“Exile”

Series: A Journey through the Old Testament [on screen]

Rev. Matthew C. McCraw, EdD

First Baptist Church, Bartow, Florida

August 8, 2021

Introductory Comments:

Have you ever done something and you had to live with the consequences of that action? I’m sure that this is true for all of us. Perhaps it pains you to even think about this. I remember once when I was in middle school there was a guy that was kind of bullying me (not badly, but kind of) and I was tired of it, so I insulted him. That didn’t go well for me. There were consequences for my actions. I remember another time, when I was a kid, I disrespected my mother in front of my grandfather. There were consequences for my actions. The decisions that we make have consequences; sometimes those consequences are drastic and devastating. 

Well, the people of Israel and Judah would learn that there are consequences for their actions. God would bring about something drastic and devastating because of the decisions that His people made over a period of years and years. 

Today, as we continue our journey in the Old Testament, we are going to discuss the exile of God’s people. [on screen]

Before we go any further, let’s go to God in prayer and ask Him to speak to us. 

(prayer)

Well, here we are on our journey. We have almost come to the end, but we’re not quite there yet. We’ve learned that God created the world; mankind messed up the world through sin; God called a particular people to be His own chosen people; they messed up things as well (many times); God gave them judges, kings, and prophets; and all the while God is pointing them to their need to be brought back to Him. Of course, we know that there’s only One who could truly bring them back to Him, and His name is Jesus the Messiah. 

Now, as we near the end, we learn that Israel’s problems finally catch up with them. We will learn today that they will experience exile. By the way, to be exiled means that you are somehow cast out of your home country or land. You are taken away from the place where you belong. 

So, first, let’s look at the . . .

I. Major elements [on screen]

First, . . .

1. God brought judgment on His people because of their sin, resulting in them going into exile. [on screen]

Church, we have to understand that God was the one who brought this judgment upon His people. Even though they were conquered by evil empires, it was the holy God of the universe who brought this judgment on them. 

Listen to what we read concerning the conquering of Israel (the Northern kingdom):

1 Chronicles 5:26 says, “So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul (that is, Tiglath-pileser) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile.”[on screen]

This passage says that God roused the spirit of King Pul. 

Listen to what we read concerning the conquering of Judah (the Southern kingdom of God’s people):

Jeremiah 25:8-9 says, “Therefore, this is what the Lord of Armies says: ‘Because you have not obeyed my words, I am going to send for all the families of the north’—this is the Lord’s declaration—‘and send for my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and I will bring them against this land, against its residents, and against all these surrounding nations, and I will completely destroy them and make them an example of horror and scorn, and ruins forever.’” [on screen]

In this passage, God calls Nebuchadnezzar, “my servant.” God is using Nebuchadnezzar for His purposes to carry out judgment against His people. 

Moses prophesied this moment for God’s people:

Deuteronomy 28:62-63 says, “Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God. Just as the Lord was glad to cause you to prosper and to multiply you, so he will also be glad to cause you to perish and to destroy you. You will be ripped out of the land you are enterin