In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. Daniel 9:1-3 (NIV).
One of my daily Bible studies right now is Jeremiah, and I’m really enjoying it. What? You’re enjoying the depressing words of the Weeping Prophet? Yep! That’s the very one. I’ve read the book before, but before, I had read it grudgingly. With writing these words about Daniel, I’ve come to view Jeremiah (indeed all the prophets of the exile) in a new light. If you want to know more about Jeremiah, see https://www.gotquestions.org/weeping-prophet.html.
Jeremiah was a big deal. He was the prophet who had warned Israel of pending doom. God had told him (repeatedly) that He would allow Jerusalem to be destroyed and the nation taken into captivity. They didn’t listen, so it happened. And, while the Jews were in captivity, Jeremiah wept, prayed, and lamented; he also wrote the books of Jeremiah, Lamentations, and both 1 and 2 Kings. Jeremiah himself didn’t go to Babylon, for God had told him to prophesy to the people that they should surrender to Babylon without a fight (lest the city be burned, which it was, because they ignored God). Nebuchadnezzar spared him, and he remained in Israel for a time. We don’t know when Jeremiah died, but it is believed he might have died in Egypt (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremiah).
Most importantly, Jeremiah prophesied that Israel would be in captivity for seventy years. That exact number is then repeated several times in various books by three different authors (specifically in 2 Chronicles, Jeremiah, and here in Daniel). Keep that figure of seventy in mind; we’ll soon see another reason why it’s significant.
Perhaps it isn’t surprising, if you understand that many of the prophecies in the Old Testament are cross-corroborated in other books in the Bible. Or, perhaps it is surprising, meaning that maybe God is opening your heart to the knowledge of how truly fantastic His Word truly is.
I encourage you to read more on Jeremiah (who, said the song, was a bullfrog). He’s one of the few Biblical figures considered divinely inspired in Judaism, Christianity, and even in Islam. Then come back to Daniel to learn about Daniel’s prayer and why ‘the seventies’ are a big deal, too.
For further reading: 2 Chronicles 20:3, 2 Chronicles 36:21, Ezra 4:6, Nehemiah 1:4, Jeremiah 25:11-12, Jeremiah 29:10-12, Jonah 3:6, Zechariah 1:12, Daniel 9:4
Lord, I follow only You seventy times seven times.
If you’d like to know more about Practical Proverbials, please contact aspiringwriterdt@gmail.com for more information
If you’d like to know more about Practical Proverbials, please contact aspiringwriterdt@gmail.com for more information
Practical Proverbs 