Context

The exiles from Israel had to wait 70 years before they experienced the blessings God promised. 150 years from now, the only thing that will matter in our lives is whether or not we have a relationship with Jesus. In this letter and always, God is in control. In verse 4, the Lord takes credit for taking the Israelites into exile. God is not wondering if He can do something, He is always in control. Even when people do bad things that angry God, He is still in control. The suffering that Jesus went through was voluntary. God is in control, even when bad people do bad things, He does not cause people to do bad things, but He is still in control. God is not causing evil, but at anytime, He has the power and capacity to end it. Jesus bore our punishment even though He did nothing wrong. God has a plan, and to understand the present, we need to know about the future. When we read the word of God, we cannot pull out a verse here and there, we must look at the whole word in context. If the Israelites were going to survive, they needed to take a long term view. The future generations really count. We need to let our work be a witness that we work for the Lord.