going to be a fantastic experience for them, with a space theme. It's going to be amazing, so I hope they can sign up!

Additionally, if you would like to help volunteer as a leader for VBS, we are looking for both adult and youth leaders. If you'd like to volunteer, please check that out by going to ccchurch.com/events, where you'll find a way to sign up as a leader and register your kids as well. Please get going on that very soon; the deadline for registering your kids is approaching, so get them signed up sooner rather than later.

Also, our summer youth camp is coming up right around the corner at the end of June. From June 29th through July 3rd, we will have our Junior High and High School summer camp at Catalina Island. As the high school pastor, this is my passion. I love our kids and raising up the next generation. I want to invite you to pray for our junior hires and high schoolers who will be going to camp this year.

Please consider donating to help sponsor kids going to camp. We have many kids in need of financial aid to attend this year. If you would like to help out, please use the link below. If you're writing a check or giving cash, you can just designate it for youth summer camp on the envelope. That would be so awesome, and I really appreciate it.

God has used summer camp in these kids' lives, and many important decisions regarding following Christ for the rest of their lives happen at camp. I truly hope that you can be a part of that as well.