Week 8 (The Fall of Israel) – Day 5: The Fall of Jerusalem

Day 40 – The Fall of Jerusalem – 2 Kings 25:1-30

Over two hundred years has passed since the building of Solomon’s Temple.  The destruction of this temple was a major shock to the Jews.  How could God allow the Babylonians to conquer the city of Jerusalem, destroy Solomon’s temple, and apparently end the line of David.  What about the promises made to David about his line reigning for ever? 

But within the seeds of destruction lay hope.  Thousands of Jews are deported to Babylon in the first (597 BC) and second (586 BC) successful attacks on Jerusalem.  In the first attack, the Judean king Jehoiachin was taken back to Babylon as a prisoner.  But now in 561 BC we have this hint that Jehoiachin is not only alive but is an honored guest of the Babylonian ruler (see vv 27-30).  The last lines of the Deuteronomistic History provide an answer that God has not broken faithfulness.  Hope still lives.  Have you ever experienced fulfillment of hope, after all seemed lost?

And soon God will return the Jews to their land and another temple will be built.  A son of Jehoiachin, Zerubbabel would lead the reconstruction of the temple.  The line leading to Jesus was still alive.  (Unfortunately these events are outside the readings for this course.) 

In Christ,

Randy