Those who endure punishment wonder if there is ever hope of restoration. Will my spouse ever forgive me? Will my employer give me a second chance? Will my friends still be there when I get back? Do I have any hope?

As the epic story of Israel comes to a close in 2 Kings 25, readers are faced with the same questions. If God sent His people into exile for their own good, is there any indication that He intends to bring them back? The answer is yes! This discouraging narrative ends with a glimmer of hope.

Recall that Jehoiachin, Josiah’s grandson, had been taken into captivity before Jerusalem fell (2 Kings 24:15). In Babylon he was held as a prisoner. But 37 years after the exile began, a new king in Babylon, Awel-Marduk, set him free. He didn’t allow him to return to Jerusalem and rebuild his kingdom, but he did not kill him either. Rather, he showed Jehoiachin favor by giving him a seat of honor among other captive kings and provided for his daily needs for the rest of his life.

A Judean king remained alive to continue the line of David! God was not done with Israel. We learn in Matthew: “After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel” (Matt. 1:12). This Zerubbabel would be influential in leading Israel back to the land when the time was right, and God declared the exile over (Ezra 2:1–2).

This leaves us with a measure of hope after reading a long and at times discouraging history. God never forsook His people permanently. God never abandoned them. He did not cast them aside forever. He left a remnant of Israelites and a descendant of David to carry His promise for future generations.

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