Timeless Truth: Listen and live.
Legacies are
fragile things. Hezekiah had been King
of Judah for nearly three decades. His reforms were sweeping, his achievements
notable, his accolades many. He is
listed among the few who “did was…right before the LORD His God.” After his death, his son Manasseh ascended to
the throne and unraveled his father’s spiritual heritage. Manasseh’s reign marked a spiritual relapse
from which the kingdom of Judah would not recover. He made a mockery of Hezekiah’s faithful
reign and did more evil than any of his predecessors.
King Manasseh set
up altars in the LORD’s temple where worshipping the stars accompanied worship
of Jehovah. He filled Jerusalem with the
blood of innocents and turned his own heart and his people’s hearts away from
God. Manasseh was eventually captured by
the Assyrian king and led off to Babylon in utter humiliation. At last, he turned to the LORD who had
compassion on him and eventually allowed him to return to Jerusalem. God re-enters the story to give ultimate
forgiveness even to the worst of kings.
But God’s people
would not return to Him. They ignored
the prophet’s warnings. So God did what
He said He would do—He sent foreign armies to raid Judah. Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar laid three
sieges against Judah and Jerusalem. The
first came against King Jehoiakim and the second against King Jehoiachin. Nearly 10,000 Judeans were captured and taken
away to Babylon. The king, and the
prophet, Ezekiel, were among their prisoners.
Ezekiel’s visions
are some of the most colorful in all ancient literature and foretold of
Jerusalem’s certain doom. God
commissioned Ezekiel to speak truth to the exiles who disregarded their guilt,
even when faced with such stern judgment.
He refused to give up. He called
Jeremiah to alert the adulterous people that they must own up to their reckless
sin. And God also sent word that the
worst was yet to come.
Zedekiah was
Judah’s last and most pitiful king. His
government was controlled by Babylon, and he and the people rejected God, broke
His Law and defiled His temple. The time
for judgment had come, so God arranged the final battle: King Nebuchadnezzar
vs. King Zedekiah. The outcome was
certain. An 18-month blockade left
Jerusalem’s inhabitants weakened by famine.
Zedekiah made a last ditch plea for help from the prophet Jeremiah, but
no one much cared for Jeremiah’s response.
He reported that Jerusalem would not be saved, and he urged surrender as
their only hope of survival. Most
regarded his claims as treasonous.
In 586 BC, the
Babylonian army broke through the walls of Jerusalem. They demolished the city,
looted the temple and led the people away to Babylon. Jeremiah was among the few who were left
behind. He grieved the loss of his
beloved city and mourned the sin of God’s people. He knew that Judah could have been saved, but
even in his sorrow, this weeping prophet stood firm on the sure promises of
God. He trusted that He would have
compassion on the remnant who remained in Jerusalem.
It had been eight
centuries since God delivered His people from slavery in Egypt. Now they were exiles in Babylon. Hope
vanished. But God told Ezekiel that all
was not lost. He reminded His people
that He would one day cleanse and restore them.
He assured their return to the homeland.
And He promised that He would be their God.
To illustrate His
point, God showed Ezekiel a valley of dry bones and asked, “Can these bones
live?” When Ezekiel spoke God’s message to the bones, they came to life and
stood like a vast army. This astonishing demonstration confirmed that even
exile in Babylon would not hinder God’s great Upper Story, and portended a
future resurrection for the faithful. Life would return to Israel’s dried up
bones. God would make them a nation again. He would bring them back to their
land. Only He could.
Question: What is the most memorable destruction or disaster that
you have seen firsthand?
- List the evil things that King Manasseh did to arouse the anger of the LORD (p. 191-192). How did Judah compare to the pagan nations that the LORD had driven out of the Promised Land? (See the final paragraph on p. 69 for insight.)
- What are the “starry hosts” (p.191)? What are the implications for astrology, horoscopes and other “harmless and fun” fortune tellers?
- Who is most culpable for the sins of Judah—the people or their king? How can believers today avoid being led astray?
- What happened to King Manasseh? What do you think led him to change his ways?
- Review Isaiah’s prophecy made over one hundred years before Nebuchadnezzar’s attacks (p. 186-187). Compare the Isaiah’s predictions with the events during the reigns of Kings Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.
- During the exile, God gave Ezekiel the mission of sharing his word with the Jews living in a foreign land. How does the Christian mission today resemble this situation?
- Jeremiah was still in Jerusalem after the first two sieges. According to his prophecy (p. 197-199), what single condition must be met for God to forgive the city? Are you as forgiving as God? Why or why not?
- Nebuchadnezzar’s final siege lasted eighteen months ending in 586 BC. How did King Zedekiah regard the LORD? What was God’s final word to him?
- After the fall of Jerusalem, Jeremiah grieved for his beloved city (p. 201-203). What did Jeremiah believe about the Upper Story of God? What specifically can we apply to our own lives from Jeremiah’s lament and praise?
- What did God promise He would do for Israel in spite of their great sin, their Babylonian exile and their stone hearts (p. 203)? What does this teach you about God’s heart for His chosen nation?
