II Kings 24-25
Dear RTB’ers,
Today we close the Kings books – and what a dramatic close it is! Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon has overwhelmed Assyria and set his sights on Jerusalem and Judah. We see a first deportation in 597 BC (II Kings 24:10-16, esp. vv. 15-16), then a second deportation in 586 BC (II Kings 25:6-7,11,18-21), together with the total destruction of the temple and houses in the city of Jerusalem. Total destruction – the Lord’s judgment on Judah’s failure to follow Him: Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. (v. 24:3-4a)
We read these verses, one after another – destruction, savagery, evil – and we don’t even get the full story. Early next year we will read the book of the prophet Jeremiah, who was inside Jerusalem while all this was going on, was speaking the word of the Lord to various kings and leaders who consistently failed to listen to him. It’s a fascinating book – my favorite of all the prophets. We will also see more of the Israelite captivity in the books of Daniel and Esther, plus the return of the Jews to Jerusalem in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. So, as bad as our readings end today, all is not lost. The Lord has not forgotten His people.
As when we left I Kings and moved to John’s gospel, it will be a relief as we leave II Kings and return to John’s gospel and Jesus’ final week with His disciples. Come join us on Sunday for our discussions of these books! It is Holy Spirit time for all of us gathered!
Blessings!
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