What would it take to make you destroy your own home? If you did, would people believe the story when they heard it? Probably not. We love our homes, value them, and care for them. Yet, this is exactly what God did to Jerusalem, the place where His house, the Temple, stood. He destroyed it.

The end prophesied during the reign of Manasseh finally came to pass in 586 BC. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who had previously conquered Judah, finally decided to destroy its capital city, Jerusalem. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah initially submitted to Babylon, but when he rebelled, Nebuchadnezzar had enough. His troops besieged the city, starved the inhabitants of food, and broke through the walls. They burned the Temple to the ground, while taking its treasures and valuable items for their king. They captured the rulers, and the people of Judah were killed or taken captive. The writer puts it plainly, “So Judah went into captivity, away from her land.” (v. 21).

This sad episode in the history of the nation of Israel seems shocking to us. But we must keep in mind that God was not surprised. He proclaimed this would happen before Israel even entered Canaan. In Deuteronomy, God declared that the nation would be expelled from the land if they rebelled. But He also promised that if they repented, “then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you” (Deut. 30:3).

Israel did not go into exile because the gods of Babylon were stronger than the God of Israel. Rather, God burned down His own house because He wanted to get the attention of His people. He wanted them to repent and return to Him. The purpose of the discipline was for their benefit.

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