A Look at the Times

Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:18-20

All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. Those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,

Insights: Jewish history began around 2000 B.C., but did not take on a national significance for another 1000 years.  It is then that king Saul comes on the scene and you have a united nation for three kings (Saul, David, and Solomon).  Solomon’s sin at the end of his life was so grievous to God that judgment was called down on Solomon.  The record of this judgment is found in 1 Kings 11:11-12.  At this point in history you have ten of the twelve tribes forming the northern nation of Israel and two of the tribes forming the southern nation of Judah.  In 722 B.C. the Assyrians came down and defeated the nation of Israel and they will not be heard of again in history.  The nation of Judah survives almost three hundred more years (586 B.C.) until Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar comes down and defeats them.  The reason both of these nations were defeated was because it was God’s judgment on them.  The people of the Lord could have been characterized as people who continually disobeyed the Lord God and followed a life of a downward spiral to destruction.  It is at this point today’s verses come into play.  Verse nineteen is crucial to remember as it describes the burning of the temple and the breaking down of the walls surrounding Jerusalem.  This captivity into slavery would last seventy years in fulfillment of God’s word through the prophet Jeremiah.  Then the king of Persia, Cyrus, would in a partnership with Darius, king of the Medes, invade Babylon and defeat them.  After their victory they released the children of God to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple.  A group leaves under Zerubbabel and heads for Jerusalem.  Eighty years later another group leaves under the leadership of Ezra.  Finally a third group leaves thirteen years later under the leadership of Nehemiah.  Ezra would rebuild the temple.  Nehemiah would rebuild the wall.  The previous information helps set the scene for our study in this great book we call Nehemiah.

Questions:

1. Does your life follow a pattern of following hard of the Lord?
2. Does your life follow a pattern of continual disobedience to the Lord?

Prayer: Father, I am a frail and fallen person.  Forgive me of my selfishness and pride.  Move on my heart in such a fashion that my life is characterized by following hard after You.  Amen.