Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / March 13 - 2 Kings 24

Transcript

March 13 - 2 Kings 24 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

• 0:11
  Hello, friends. It's Sean here.
• 0:13
  It's Thursday. It's the 13th of March, and here
• 0:17
  we are marching inextricably toward the end of the nation of
• 0:24
  Israel and Judah. Israel has gone and Judah is not
• 0:27
  far behind. Today we find out about the
• 0:30
  Babylonians arriving and in all of them might overwhelming them.
• 0:35
  And while we hear destruction, destruction, destruction today,
• 0:39
  know that this is God shaping his people, that they are going
• 0:43
  to be transformed in those years of exile to come back renewed
• 0:49
  and reformed as God's people, knowing what it's like to live
• 0:53
  in exile and then be restored. So this is all part of a much
• 0:57
  longer journey. And even though this book draws
• 0:59
  to an end, the story does continue, but never again as the
• 1:04
  nation of Israel, self determined and self ruling.
• 1:08
  So let us read together Second Kings chapter 24.
• 1:21
  During Jehoiakim's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
• 1:25
  invaded the land of Judah. Jehoiakim surrendered and paid
• 1:30
  him tribute for three years, but then rebelled.
• 1:34
  Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite,
• 1:40
  and Ammonite Raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the
• 1:44
  Lord had promised through His prophets.
• 1:47
  These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord's
• 1:50
  command. He had decided to banish Judah
• 1:53
  from His presence because of the many sins of Manasseh, who had
• 1:57
  filled Jerusalem with innocent blood.
• 1:59
  The Lord would not forgive this. The rest of the events in
• 2:04
  Jehoakim's reign and all his deeds are recorded in the Book
• 2:08
  of the History of the Kings of Judah.
• 2:11
  When Jehoakim died, his son Jehoakim became the next king.
• 2:17
  The king of Egypt did not venture out of his country after
• 2:19
  that, for the king of Babylon captured the entire area
• 2:23
  formerly claimed by Egypt, from the brook of Egypt to the
• 2:27
  Euphrates River. Jehoakin was 18 years old when
• 2:31
  he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
• 2:36
  His mother was Nahushta, the daughter of Elnathan from
• 2:39
  Jerusalem. Ahoyakin did what was evil in
• 2:43
  the Lord's sight, just as his father had done.
• 2:47
  During Jehoiakin's reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar
• 2:51
  of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and besieged it.
• 2:56
  Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city during the siege.
• 3:00
  Then King Jehoiakin, along with the Queen Mother, his advisers,
• 3:05
  his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the
• 3:08
  Babylonians. In the eighth year of
• 3:11
  Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he took Jehoiakin prisoner.
• 3:16
  As the Lord had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar carried away all
• 3:20
  the treasures from the Lord's Temple and the royal palace.
• 3:24
  He stripped away all the gold objects that King Solomon of
• 3:28
  Israel had placed in the temple. King Nebuchadnezzar took all of
• 3:33
  Jerusalem captive, including all the commanders and the best of
• 3:37
  the soldiers, Craftsman, and artisans. 10,000 and all only
• 3:43
  the poorest people were left in the land.
• 3:46
  Nebuchadnezzar LED King Jehoiakin away as a captive to
• 3:50
  Babylon, along with the Queen Mother, his wives and officials,
• 3:54
  and all Jerusalem's elite. He also exiled 7000 of the best
• 3:59
  troops and 1000 Craftsman and artisans, all of whom were
• 4:03
  strong and fit for war. Then the king of Babylon
• 4:06
  installed Matania, Jehoiakin's uncle, as the next king, and he
• 4:12
  changed Matania's name to Zedekiah.
• 4:16
  Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned
• 4:20
  in Jerusalem 11 years. His mother was Hamut al, the
• 4:25
  daughter of Jeremiah from Libna. But Zedekiah did what was evil
• 4:30
  in the Lord's sight, just as Jehovah Kim had done.
• 4:34
  These things happened because of the Lord's anger against the
• 4:37
  people of Jerusalem and Judah until he finally banished them
• 4:42
  from his presence and sent them into exile.
• 4:46
  Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
• 5:01
  Our Lord, help us remember that your reign is long here.
• 5:05
  These kings ruled only a few years, but you rule forever.
• 5:10
  And your vision is far, far wider and broader than any other
• 5:15
  vision. And here it says that your
• 5:18
  people were exiled out of your presence.
• 5:20
  But we know that you are are present everywhere because this
• 5:25
  whole world is your creation and your home.
• 5:30
  So Lord, as we go through challenges and we think where is
• 5:33
  God in this? And we go through difficult
• 5:37
  times and we think how can this be part of the plan?
• 5:39
  It doesn't make any sense. Ah, Lord, just again and again
• 5:45
  draw us into your arms of rest and peace, knowing that you have
• 5:50
  the long game in your hands and that where all we can see is
• 5:56
  exile and disaster and abandonment.
• 6:00
  You have plans beyond this time for our restoration and
• 6:04
  rejuvenation. Back to you, our Lord.
• 6:08
  Give us unshakable faith in You so that as we endure
• 6:12
  difficulties, we can stand firm in You knowing that we are
• 6:18
  blessed, loved people, even when the short term evidence seems
• 6:23
  contrary to that, and for the times when we are blessed and we
• 6:28
  can see it, our Lord, we thank you.
• 6:31
  You truly are a generous, generous, loving Father, and we
• 6:35
  thank you for looking after us both now and deep, deep into
• 6:39
  eternity. We thank you and we praise you,
• 6:43
  and we pray all of this in the name of your Son Jesus, Amen.