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Cheering you on,

Kat Lee

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STUDY: 1:1 - Day 1 of the Then I Will Go Study of Esther

WEEK 1, DAY 1: 2 CHRONICLES 36:11-21

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did that which was evil in Yahweh his God’s sight. He didn’t humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from Yahweh’s mouth. 13 He also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God; but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning to Yahweh, the God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted Yahweh’s house which he had made holy in Jerusalem. 15 Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place; 16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until Yahweh’s wrath arose against his people, until there was no remedy.

17 Therefore he brought on them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or gray-headed. He gave them all into his hand. 18 All the vessels of God’s house, great and small, and the treasures of Yahweh’s house, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 They burned God’s house, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all of its valuable vessels. 20 He carried those who had escaped from the sword away to Babylon, and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. As long as it lay desolate, it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

This week's commentary is by Ali Shaw.

WE’VE ALL SEEN IT BEFORE and maybe have experienced it firsthand. The child who didn’t listen to wise instruction, the teen who needed to learn everything “the hard way,” or the celebrity who fell from stardom after a scandal surfaced have all learned this same fact: rebellion has consequences.

Early in Jewish history, the Israelites had demanded a person-king, rejecting God as king. First was King Saul. After his disobedience (1 Samuel 13:11-15), God promised the kingdom to David, son of Jesse, whose offspring would rule forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Matthew 1:1-17). Solomon, David’s son, reigned next and built the temple in Jerusalem. But under the reign of his son, Rehoboam, the unified kingdom was split in two: Judah, which had a mix of godly and evil kings, and Israel, whose line of evil kings led the people deep into idolatry. Through alliances with Israel, the kings of Judah followed Israel’s idolatrous example.

In today’s passage, we see how Esther and other Jews came to be in Persia. We learn of the siege and captivity of Judah, a story of rebellion and consequences. Verses 11 through 16 are so sad! God had always been so faithful and generous to His children, yet they did not follow Him, nor turn to Him with repentant faith immediately after they had strayed. Instead, they brushed God aside in nasty rebellion. They despised His words and scoffed at His prophets until He was provoked to carry out a plan to save them from themselves.

Yet through it all, God was involved. Though it may not have appeared so to the nonobservant onlooker, Providence was carried out when, during the third and final siege in 587 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar entered Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, city gates, and walls. God would use this defeat and the subsequent Babylonian exile to purify Israel of their idolatry.

Yes, rebellion has consequences. When we repent, God can use those consequences to bring us closer into fellowship with Him, if we allow it. The story of the capture of Jerusalem can be our reminder to search our hearts for rebellion against Him. If (when) we find it, we have two options: don’t or do turn to God. If we continue in our rebellion, we can be sure that our sovereign Father will deal with us as He sees fit (Hebrews 12:311). When we run to His open arms with repentant hearts, we can be assured that He will forgive (Isaiah 1:18, 55:6-7, and Luke 15:10). Praise God!

KEY VERSE

The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 36:15)

REFLECT :

Use this handy link to Bible Gateway to easily look up verses in the Reflect section.

• What does this passage say about God? What is He saying to you through this story?
• Read more about the Babylonian invasion: 2 Kings 24:17 through 2 Kings 25:21.
• Two reasons are given for the captivity. What are they and how are they both rebellion?
• Why did the land need its Sabbaths? See Leviticus 25:2-7.
• Ask God to show you any rebellion in your heart. Ask for forgiveness with a repentant heart, and thank Him for forgiving you.

RESPOND : 

Ask any questions you may have in the Hello Mornings Community.