“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” – Hebrews 12:5-6
If God is all-knowing and all-powerful, why would He allow Babylon to conquer Jerusalem? Because God is a Father, sometimes He has to discipline His children. In Leviticus 25, He gave them instructions for managing their lives: their house, income, family, wallet, and everything they had belonged to God, not them. That’s still true for us.
One of the commands God gave in Leviticus 25 was to let the land rest every seventh year to replenish and nourish the land, which would in turn nourish and replenish the crops.
However, God’s people didn’t do this for 490 years out of greed. God is way more patient with us than we are as parents. If you had to tell your kids for 490 years, “Do this, don’t do that,” and they still weren’t doing it, you’d have already gotten out the wooden spoon. Babylon is God’s wooden spoon. Since they hadn’t let the land rest every seven years for 490 years, they owed God 70 years.
So how long would they be in Babylon? 70 years. At times, it may seem like God has abandoned them, but He is still at work over, in, and through all that happens throughout the book. The same goes for you. God has not abandoned you. He sees you and He is still working over, in, and through you.
Is there, or has there been, an area of your life where God has had to “discipline” you? What did you learn in that season that was impactful?
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