Jerusalem has fallen. The temple, palace and homes are plundered, burned and destroyed. The people are taken captive to Babylon, and it seems as though all hope is lost. This deportation is what God promised would happen, and God always fulfills his promises. The text is devastating in its description of loss, but even in the loss, the seeds of the hope of Christ are sewn.

In spite of our sin and the mess it makes, God remains in control and true to His promises.

God desires a relationship with his people. To prove it, he will go to great lengths. He will give us the tabernacle to show us that his presence is with us. But the tabernacle serves as the primary bridge between the presence of God in the Old Testament and the New Testament presence of God in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. God wants a relationship with his people so badly, he will take on flesh and undergo the penalty of sin so that he can be among his people.

God gave us His law as a shadow of the good things to come.