Page 83 - Biblical Backgrounds

In any case, God sovereignly and providentially sustained his people throughout their captivity in
Babylon. Although the Jews suffered greatly and faced powerful cultural pressures in a foreign land, they
maintained their national spirit and religious identity. God raised faithful and uncompromising men,
such as Daniel, to positions of leadership and influence in the foreign land (Daniel 2:48). Through their
obedient actions, such men influenced not only the lives of fellow Jews but also those of pagan leaders
(Dan. 3:8-30). Daniel might have been influential in the release of Jehoiachin, the imprisoned Jewish king
in Babylonia. (2 Kings 25:27–30)

Meanwhile, godly men such as Ezekiel communicated God’s counsel to God’s people. Elders acting as
representatives of Jewish communities frequently visited Ezekiel to hear God’s Word (Ezekiel 8:1; 14:1;
20:1). “Apparently, the lines of communication were open, too. Jeremiah wrote letters to the captives in
Babylonia (Jeremiah 29:1). The captives in Babylon also wrote letters to friends in Judah (Jeremiah
29:25). To what degree they preserved the true faith among the Jews in captivity must be left open to
question, but they do not seem to have succumbed in any substantial numbers to the idolatry of the
Babylonians.” 114 This is demonstrated by significant spiritual reform in Jerusalem upon their return,
recorded in the books of Nehemiah and Ezra.

Jewish artisans and other skilled men (2 Kings 24:14) evidently advanced their skills while in Babylonia.
Their participation in building Babylon and other prominent cities afforded them a learning opportunity
in advanced arts and crafts. Their successful rebuilding of the walls in Jerusalem while fighting off
enemies (Nehemiah 4:15-23) indicates that a good number of Jewish men possessed some military skill,
which they likely acquired from the Babylonian army.

Clearly, in all this, God still shaped his people for their restoration and the reformation that soon took
place in Jerusalem, which we will cover in the following chapter.
Temples Afire

Temples were the focal point of civic life and the target for invaders. The patron deities of the city were
believed to dwell in the temples. Festivals were held around temples, and valuables were deposited in
them (they were actually the earliest banks).

For invaders, the capture of the central temple served several purposes, not the least of which was
obtaining the wealth stored there. To take the temple was also to show that the gods of the city had
chosen the conquerors over the local inhabitants. This meant that the conquerors were now the
legitimate rulers of the people, land, and any possessions.

The burning of the central temple was a declaration of unconditional victory. Often, it was the location
of the last stand of resistance. Only if the gods of the city had abandoned that city to its fate would they
allow their own home to be destroyed. When Sennacherib destroyed Babylon and the temple of
Marduk in 689 B.C., he claimed to have done so on behalf of Marduk, who wished to punish his people
for their evil behavior.

The captors were understood to have free rein with the city and its populace. The defeated city had no
gods to whom they might appeal for mercy and no hope for a change in their fate. Their gods were

114 Vos, H. F. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible manners & customs: how the people of the Bible really lived (pp.
312–313). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson Publishers.

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