Read 2 Kings 24:8-17
As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon, king of Israel, had made for the temple of the Lord. He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left. –2 Kings 24:13-14
In the 31st year of his reign (609 BC), Josiah was killed in battle against the Egyptians. Things went dramatically downhill for Israel after that. It is helpful to understand the geopolitical context of this time. The Babylonian empire was on the rise—just a few years prior (612 BC), they had invaded and destroyed Nineveh, the seat of Assyrian power. In the brief power vacuum that followed, Egypt saw a chance to extend its rule over the region of Palestine. But in truth, as Egyptian rulers saw the power of the Babylonians advancing, their hope was to use the Palestinian region as a buffer between the competing empires. So when King Josiah fell against the Egyptians, Israel became a vassal state to the Egyptians. In other words, they were a pawn within a much larger struggle for regional dominance.
In 605, King Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem and took the first round of Jewish captives. They deposed King Jehoiakim (Josiah’s son) and installed Jehoiachin (Josiah’s grandson) as a puppet. Jehoiachin then rose up in rebellion in 597, so the Babylonians again invaded Jerusalem. This time they took 10,000 people into slavery, including King Jehoiachin (installing his uncle Zedekiah in his place). After eleven more years, the people of Judah rose up in rebellion once more. This was their third strike, and the Babylonians decided to send a message once and for all. They destroyed the Jerusalem temple, tore down the city walls, and took the rest of the population into exile, leaving only a small remnant behind.
The Babylonian exile was perhaps the most significant event of Israel’s history. It changed forever how the people understood their faith and their relationship with God. In fact, it was during the exile that much of the Old Testament was written, compiled, and edited: the Torah (Genesis through Deuteronomy), the historical books (Judges through Kings), many of the prophets (Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and the book of Lamentations). You can see the story of the exile woven into its history. For instance, it’s no accident that the Israelites’ time in the Sinai wilderness (40 years) approximated the length of the Babylonian exile (45 years).
We can understand the Babylonian exile as a consequence of geopolitical forces—Judah was caught in a power struggle between the larger empires of the region (Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Persians). The authors of Scripture were certainly aware of these power dynamics, but they saw the exile as the work of God. God used those foreign powers to discipline his people for their sin. But the Biblical authors also held out the hope that God had a purpose beyond mere punishment—that God used the exile in order to refine and renew their faith, to prepare them for a future restoration.
Bad things happen in life. Sometimes we cross thresholds that we did not mean to choose, but which are nonetheless consequences of choices that we have made. These periods of exile—when we are far from the people or places we want to be—are not the end of our story. What we do in these moments, though, tells the story of what comes next.
There have certainly been some moments in my life when I felt chastened by God. Sometimes as a pastor, I have the sacred honor of walking with someone who is going through such a season themselves. While we would rather avoid these periods in our lives, they are moments that we dare not waste. If we turn to God and open our hearts to him, we can hear God speaking more clearly in our exile than at perhaps any other time in our lives.
One of my favorite songs from Andrew Peterson speaks to this truth; it is entitled “Have Your Way.” I close the devotion today with a few lyrics from the song, but if you have a few minutes, I hope you’ll listen to it in full. As you listen and pray, reflect on those times God has humbled you in life in order to produce a greater work within you. How might God be trying to speak to you today?
Father, hear me now when I am humbled, when I am bent with holy shame. All the lies that I believed have crumbled; the blood of Christ is my only claim. I cannot trust my own designs; my heart is prone to disobey. So listen, Lord, while there is time: Chain me fast if I won’t stay; take my life and have Your way. Amen.