“And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god.”
And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,
The Lord was responsible for Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of Judah. Daniel understood that God was in charge of Gentile nations. He viewed God as absolutely sovereign. The word “Lord” here is Adonai. Adonai refers to God as the supreme master. God was the master of Jehoiakim’s situation.
The word “gave” indicates God’s absolute control. Nebuchadnezzar was simply God’s tool or instrument for accomplishing His purposes for Judah.
with some of the articles of the house of God,
The carrying off of the articles of the Temple was a gesture of victory over and subjection of a nation. “Some” of the articles were taken at this time and others when Jehoiachin surrendered (2 Kgs 24:13; 2 Chr 36:18). Later in Daniel, Belshazzar brought these vessels out for a banquet (Da 5).
Almost one hundred years prior, in 701 B.C., Isaiah had predicted this act of carrying off the articles of the Temple because Hezekiah displayed them to an envoy of Babylon (2 Kgs 20:13).
which he carried into the land of Shinar [Babylon] to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god
“Shinar” is Babylonia, a place regularly viewed as hostile to God (Ge 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Is 11:11; Zech 5:11). Nebuchadnezzar carried the vessels of the house of God to “the house of his god,” who was Bel or Marduk. The main temple in Babylon was the Marduk temple near the Ishtar gate and a great ziggurat.
PRINCIPLE:
God always squares the account.
APPLICATION:
God always keeps His Word. God prophesied previously that if Hezekiah exhibited the vessels of the Temple to a Gentile king, God would judge him (2 Kgs 20:17-18; Is 39). God never fails to do what He says He is going to do. God will ultimately square the account.
It is very easy to forget that God will do what He claims He will do. In a day when we claim our rights, we can never be indifferent to God’s rights.
