Nebuchadnezzar Attacks and Jerusalem is Destroyed

“God Himself could not sink this ship,” boasted a deck hand aboard R. M. S. Titanic in 1912. The ... More

Destruction

At the death of Josiah, his son Jehoahaz was crowned king (v. 1) He was 23 years old at the time and only ruled three months (v. 2). He was captured by King Neco from Egypt, who forced Judah to pay 100 talents of silver and 1 talent of gold (v. 3). Neco made Jehoahaz’s older brother, Eliakim, king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim (v. 4). Jehoahaz was sent to Egypt as a prisoner. Jehoiakim ruled 11 years in Jerusalem (v. 5). He was an evil, disobedient king. During his rule, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, arrested Jehoiakim, and sent him to Babylon in chains (v. 6). Nebuchadnezzar carried off many things from the Lord’s temple and put them in his palace in Babylon (v. 7). Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, then became King and ruled for only 3 months and 10 days (v. 9). He also disobeyed the Lord by doing evil (v. 10). King Nebuchadnezzar had Jehoiachin arrested and taken to Babylon with many valuable items in the temple. Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s brother, then became king of Judah and ruled for eleven years (v. 11). He disobeyed God and refused to change his ways even after a warning from the prophet Jeremiah (v. 12). He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia who had forced him to sign a promise that he would be loyal (v. 13). Zedekiah was stubborn and refused to turn back to the Lord.

As time went on, the people became more unfaithful as they followed the example of the nations around them (v. 14). Instead of destroying his people, God felt sorry for them and sent prophets to warn them over and over (v. 15). But the people ignored them, and God finally rose against them in anger (v. 16). He sent Nebuchadnezzar to attack Jerusalem showing no mercy on anyone (v. 17). He robbed the treasury and carried off everything in the temple, taking it back to Babylon (v. 18). His troops burned down the temple, destroyed every important building and broke down the city wall (v. 19). The survivors were taken as prisoners to Babylonia and were made slaves of the king and his sons (v. 20). Judah laid desolate for 70 years to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest (v. 21). In the first year that Cyrus was king of Persia he sent a message that the Lord God had chosen him to build a temple in Jerusalem as a place for the Jews to go back to (vv. 22-23).

Application

I never like to see things destroyed that the Lord has made. However, it may be God’s way of purifying things just as he did with the flood in Noah’s day. He will never destroy my salvation.

II Chronicles 36:1-23 (English Standard Version)


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