A Daniel crossover episode-why captivity can be good.
This is a short, simple chapter; but really consequential.
I'm involved in a deep dive bible study on Daniel and this is a key crossover.
Nebuchadnezzar has hauled away the second batch of captives from Judah (with Daniel being in batch 1). The king, Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiamchin, son of Jehoiakim), has been hauled away. (Second to last king of Judah.)
The Lord gives Jeremiah a vision of two baskets of figs--one good and one rotten.
This may sound counterintuitive, but God tells Jeremiah that the good basket is a reference to those who have been hauled off to Babylonian captivity. Those are the one in whom the Lord sees good and will rebuild when He brings them home. They will be His people and return to Him with their whole heart.
The bad basket cannot be eaten because of the rot. These are the ones that stay in Judah and are eventually wiped out completely by the Babylonians, under the final king, Zedekiah, as well as those that got hauled off to Egypt.
Again, it sounds counterintuitive, but the Lord saved Daniel's life, and the lives of all of the captives when He shipped them off to Babylon. This is why He tells them to plant gardens and get married and pray for the city in which they are captive. He is restraining them in safety until Judah can be purged.
We are in captivity. And the book of Revelation tells us there us a final purge coming.
It's a simple message and a simple chapter; but of the utmost consequence.
Choose wisely.
But also, remember God's goodness and His plan to return the remnant to the land to live with Him with their whole hearts. That's such a radical faithfulness from Him. We can count on Him to get us home. Captivity has saved our lives, just like it did for Daniel and his friends.
One final note from my Ryrie Study Bible footnote on this chapter. Verse 1 of this chapter tells us this:
After Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and the officials of Judah with the craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem and had brought them to Babylon, the Lord showed me: behold, two baskets of figs set before the temple of the Lord! Jeremiah 24:1, NASB95, emphasis mine
The footnote purports that many of the remarkable, architectural accomplishments of Nebuchadnezzar were performed by these craftsmen and smiths from Jerusalem. Babylon had some of the celebrated accomplishments, like the hanging gardens. I'd never heard that maybe Jews in captivity were responsible for those. Very interesting. They took it to heart that they were to bless their captive cities. Makes me want to use my life to the fullest for God's glory.
Amen.