Daily devotion – Put God to the test!
The Seventy-Year Captivity — Trusting the God Who Provides
(2 Chronicles 36:20–21)
Israel’s seventy-year captivity in Babylon was no accident. It was the exact fulfilment of God’s Word spoken through Jeremiah. For 490 years, God’s people had refused to give the land its Sabbath rest every seventh year, as commanded in Exodus 23:10–11. In His mercy and patience God waited centuries, but eventually He took back the years they withheld. The land finally “enjoyed her Sabbaths” while Israel was in Babylon—just as God had warned long before in Leviticus 26:34–35.
Why did Israel refuse to rest the land every seventh year? It was more than poor farming practice—it was a lack of trust. God had promised to provide for them during that Sabbath year, yet they pushed ahead in their own strength, driven by fear, greed, or self-reliance.
We live in a world much the same today: hurried, grasping, anxious for more—and sadly, this mindset has crept into the Church. But as followers of Jesus Christ, our security does not rest on the Reserve Bank of Australia, interest rate cuts, or the shifting tides of the economy. Our provision comes from the Lord Himself.
Jesus said,
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matthew 6:33)
God asks us to trust Him in this very area—even to test Him.
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse… and prove Me now… if I will not open the windows of heaven.” (Malachi 3:10)
In forty-four years of pastoring, every person who has come to me struggling to make ends meet has also shared that they do not practice grace giving unto the Lord. God does not desire to take from us—He desires to show us His faithfulness.
In Haggai’s day, the people said, “It’s not the right time to build the Lord’s house,” yet they lived in their own paneled homes. And what happened?
“You earn wages to put into a bag with holes.” (Haggai 1:6)
A life of self-reliance always leaks.
But God promises,
“The LORD will not allow the righteous soul to famish.” (Proverbs 10:3)
His name is Jehovah-Jireh—The Lord Will Provide.
He has not changed.
Take Him at His Word.
Test Him.
Trust Him.
Let Him prove to you what only He can do.