Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / The Destruction of Judah - The Books of 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, and Jeremiah

Transcript

The Destruction of Judah - The Books of 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, and Jeremiah · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. All the kingdoms of the earth hath
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: the Lord God of heaven given me, and he hath
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: is in Judea. 2 Chronicles 36.23 Heavenly Father, in the
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: midst of my most trying circumstances, and in the moments
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: where I feel like I am being held captive to
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: my past mistakes, My heart will rejoice in the words
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: you've spoken over me today through the prophet Jeremiah. In
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: spite of what I see, I choose to declare that
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: you know every plan and purpose for my life. I
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: rejoice that in your great plan, you desire to give
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: me hope and a future, life and not death. Therefore,
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: like the words in today's reading, I will change the
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: environment I am in and hold steadfast to your ways
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: until the time of my deliverance. Because you promised to
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: bring me out and set my feet on fertile soil,
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: soil ready to receive my seed of faith, to unlock
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: the harvest of abundance that you have for me. In Jesus' name. Amen.
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Thank you for praying with us today. Continue your time
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: with God by listening to today's Bible story. Brought to
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: The Destruction of Judah In our last story, we learned
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: of God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah. His words of comfort, justice,
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: and repentance began to truly affect the hearts of Judah. However,
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: the king planted seeds of doubt and burned his words
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: in the fire. Now we learn about the destruction of
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: Judah at the hands of Babylon. The enormous nation rises
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: up like a great beast to completely destroy Judah and
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: all its inhabitants. Captives are taken like cattle back to Babylon,
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: but not without a glimmer of hope for the future.
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: Inspired by the books of 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, and Jeremiah.
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our last episode, we heard
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: how Jeremiah's words often fell on deaf ears, and how
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: the priests of Judah were some of the biggest opponents,
• 2:48
  Speaker 3: even trying to put him, the prophet, to death. But
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: Jeremiah was not afraid. And along with his scribe Baruch,
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Jeremiah recorded God's warnings on a scroll to speak truth
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: to his generation and generations to come. Sparks of revival
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: flickered in the land, but the harshness and hard-hearted nature
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: of King Jehoiakim kept the people from truly turning back
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: to God. Today, we'll hear how the enemy from the north,
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: the great nation of Babylon, finally descends upon Judah to
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: enact God's judgment on his people. God's people are led
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: away as slaves. amid destruction and devastation of their home.
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: But this is not a story without hope, because we
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: know that God always has a plan and a purpose
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: for His own, and that God is faithful. Let's listen
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: now to God's Word.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Josiah's time as king was over. The battlefield claimed him,
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: and the reforming king was sent to the dust. His
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: son Jehoahaz took his place as king. He was a
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: young man, only 23 years old. Although he possessed similar
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: traits as his father, he would be unable to rule
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: rightly in Judah, for a rising threat emerged from the south.
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: Egypt had risen up against Judah with chariots of iron.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: The king of Egypt, Necho, met Jehoahaz on the battlefield
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: and claimed him. He captured the king and drug him
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: back to Egypt as captive. The king desired to dominate Judah,
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: but not rule it. So he appointed Jehoahaz's younger brother
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: as king in his place. Eliakim was also the son
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: of Josiah, but possessed none of his noble qualities. He
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: was a quiet and brooding man. He was a wicked
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: and self-serving king. Pharaoh changed his name to Jehoakim. Egypt
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: was cruel and dominant. However, it was but a fish
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: compared to the shark that lurked in the distance. The
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: great beast Babylon was growing in the north. Its mighty
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: army was vast, unlike any in history. Babylon was the
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: great boiling point from the north that Jeremiah had once seen.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: And like a shark that senses blood, Babylon approached when
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: Judah was at its most vulnerable. King Jehoiakim woke in
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: the middle of the night to screaming. He looked out
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: his window to see pillars of fire lighting up the horizon.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: The city of Jerusalem was burning. Women and children rushed
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: out of burning buildings as men lifted their swords to
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: attack the incoming Babylonians. Jehoiakim watched as every man was
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: slaughtered in the streets. Panicked, Jehoiakim gathered his things to
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: escape out the back of the palace. As he went
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: to open his door, it burst open with force. Jehoiakim
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: fell flat on his back and looked up to see him.
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: He was tall and dripping with power. His armored chest
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: was broad and puffed outward. His salt and pepper beard
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: was dirtied from ash and blood. His eyes were dark
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: and glaring. Jehoiakim looked up in terror at the infamous
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: king Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian king said nothing. He sauntered towards
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: the half-naked king of Judah and leaned down. He picked
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: him up with ease. as if he was lifting a
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: cat by its neck fur. Jehoiakim trembled and begged for mercy.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: Nebuchadnezzar gave an impassive stare. His eyes were pits of
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: unrepentant evil. There would be no mercy dispensed from him.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: He threw the small king onto the ground and had
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: his men bind him in chains. Jehoiakim said nothing. He
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: knew that this would be the end of his life.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: It would be the end of Judah itself. King Nebuchadnezzar
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: and his army scoured the city of Jerusalem for wealth.
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: They went from house to house, seizing any and all
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: gold and silver. They opened up the house of the
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: Lord and carried away all its vessels and precious items.
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: After stripping Judah naked, Nebuchadnezzar left. He allowed for Jehoakim's son, Jehoakim,
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: to reign in his father's place. Nebuchadnezzar needed Judah to
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: remain a nation as a strategic edge over Egypt and Assyria.
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: Jehoiakim was evil, like his brother, and a willing servant
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: of Nebuchadnezzar. However, his rule was short-lived. After only three
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: months and ten days, he was summoned to Babylon and
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: kept there for the rest of his days. After Jehoiakim
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: was taken away, Nebuchadnezzar appointed his uncle, Zedekiah, as king.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: Zedekiah was a young man, only 21 years old. He
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: was filled with pride and patriotism. He ignored the calls
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: of Jeremiah to repent. and instead warred against God and
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: the kingdom of Babylon. Vainly he rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar.
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: He provoked him to anger. This would prove to be
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: more fuel for the king of Babylon to tighten his
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: grip on Judah. The priests and leaders of Judah followed
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: in Zedekiah's footsteps. They rebelled against God and turned to
• 7:49
  Speaker 2: the idols of ancient cultures. They defiled the house of
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: the Lord and sent Judah's leaders into madness. Yet the
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: Lord continued to send his message of compassion. He used
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: his prophets to warn them of their ways. He wanted
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: them to turn to him and cry out to him,
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: as the slaves in Egypt once did. If they had
• 8:09
  Speaker 2: just humbled themselves and asked, he would have answered. Instead,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: they dug their own graves by warring against Babylon and
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: turning from God. The image of the potter burned in
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah's mind as he watched his nation break. There would
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: be hope soon. But now was the time for destruction.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: The Chaldeans were the next nation to rise up against Judah.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: Under the banner of Babylon, the great army stormed Jerusalem
• 8:35
  Speaker 2: like a great beast. The walls of Jerusalem began to
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: crack under the force of Chaldean battering rams. Balls of
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: fire were sent flying through the air, crashing into homes.
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: The Chaldeans broke down the walls of Jerusalem. The crumbling
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: stone shook the earth and signaled for the entire city
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: to run. Panic filled the streets. Chaldean soldiers showed no mercy.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: Women were pinned to the floor and raped. Men's heads
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: were thrown onto pikes. Children were chained up and sent
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: into slavery. The city charred as the screams of men
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: and women rose up with the smoke. There in the
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: middle of the city was the Temple of God. The
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: cedar beams and golden walls were turning to black as
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: the fire consumed it. All its altars turned to ash
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: and all hope faded into oblivion. The surviving Judeans were
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: captured and chained. With the burning city of Jerusalem at
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: their backs, they marched forward to Babylon. God's people were
• 9:33
  Speaker 2: carted off like cattle. Once again, slaves. The heart of
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: God ached for his people to cry out to him.
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: He had Jeremiah send a word to them, a word
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: of hope and clarity.' My children,' God said,' you will
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: be taken captive by Babylon, but this is not the
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: end of you. Go there and thrive.' Plant gardens, build homes,
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: and start families. Be there and affect the culture forever. good.
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: When seventy years are completed, I will come to you.
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: I will free you and bring you back. The words
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: filled the captive's hearts with both joy and sorrow. I
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: have great plans for you. Plans for good and not evil.
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: I will give you a future and a hope. When
• 10:19
  Speaker 2: you call upon me, I will be there. When you
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: seek me, I will restore your soul. I will set
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: you free. So the people of Judah were brought to Babylon,
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: where they would be captives for 70 years.
• 10:36
  Speaker 3: As we begin today's reading, Judah has fallen into the
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: hands of Egypt. But rather than take Judah into captivity,
• 10:44
  Speaker 3: Egypt only controls the nation, appointing one of Josiah's son, Eliakim,
• 10:49
  Speaker 3: as king, though he was a king with no real
• 10:51
  Speaker 3: power and lacking the integrity of his father. The king
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: of Egypt even made him change his name to Jehoiakim.
• 10:59
  Speaker 3: Judah was experiencing hardship and suffering, but nothing like what
• 11:03
  Speaker 3: was coming. The Lord had shown Jeremiah the prophet the
• 11:07
  Speaker 3: vision of a pot boiling with water facing north. It
• 11:10
  Speaker 3: represented Babylon, the giant nation, who had risen to greater
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: power than any other before. Josiah had foolishly allowed the
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: Babylonians into Judah to show off the prosperity of a
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: small nation and thus set in motion a conquest that
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: would bring about God's punishment for the disobedience and unfaithfulness
• 11:29
  Speaker 3: of his people. The destruction of Judah did not happen
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: all at once. It began with a Babylonian invasion of
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: Jerusalem while Jehoiakim was ruler. King Nebuchadnezzar easily overtook the
• 11:41
  Speaker 3: city and sent Jehoiakim into captivity to Babylon. The Babylonians
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: began to pillage everything of value from Judah. The treasures
• 11:50
  Speaker 3: Josiah had so willingly shown them were taken and sent
• 11:54
  Speaker 3: back to Babylon. And so began a cycle of oppression
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: as Nebuchadnezzar and his armies picked Jerusalem apart, taking wealth
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: of any kind even from the house of God. The
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: Babylonians would appoint a Jewish king who did not believe
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: in God. And yet, even as Judah was being conquered
• 12:13
  Speaker 3: and ruled by a pagan nation, God continued calling his
• 12:17
  Speaker 3: people back to himself through prophets like Jeremiah. It was
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: not God's desire to punish his people permanently, but to
• 12:24
  Speaker 3: cause them and to call them back to him, that
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: they would cry out for forgiveness, deliverance, and salvation. The
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: Babylonians were God's rod of iron to chastise his people. Sadly,
• 12:39
  Speaker 3: they turned the other way. falling back again into idol worship,
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: forgetting their only hope for rescue was God Almighty. Next
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: came the Chaldeans who served Babylon. They invaded Jerusalem and
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: tore down her walls. Death, destruction, violation, everything imaginable you
• 12:59
  Speaker 3: can think of happened to the people of Judah. It
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: was a terrible and tragic time for the people who
• 13:05
  Speaker 3: refused to call out to God. However, when all seemed lost,
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: God sent a word of hope and a promise and
• 13:13
  Speaker 3: a letter from Jeremiah. He had not abandoned his plan
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: to bless these people and use them to bless the world.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: God made a promise to Israel and he would keep it.
• 13:23
  Speaker 3: Even in the midst of captivity, Israel was to be
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: a force for good. In Jeremiah 29, 7, God says,
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: but seek the welfare of the city where I have
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: his behalf for in its welfare, You also will find welfare.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: This is such a powerful and important lesson. You may
• 13:46
  Speaker 3: actually find yourself far from God right now, or God
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: may seem far away. You may be under the hand
• 13:54
  Speaker 3: of judgment or discipline in your life. Maybe some of
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: the dreams that you had for your life and your
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: future have fallen apart. But God will not give up
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: on you. God still loves you and has a plan
• 14:06
  Speaker 3: for your life. And that plan is to be a
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: light even in the darkness. Jesus would one day give
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: a command which said, bless those who curse you and
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: pray for those who abuse you. Even in the toughest
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: and the most terrible of circumstances, God is faithful to
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: his people. For 70 years, Judah was held captive in Babylon,
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: but God's plan to rescue them remained as did his
• 14:32
  Speaker 3: faithfulness to all of his people. Dear God, we are
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: reminded in the reading today that no matter our circumstances,
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: where we find ourselves, that you are always seeking us.
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: Give us hearing ears and hearing hearts to receive and
• 14:48
  Speaker 3: respond to your correction, turning to you in repentance and faith.
• 14:52
  Speaker 3: Thank you for the forgiveness that we have in Christ,
• 14:56
  Speaker 3: for the cross and the resurrection, the good news that
• 14:59
  Speaker 3: saves us all who trust in him. Thank you for
• 15:03
  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
• 15:06
  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Let me encourage you to
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: go ahead right now and download the Pray.com app and
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: make the Word of God and prayer a huge priority
• 15:18
  Speaker 3: in your life. Let me also encourage you to tell
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: others about this podcast because you can pass the Word
• 15:24
  Speaker 3: to others. And if you want more resources on how
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: to tap into God's power for living the Christian life,
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: be sure to visit JackGraham.org. That's jackgram.org. We would love
• 15:37
  Speaker 3: to connect with you right now.