Zedekiah is the last king of Judah. During his wicked reign, the LORD fulfills His Word of sending Judah into exile. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon finally loses patience with rebellious Judah and besieges Jerusalem. In 587 BC, his army destroys Jerusalem and the LORD’s temple. Zedekiah watches his sons die before he is blinded and carried off to exile and death. This is no historical accident; It is the LORD’s wrath against His people’s idolatry. Although Nebuchadnezzar sets up a governor over the land of Judah, the people still rebell against him and flee, ironically, to Egypt. Yet the LORD is not through with His promise, although the kingdom of Judah and the line of David seem entirely lost. Eventually, Jehoiachin, a Davidic heir, is released from prison in Babylon. Despite His people’s sin, the LORD sustains the line of the promised Christ.

Rev. Philip Hoppe, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Colby, KS, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 2 Kings 24:18-25:30.

To learn more about Trinity Lutheran, visit trinitycolby.org.

"A Kingdom Divided” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through 1-2 Kings. The division in the kingdom of Israel in this part of history was greater than a matter of north and south. The biggest division was between the people and their God. Yet even as the people rebelled against the LORD as their King, still He remained faithful to call them back to Himself through His prophets, working through history to send the good and gracious King, Jesus Christ.

Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God's Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Submit comments or questions to: [email protected]