And the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
--2 Chronicles 36:15 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on August 4, 2013 of Psalm 130; Luke 10:1-24; 2 Chronicles 36-Ezra 1.
The kings of Judah were a mixed lot. Some were exceptionally good, doing right in the eyes of God and leading their people to righteousness, by example and by decree when necessary. But many of the kings proved wickedly bad and downright evil, causing their subjects to sin by turning their backs on God and worshiping craven images and the false gods of their neighbors. Each time a good king would come along and reinstate God's law and tear down the false idols and the places where these were worshiped, a bad king would follow and undo all the good that had been accomplished. Toward the end of the second book of Chronicles we read of a string of bad kings, one after another, committing atrocities and abominations to God, some serving for only a few months before being deposed, one only eight years old and still doing evil in the sight of the Lord! Even the priests and the spiritual leaders turned from the ways of the Lord. With His anger growing, God punished the kings and the people often, empowering foreign nations to come in and conquer them, to take some captive, and to carry off great treasure, including from the house of the Lord. And the people simply couldn't or wouldn't take a hint but instead continued their wickedness and evil ways.
Finally, God had enough. He loved His people and the Temple, but He could not let this behavior continue. It was His love that made Him act, so that at least some of the people might be saved. He increased the frequency and severity of the punishments. He stepped up His warnings, giving His message, His words, to His prophets like Jeremiah, who spoke for the Lord and cautioned the kings and the people that they must return to honoring God and obeying His voice or there would be a terrible price to pay. When all this failed to change the hearts of the people, God raised up Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire to completely defeat and dominate Judah. The Temple was destroyed, its treasure carried off to a Babylonian temple. The kings and people were taken captive to Babylon. And the land of Judah was finally allowed its Sabbath rest, for seventy years, as Jeremiah had prophesied.
God loved the people, but they turned their backs on Him. Yes, some indeed loved and feared the Lord and tried their best to follow Him and be righteous in His eyes. But they still had to suffer the same earthly fate as the wicked. There are so many parallels, too many, between Jeremiah's Judah and our United States today. We need to learn from the lesson the children of Israel were given. We need to listen to God's holy people and heed His Word and turn back to Him and follow Him with all our heart. Otherwise there will be a terrible price to pay. God loves us, so He has given us plenty of warning. We must repent of our evil ways and believe in Jesus our Lord and Master, so that some might be saved. Amen.
Heavenly Father, like the people of ancient Judah, we sin mightily against You. Although You have been ever faithful to us, we have turned our backs on You and spurned Your Word. Forgive us, please Father, and help us more closely heed Your voice. Strengthen us, Lord Jesus, to do what is right in a world that rewards wrong. In the gracious name of Jesus Christ we seek mercy and we pray. Amen.
Finally, God had enough. He loved His people and the Temple, but He could not let this behavior continue. It was His love that made Him act, so that at least some of the people might be saved. He increased the frequency and severity of the punishments. He stepped up His warnings, giving His message, His words, to His prophets like Jeremiah, who spoke for the Lord and cautioned the kings and the people that they must return to honoring God and obeying His voice or there would be a terrible price to pay. When all this failed to change the hearts of the people, God raised up Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian Empire to completely defeat and dominate Judah. The Temple was destroyed, its treasure carried off to a Babylonian temple. The kings and people were taken captive to Babylon. And the land of Judah was finally allowed its Sabbath rest, for seventy years, as Jeremiah had prophesied.
God loved the people, but they turned their backs on Him. Yes, some indeed loved and feared the Lord and tried their best to follow Him and be righteous in His eyes. But they still had to suffer the same earthly fate as the wicked. There are so many parallels, too many, between Jeremiah's Judah and our United States today. We need to learn from the lesson the children of Israel were given. We need to listen to God's holy people and heed His Word and turn back to Him and follow Him with all our heart. Otherwise there will be a terrible price to pay. God loves us, so He has given us plenty of warning. We must repent of our evil ways and believe in Jesus our Lord and Master, so that some might be saved. Amen.
Heavenly Father, like the people of ancient Judah, we sin mightily against You. Although You have been ever faithful to us, we have turned our backs on You and spurned Your Word. Forgive us, please Father, and help us more closely heed Your voice. Strengthen us, Lord Jesus, to do what is right in a world that rewards wrong. In the gracious name of Jesus Christ we seek mercy and we pray. Amen.
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