Chapter Seventeen

The week of May 13


The Kingdoms' Fall

Judah in the southern part of Israel was the only remaining kingdom. For a little over a century it continued its downward spiral of wrong choices, empty gods, and bad kings. One such king was Manasseh, who reigned 55 years.

Pp 231-3  They say that insanity is doing again and again what has not worked before. Manasseh rebuilt the high places and altars to Baal. He even built these altars in the Temple of the Living God. He pursued what we would call new age religion and even sacrificed one of his own sons. Sincerity off-course only leads in a wrong direction. When a leader leads in the wrong direction, the people have to determine if they would follow. Unfortunately they did follow by doing more evil than the nations they had displaced.

Manasseh was the cause and the effect was that he was captured and taken to Assyria. He repented during his imprisonment and the Lord restored him. Why is God open to people turning back to Him? Why should we not live as if we could rely on God’s openness to accept repentance at a moments notice? Manasseh’s son Amon is an example of someone who never came around.

Pp 233-4  Josiah was a anomaly in a series of evil kings. He was a good king who renewed and reformed the Temple and Judah. The Book of the Law was rediscovered (there was so much evil that they had not realized it was missing) and God was revered for 31 years.

But Kings Jehoahaz, Jehoikim, Jehoiachin continued with evil reigns. Eventually the latter was taken in exile to Babylon. The Temple was decimated and only the poor were left in the land.

Pp 234-7  When hopelessness reigns, God raises up a prophet, in this case, Elijah in Babylon. After a stirring vision of God’s glory, Elijah was emboldened to speak to the rebellious Israelites. Disaster in terms of death or captivity was warned. But the people did not listen.

Pp 237-40  Jeremiah the prophet was raised up to speak for God in Jerusalem. He was told he was chosen even before he was born and God’s words would be in his mouth. His tears represented God’s broken heart for His people. The people had forsaken God and dug their own water pots that could not hold water. How representative of so many generations. They would reap destruction for leaving God. Why is it hard to believe that when we leave God our biggest enemy is ourselves?

Pp 241-3  King Zedekiah was as evil as any king. He would not be under any yoke, including that of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. But God predicted that Jerusalem was doomed and its people killed or taken into captivity. And so it happened, with the Temple left in ruins.

Pp 243-7 Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel foresaw a time or restoration. Jeremiah spoke of sins and lawless deeds remembered no more. Ezekiel spoke of a new heart and new spirit, through God’s own Spirit, within each believer.