Tough As Nails: DanielSample

Lamentations 4:22 makes this prophetic promise: “Your punishment will end, Daughter Zion; he will not prolong your exile. But he will punish your sin, Daughter Edom, and expose your wickedness.” Then Ezra 5 records the fulfillment of that promise. More specifically, we read about a letter of complaint from Tattenai (an enemy of Israel’s) to the great king Darius who took over Babylon after its fall (Daniel 5:31-6:1). He warned him that the Israelites were rebuilding their temple and he must put a stop to it. Who could have predicted that a pagan king would conquer Israel’s enemies in Babylon and then affirm the release of Israel, even paying for the temple to be rebuilt?!