II Kings 24-25

“He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down” (25:9). The end of the book of Kings describes what happened when Judah, like northern Israel earlier, turned away from God’s covenant. The Babylonian empire took control of the land, then besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and took the people into exile. Because they rejected God’s protection and authority, they had no power to withstand their enemies.

“So Judah went into captivity, away from her land” (21). Sin drives us into exile from the Lord, but he desires our repentance and restoration. He is the Redeemer who rescues us and brings us home.