2nd Kings 25 BACK INTO SLAVERY Three times the Assyrians invaded Israel over one hundred years before the Babylonians invaded Judah three times. Neither Israel nor Judah repented and turned from evil and idolatry to seek the Lord as His sons and daughters should. In grace the Lord gave them ample opportunities time after time to repent. The prophets had preached and warned in Israel. Circumstances in life were allowed to make them aware of the wrong they were doing, but they persisted in the downward course they were on and were scattered. Israel have been known as the "ten lost tribes." Now three times the Babylonians invaded Judah and God dealt in grace the same way He did to Israel. Still evil practices continued. Even the famine in which Jerusalem was starved out did not bring an earnest call for mercy to the Lord.
Our gracious God still does not hasten to judgment but is "longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Patience and longsuffering (a long-temper) are virtues that need to be cultivated in the people of God. Quick snap-judgments may be made and because they are premature, the consequences may not be satisfactory. Evil that continues in spite of warnings does have to be dealt with in our families, assemblies and country, but it is important to give opportunity to repent and turn to the Lord and do that which is right.
Even though Zedekiah and the whole army escaped at night through a passage between two walls, they were soon captured. Just as Ezekiel had prophesied, Zedekiah saw Nebuchadnezzar but didn't see Babylon because his eyes were put out after his sons were killed before his eyes. Willful acts on our part because of self-interest, has an effect on others and leads ultimately to failure. If Zedekiah had listened to the prophet Jeremiah, the destruction of Jerusalem would have been prevented and lives would have been spared. The sorrow of the prophet was deep and real (the book of Lamentations) as he watched the city being torn down, all the valuable treasures taken away, some broken in pieces so they could be carried, and the last of the leadership led away as captives.
There are many kinds of bondage today that people are in, and for some reason do not reject. Substance abuse, moral perversions, materialism, pleasure and self-centered motivation has captured much of society. Even professed Christians fall into this trap of the world, and when the flesh is catered to, the devil takes advantage of such people so that they are enslaved physically, morally and spiritually.
Jeremiah and Gedaliah the governor who was appointed by the Babylonians, both urged non-resistance to their captors. Jeremiah knew that God was allowing these events to take place because both Judah and Israel had turned away from their covenant with Him. Exile was the greatest of the curses when the terms of the covenant with God were rejected. Now it had happened inevitably even after the periods of grace that had been extended to the Jews. People make a serious mistake when they take God, His mercy and His grace for granted. "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," is an unchanging principle.
Jerusalem was demolished; Judah was no longer a functioning entity and all of those who were leaders or were capable of becoming leaders, were taken away. Yet both in the land and in Babylon, God had His servants like Daniel and Ezekiel who kept the Lord before the minds and hearts of the people of God. The spiritual kingdom of God was not taken captive. The hope of the nation to gain back that which they had lost, was gone because of their willful sin. But some of the people like Daniel and his friends, and doubtless others, had been prepared ahead of time by godly parents and instructors who could see what was going to happen. They were able to keep alive the promises and principles of living by faith.
We may not understand all the reasons for the events that take place in life, but we can trust in the grace of our God to enable us to pass through dark times without compromising our light. In spite of declension and departure, God has His people all over the world giving light in dark places. Elijah was carried into heaven in a whirlwind at the beginning of the book of second Kings. Now the book is closed with the people being carried away as humiliated captives who have lost everything because of sin and unwillingness to follow the Lord.
Our consciences can become seared and unable to help us discern what is right or wrong when we choose to ignore God's will and word. Like He was toward the Jews, God is ready and willing to forgive His people when they repent and turn from sin to serve Him by faith. More than one of His children have gone down a wrong path, until there is no real evidence, they are even a child of God. Then they stop for some reason, and are willing to turn again to the Lord who is willing to forgive and let us start again.
For some reason, the son of Nebuchadnezzar who followed him as king of Babylon was inclined to show kindness to Jehoiachin who was the last of Josiah's sons. In this way the line of David was preserved and promised by God. We learned from 2nd Kings what happens when we do not obey our Lord and/or give Him the first place in our lives as His children. When we take matters into our own hands without considering what God wants and says in His word, we make a ruin out of a life that could have been fruitful.
Thankfully, we have the Spirit of God within us as the Person who gives us the understanding of that which is right, and who warns us of that which is wrong. Being under the authority of the New Covenant is certainly a great privilege and blessing as long as we keep the terms of the covenant. If one chooses to ignore the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, it is possible for us to become like those who "go down into the pit."
Wise people read and pay attention to the lessons taught by those who have gone before us. It will preserve us from the failures and consequences those people in Israel and Judah went through. The challenge to us is to read, listen, learn and act upon that which is written in the word of God, is right and pleases God. Then our history will not be a dark period of time which is given as a warning to our children and our children's children.
2Kings 25:6. “So they took the king, and brought him to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.”
DEFEAT AND DESPAIR. It is bound to come: payday is someday – When a nation chooses to turn away from the Lord. It may not be identical but there will be some way What once was a power, now falls by the sword.
It may not be with the sword of an army – Or a great battle that is pitched and fought – But the inward weakness becomes so wormy, That truth is sold and righteousness comes to naught.
Leaders failed; the wise men stopped thinking – Religious leaders forsook the ways of the Lord. Only the poor remained to keep from permanently sinking Into oblivion the memory of God’s Word.
It seems to be repeated over and over – Because lessons we should often have learned – We ignored and despised and can no longer cover – The awful results of the wrong road where we turned.
The God of the past is still the God of the present – We may think He has changed His word and His ways. But that is not true, when we refuse to repent our God doesn’t Compromise at all what He does and He says.
Let none ever think that sin has no wages – Those wages God has declared is spiritual death. Today it is the same as down through past ages – Men bring on themselves His judgment and wrath.
“I thank Thee, O God, for giving us examples of failure for ‘our learning and admonition.’ Help me to be alert to any practices that will bring about defeat and despair to Thy people. Give me courage to stand and declare ‘the righteous acts of God.’ In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”