The Grinding Gears of Providence Text: Daniel 11:5-9
Introduction: God in the Details
We live in an age that is allergic to the sovereignty of God. Men want a God who is generally in charge of the big picture, a sort of celestial chairman of the board, but they refuse to have Him meddling in the details. They want a God who handles the sun and stars, but not the stumblings of petty kings and the sordid business of their political marriages. Our God, the God of the Bible, is not such a God. He is the God who declares the end from the beginning, and He does not do it in broad, vague strokes. He does it with breathtaking precision.
The book of Daniel is a sustained assault on the notion that history is a random series of unfortunate events. It is a declaration that Jehovah, the God of a tiny, captive nation, is the one who sets up kings and brings them down. He is the one who gives dominion, and He is the one who takes it away. In the previous chapters, we have seen this sovereignty displayed in grand, sweeping visions: the great statue of empires, the beasts rising from the sea. But here in chapter 11, the camera zooms in. The prophecy becomes so minutely detailed, so historically precise, that liberal scholars have been forced into the absurd position of claiming it must have been written after the events it describes. They do this because their anti-supernatural bias will not allow them to admit the obvious: that God knows the future because He is the one writing it.
This chapter is a detailed history of the conflicts between the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt (the king of the South) and the Seleucid dynasty in Syria (the king of the North). These were two of the four kingdoms that arose from the ashes of Alexander the Great's empire. Why would God bother to reveal all this intricate, messy, and frankly pagan history to his prophet Daniel hundreds of years in advance? He does it to show His people, then and now, that the gears of His providence are always turning. The squabbles of godless kings, their treaties, their betrayals, and their wars, are all being orchestrated by a sovereign hand to prepare the world for the coming of the King of kings. This is not random chaos; it is the overture to the Messiah.
We must understand this history not as a dry academic exercise, but as a profound encouragement. If God is in control of the intricate rise and fall of the Ptolemies and Seleucids, then He is most certainly in control of the buffoons and tyrants who strut and fret their hour upon our modern stage. He is working all things, even the sordid affairs of wicked men, together for the good of His people and the glory of His Son.
The Text
Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes who will grow strong over him and obtain dominion; indeed, his domain will be a great dominion. And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out an equitable arrangement. But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he continue to stand with his power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who strengthened her in those times. But one of the descendants of her line will stand in his place, and he will come against their military force and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display strength. And also their gods with their metal images and their desirable vessels of silver and gold he will bring into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will stand back from attacking the king of the North for some years. Then the latter will enter the kingdom of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.
(Daniel 11:5-9 LSB)
The Southern and Northern Powers (v. 5)
The prophecy begins by setting the stage, identifying the two major players who emerged from Alexander's fragmented empire.
"Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes who will grow strong over him and obtain dominion; indeed, his domain will be a great dominion." (Daniel 11:5)
The "king of the South" is a title for the ruler of Egypt, the Ptolemaic dynasty, established by one of Alexander's generals, Ptolemy I Soter. He is the one who will "grow strong." But the verse also speaks of "one of his princes" who will grow even stronger. This is a reference to another of Alexander's generals, Seleucus I Nicator. Initially, Seleucus served under Ptolemy, which is why he is called one of his "princes." But he eventually broke away and established his own kingdom to the north and east of Judea, the Seleucid empire, centered in Syria. His domain was indeed a "great dominion," far larger geographically than Ptolemy's Egypt.
Right from the start, God is laying out the board. The land of Israel is caught right in the middle of these two Hellenistic superpowers. For centuries, Judea would be the battlefield, the political football, passed back and forth between the king of the South and the king of the North. This is not an accident of geography. God placed His people at the crossroads of the world, and He is now detailing how He will sovereignly control the traffic on those roads. He is demonstrating that the fate of nations is not determined in the war rooms of Alexandria or Antioch, but in the throne room of heaven.
A Failed Political Marriage (v. 6)
Next, we see a classic attempt by men to secure peace and power through human means, and we see God's verdict on it.
"And after some years they will form an alliance, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to carry out an equitable arrangement. But she will not retain her position of power, nor will he continue to stand with his power, but she will be given up, along with those who brought her in and the one who fathered her as well as he who strengthened her in those times." (Daniel 11:6 LSB)
This verse is a stunningly precise prophecy. "After some years," around 250 B.C., Ptolemy II of Egypt (the king of the South) made an alliance with his rival, Antiochus II of Syria (the king of the North). The "equitable arrangement" was this: Antiochus II agreed to divorce his wife, Laodice, and marry Ptolemy II's daughter, Berenice. She is the "daughter of the king of the South." The plan was that her future son would inherit the Seleucid throne, uniting the two kingdoms.
But God says it will not work. "She will not retain her position of power." And she didn't. When her father, Ptolemy II, died, Antiochus II took back his first wife, Laodice. "Nor will he continue to stand with his power." Laodice, fearing another reversal, promptly poisoned Antiochus II. "She will be given up." Laodice then had Berenice and her infant son murdered. "...along with those who brought her in..." Her Egyptian entourage was also killed. "...and the one who fathered her..." Her father, Ptolemy II, had already died. "...as well as he who strengthened her in those times." This refers to her husband, Antiochus II, who supported her for a time before casting her aside.
Look at the intricate failure of this man-made plan. Every component of the political scheme is identified by God centuries beforehand and marked for demolition. Men think they can secure their futures through shrewd alliances and political marriages, but their plans are chaff before the wind of God's purpose. He is the one who determines the succession of kings, not the arranged marriages of pagan dynasts. This is a lesson our own political schemers would do well to learn.
The Southern Avenger (v. 7-8)
The treachery of the North does not go unanswered. God now describes the retribution that will come from the South.
"But one of the descendants of her line will stand in his place, and he will come against their military force and enter the fortress of the king of the North, and he will deal with them and display strength. And also their gods with their metal images and their desirable vessels of silver and gold he will bring into captivity to Egypt, and he on his part will stand back from attacking the king of the North for some years." (Daniel 11:7-8 LSB)
The murdered Berenice had a brother. He is the "one of the descendants of her line," and his name was Ptolemy III. When he "stood in his place," succeeding his father as king of Egypt, he launched a massive invasion of the Seleucid empire to avenge his sister's murder. This is known as the Third Syrian War.
The prophecy says "he will come against their military force and enter the fortress of the king of the North." History records that Ptolemy III's campaign was a stunning success. He swept through Syria, even capturing the capital city of Antioch, the "fortress of the king of the North." He displayed immense strength, just as the angel told Daniel.
And what did he do there? Verse 8 tells us he would carry off their idols and treasures to Egypt. Historical sources confirm this. Ptolemy III returned to Egypt with an enormous amount of plunder, including some 2,500 idols and molten images that a previous Persian king had taken from Egypt centuries before. This act earned him the title "Euergetes," or "Benefactor," from his grateful Egyptian subjects. After this great victory, he did indeed "stand back from attacking the king of the North for some years." He was recalled to Egypt to deal with a revolt, and a truce was established.
A Weak Northern Response (v. 9)
The passage concludes with the predictable but feeble counter-attack from the humiliated king of the North.
"Then the latter will enter the kingdom of the king of the South, but will return to his own land." (Daniel 11:9 LSB)
The "latter" refers to the king of the North, who at this time was Seleucus II, the son of the murderous Laodice. After Ptolemy III returned to Egypt, Seleucus II attempted a retaliatory invasion to "enter the kingdom of the king of the South." But the campaign was an utter disaster. His army was defeated, and his fleet was destroyed by a storm. He was forced to limp back to Syria, returning "to his own land" in failure, exactly as prophesied.
Every detail is precise. Every move and counter-move is foretold. This is not astrology or vague soothsaying. This is the living God demonstrating His meticulous control over the affairs of men. He is showing His people that the rise and fall of these great empires, these kings of the North and South, are not the main story. They are the backdrop. They are the stagehands moving the props around for the great drama of redemption that is about to unfold.
Conclusion: History is His Story
Why does this ancient history matter to us? It matters because it establishes the character of our God. He is not a distant, deistic clockmaker. He is the sovereign Lord of history, and He governs it down to the last sordid detail. The political maneuverings of these Hellenistic kings were not meaningless. They were part of God's plan to prepare the world for the coming of His Son.
The constant conflict between North and South weakened both empires. The spread of the Greek language and culture throughout this region, a process called Hellenization, created a common tongue that would be used to spread the gospel. The political instability in Judea created a deep longing for the true Son of David, the Messiah who would establish a kingdom that could not be shaken.
This passage is a powerful antidote to the anxiety and fear that grips so many Christians today. We look at the world stage and see chaos. We see powerful, godless rulers making their plans, and we tremble. But Daniel 11 reminds us that their plans are footnotes in God's grand narrative. He is the one who gives them dominion for a time, and He is the one who brings their arrogant schemes to nothing.
The same God who orchestrated the marriage of Berenice and the revenge of Ptolemy III is the God who is seated at the right hand of the Father, ruling and reigning until all His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. The history of the world since the ascension of Jesus is the history of that footstool being put into place. The gears of providence are still grinding, and they are grinding out the victory of the gospel and the establishment of Christ's kingdom over all the earth. Therefore, we are not to be anxious. We are to be faithful, knowing that the God who governs the details is the God who guarantees the outcome.