And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon, where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia. 2 Chronicles 36:19-20 KJV
These are sad, sad words describing the total destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the army of Babylon. Those left alive were taken away as captives. For a time Israel ceased to exist in the land. Imagine the heartache of those days. Why did such utter destruction come upon them? It was due to their sin and rebellion against God. Sin and rebellion against God always has destructive consequences whether we are talking about individual lives or whole nations. We all sin but instead of continuing in rebellion it is best to respond with repentance. Eventually, Israel would repent and be brought to the land again. This is hinted at in the closing words of our passage in the days of Persia.
Lord, may this example of Jerusalem’s destruction be a warning in my own life of the destructive effects of sin when it is allowed to continue. May I never be so rebellious that I bring such destruction upon myself and loved ones.
