“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” (Isaiah 43:18-19)
All throughout the Biblical history, we see numerous examples of those who had made a mess of their lives, landing in barren wilderness, as it were, experiencing His gracious restoration consequent to their repentance. Virtually streams have gushed forth, right where they were…in the dry sterile desert, whenever they have sought Him sincerely with a contrite heart. The juicy one-liner the good Lord creates a message from the mess His loved ones land up in, is not manifested more clearly than in the lives of Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego of the fiery furnace fame.
The image of these faithful men rescued sensationally by their faithful God from the throes of death even as they defied the King by refusing to bow before an imposing idol, would doubtless inspire people of all ages. But if we were to hit the rewind button just for a moment and dig a bit deep into this thrilling account–by way of some posers–a totally different dimension of this story would emerge. In this series of three parts, Yours truly would like to focus on totally different dimensions of this heroic tale besides remarkable faith of three Jewish youth…here goes…firstly…
History…
What were these 3 Jewish youth in the post David era, doing in Babylon in the first place? Did these natives of the kingdom of Judah come over there either in pursuit of higher education or in search of greener pastures, in the same way we see many doing, in this modern era crossing even several seas in the process? The benumbing, chilling answer to these questions would be that “they like many of their ilk (the exiled Jews) were in Babylon as a punishment for their sin of worshipping idols.” Yes, for very same sin, they refrained from, now!
A history flashback at this stage would reveal that despite several warnings through prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah the people of Judah who were sold-out to idol-worship, courtesy the wicked reigns of certain kings like Ahaz (2 Chronicles 26) and Zedekiah (2 Chronicles 36: 11-13) would not turn from their idol-worshipping ways, leaving God with no option but to bring to effect all the warnings He had issued up until then. In a nutshell, He perforce had to execute His judgment of exiling them from the land flowing with milk and honey, for they had violated their covenant relationship with Him, which demanded that they be allowed to enjoy the choicest portion of planet Earth only on implicitly obeying Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). Disobedience would lead to a tragic situation as brought forth in 2 Chronicles 36:6-21, which too had been prophesied by Moses in his farewell address to his people as recorded in Deuteronomy 28:49-64.
In fact the closer scrutiny of events related to the Judean exile would reveal that it (the exile) took place in three phases:
a) Political — Daniel 1:1-4 — during which the Royals and the political class were exiled in 606 BC. To this group belonged our death-defying terrific trio…Shadrach, Mesach and Abednego;
b) Economical — 2 Kings 24:16 — during which the craftsmen and the business class were exiled in 597 BC;
c) Universal — 2 Kings 25:8-9 — during which everyone, including the Judean King, were exiled in 586 BC. The prestigious Jerusalem Wall was demolished and the Temple in which many Jews prided (built by King Solomon) was burnt…very much in conformity with the Lord’s warnings (1 Kings 8:6-9)
The batch-wise exile reinforces the fact that God was giving an opportunity to His chosen ones to repent and seek Him in order their punishment is limited. Doubtless, a loving God would never want a massacre of His loved ones, laced with destruction of His either beloved city or His magnificent temple. But was there a reciprocal response from His select nation to His lenience? Was the first comeuppance adequate to make His special people make amends in their lifestyle? No! His people sadly stuck to their stubborn ways despite several warnings of Prophet Jeremiah of a more serious indictment coming their way. Finally, the somber record of 2 Chronicles 36:14-20 stands as a grim reminder of the fact of what would happen when we foolishly exhaust His patience, for in that is a heart-rending account of a ruthless destruction sweeping across what was once a proud capital of a God-honoring nation, paving the way for yet another exile of those who survived (very few did ) the onslaught of an all powerful Babylonian war machine spurred on by God’s Divine wrath.
The lesson within a lesson here. Just as God’s best is reserved for the last (John 2:10) for those who love him (Rev 21-23), His worst, too, is reserved for the last for those who forsake Him relentlessly (Rev 19:17-21, Rev 20:14-15)! Ask the hard-hearted Egyptian Pharoah, who had to bear the ignominy and pain of losing his first-born (Exo 12:29-30), when he did not humble himself after receiving a few divine blows initially…
The tragic account of the Judean exile lends itself to yet another corollary in this study. What happens when God’s people (be it Jews or their New testament counterparts, Christians) sin and reap just punishment? Not only is there a severing of relationship between Him and his people at the time sin is indulged in (at least temporarily), but more seriously, when the just punishment falls upon God’s chosen ones, the unsaved lot are presented an opportunity, on the platter so to speak, of blaspheming God’s Name (2 Sam 12:14). Their tongues would wag with impish delight on the perceived inability of God to protect His blessed ones from harm, little realizing that He Himself, of His own accord, had permitted harm to befall His disobedient special ones, in order that they would turn from their errant ways and seek Him once again.
Now how many of us know that the exultant phrase “Hip, Hip, Hooray” is actually an anti-Semitic cry having originated from the Israeli neighbors who rejoiced at the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army???
Prayer: Father, how often we land up in the Deserts of our own making. We praise Thee for Thy grace and mercy displayed again and again in our restoration, when we turn to Thee with contrite hearts. We praise Thee once again the Matchless Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Suresh Manoharan
An unworthy servant
J and SM Ministries
(To access the entire “Streams in the Desert” mini-series, please click here.)