2 Kings 25:1-39

God had promised through Moses that if the people did not obey the Lord and began to worship idols that He would send the children of Israel into captivity and that they would be dispersed amongst the nations.  Despite this clear warning, generation after generation rejected God and walked deeper and deeper into sin and idolatry.  Just as God had promised the Lord brought the nation of Babylon against Israel and practically the entire nation was taken into captivity or fled to live in another land.  The people only had themselves to blame as they had been clearly and repeatedly warned.  We must constantly pay close attention to the warnings of the Lord.

THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH ARE TAKEN AS PRISONERS: When the people of Judah and their king decided to rebel, Nebuchadnezzar came with his entire army and surrounded Jerusalem.  The majority of the men had already been taken captive and what was left was powerless to stand against such a powerful army.  The ironic thing is that they could have stood against any army had they just been faithful to obey God’s Law.  God had repeatedly protected the nation through supernatural means and He would have surly protected them through this attack.  However, it appears that the people were so far away from the Lord that they did not even bother to seek Him or pray to Him in such a terrible situation.  We often ignore the power of God that is at our disposal, and when we do so we run the risk of being taken prisoner of the enemy.

THE POSSESSIONS OF JUDAH ARE TAKEN AS PLUNDER:  God had blessed Israel with security in the land and in the days of Solomon unbelievable wealth had been amassed.  Much of that wealth had already been distributed to pay off many other nations that had come to attack Israel.  However there was still a great amount of gold silver and bronze that had been incorporated into the buildings of the temple and the king’s palace.  These structures were destroyed and all of the precious materials that had been used in their construction were carried off into Babylon.  All of the wealth in the world is useless in the hands of those who live in rebellion against God.  There is no such thing as financial security without the Lord.  In the days of Solomon they could not even begin to count their wealth and now the last vestiges of those glorious days were being plundered out of the rubble of that city.

THE PROTECTION OF JUDAH REMOVES ALL ITS POWER: Eventually the army of Babylon went so far as to tear down the wall of Jerusalem and all of the buildings in the city.  This once beautiful, prosperous and secure city that was thriving under God’s provision and protection has now become a divided, destroyed and destitute place that is virtually uninhabitable.  God had been this city’s protection.  The walls of this great city were practically impenetrable.  God had turned his back on these people and the walls are not flat on the ground.  Without God there is no security or protection.  We must learn to trust Him alone to protect us from the evil attacks of this world.  Without the protection of the Lord we are vulnerable to the attacks of Satan.

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