Reading: II Kings 23:21 – 25
And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar-adan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about (II Kings 25:8-10).
Jerusalem, the city of David in which the Lord had entrusted His name (II Chr. 6:6), was burning. For centuries She had stood as a spiritual touchpoint, a godly gathering place for the children of Israel. I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together: Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord (Ps. 122:1-4). It was within her walls that Solomon had constructed the house of the Lord , and it was here that God’s Spirit had chosen to rest in the presence of man. And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that He would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever (I Kings 8:10-13). Now the Temple had been plundered and set ablaze, along with the rest of the city, her once formidable walls crumbled and broken. God was gone, and with Him had departed all hope.
As long as the nation of Judah had acknowledged and worshiped the Lord, Jerusalem had been invincible; once that worship had ceased, she became indefensible. History records that Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians, but God’s Word makes it clear that is not what truly happened. It was not the strength of the conquering army that brought about ruin. In the face of His people’s apostasy, God’s Spirit no longer had a reason to remain (Ezek. 10:18; 11:23), and, without the Spirit of God, Jerusalem became nothing more than a dried-up husk, withering away from the inside out.
God was not driven out of the Temple by His enemies; He was thrown out by His children. Had they still wanted Him there with them, there is not a power of earth that could have stood against Him. The same is true with us today. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have received the Holy Spirit, then there is no one and no thing that can ever take that away from us – EXCEPT ourselves.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39).
Thought for Today: God does not flee nor does He abandon; so long as He is wanted, He will be there.
Christ Revealed: Through the Passover (II Kings 23:21-23), which, as a type, foreshadowed Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Passover Lamb, who delivers us from spiritual death through His sacrificial death. I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death (Rev. 1:18).
Word Studies:25:12 husbandmen = farmers; 25:16 without weight = beyond measure; 25:27 lift up the head = release from prison.
Pray for Staff: Gilbert Palafox • Government Officials: Rep. John Curtis (UT), Rep. Pete Stauber (MN), Rep. Mike Kelly (PA), Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) • Country: Moldova (3,619,925) Southeastern Europe • Major Languages: Moldovan, Russian, Gagauz • Limited Religious Freedom • 98% Eastern Orthodox; 1.5% Jewish; 0.5% Other (Roman Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Baha’i, Molokan, Krishna) • Prayer Suggestion: Pray in such a manner that others would be encouraged to praise and glorify God also (Jude 1:24-25). .
Optional reading Romans 13.