70 Years of captivity

8Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, 9I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy^a them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. 10I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. 11This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

12“But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians,^b for their guilt,” declares the Lord, “and will make it desolate forever. 13I will bring on that land all the things I have spoken against it, (Jeremiah 25); 

This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  (Jeremiah 29:10,11)

In the first year of (Darius's) 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, petition, fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. (Daniel 9:2)

The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of desolation it rested, until seventy years was completed in fulfillment of the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah.  (2 Chr. 36:21)

Thoughts:  The people were in exile 70 years from the time of the exile in 586 BC until the completion of the Temple in 516 BC.  This is an amazing prophecy.  Jeremiah prophesied Babylon would take them into exile and that in 70 years they would come back.  Daniel quoted from Jeremiah, and the writer of 2 Chronicles recognized the fulfillment of the prophecy.  This shows that God is God of time and of His people.  We should trust our future and our lives in obedience to the All-knowing and almighty God.  

Prayer: Lord, Thank you for fulfilling your word and being so faithful to redeem your people.