Why Would God Allow Exile (2 Kings 18:13-25; 2 Chronicles 32 - 36)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Why would God put his people in exile?

Today’s reading covers a significant period in the history of Judah, focusing on the reigns of Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah and ending with Jehoiachin. It details Hezekiah's resistance against the Assyrian king Sennacherib, his reforms, and his faith in God, which led to Jerusalem being miraculously saved from Assyrian siege. Following Hezekiah, his son Manasseh and grandson Amon reigned with much idolatry and injustice, leading to God's anger against Judah. Josiah, the next king, enacts major religious reforms, restoring the worship of Yahweh and discovering the Book of the Law. Despite his efforts, the damage from previous reigns is too severe, leading to inevitable decline.

2 Kings 24-25 describes the Babylonian conquest of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar invades, deports King Jehoiachin and the elites to Babylon, and installs Zedekiah as a puppet king. “Zedekiah stopped paying tribute, and a new siege of Jerusalem followed. This siege was temporarily lifted when the new pharaoh Apries (589–570 BC) sent an army into Palestine (Jer 37:1–10), but it was resumed when the Egyptian army withdrew. The city eventually fell in 586 BC, after nearly two years of siege and with all supplies of food exhausted.”^[1] Zedekiah's rebellion resulted in the city's fall, the destruction of Solomon's Temple, and the exile of most survivors to Babylon.

This marks the end of the reign of the kings. But it must be noted this reign doesn’t end without God extending mercy time and time again to his people. “Judah was invaded by the Babylonians three times (24:1; 24:10; 25:1), just as Israel was invaded by the Assyrians three times. Once again, God demonstrated his mercy in the face of deserved judgment by giving the people repeated opportunities to repent.”^[2]

However, after years of rebellion, God, as he did with Pharaoh, gave his people up to their own desires. “The book of 2 Kings opens with Elijah being carried to heaven—the destination awaiting those who follow God. But the book ends with the people of Judah being carried off to foreign lands as humiliated slaves—the result of failing to follow God.”^[3] They become the very thing that God had delivered them from. “Second Kings is an illustration of what happens when we make anything more important than God, when we make ruinous alliances, when our consciences become desensitized to right and wrong, and when we are no longer able to discern God’s purpose for our lives.”^[4]

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | Father, I praise you for your sovereignty and unending mercy, even in the midst of judgment. You are Lord over all nations, and your purposes are perfect in wisdom and reach beyond our understanding.

Release | I release my grip on the comforts and securities of this world, acknowledging that true safety and peace come only from you. As Judah faced destruction and exile, help me trust your plan and provision through all of life's devastations and challenges.