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2 Kings 24 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
This is such a tough time for Judah. Jeremiah had been prophesying about Babylonian captivity for quite some time. This was the voice of God. Josiah, in the previous chapter, had found God’s ways documented from long ago. This was God’s Word. The leaders of Judah had the voice of God and the Word of God. What went wrong?
God Isn’t Who I Want Him To Be
The kings did evil in God’s sight. The true believers were persecuted and killed. The survivors were carried off to Babylon.
Indeed, this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command to remove them from His sight. It was because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all he had done, 4 and also because of all the innocent blood he had shed. He had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not forgive.
2 Kings 24:3-4 HCSB
For the kings, God was not who they wanted Him to be. Most were merely concerned for themselves. They wanted a god who was easygoing and compromising. Manasseh had shed innocent blood and this angered the Lord. For those who were innocent and suffered in death, they may have had the same thought. Where was God when they were being slaughtered for no good reason? And for men like Daniel who were taken away to Babylon with the first wave, it would have been easy to feel sorry for themselves. Where is God in all this turmoil?
We want a God who is fair and just. We want a God full of mercy. But we don’t want that same God to interfere with our own plans, right? We definitely don’t want His tough love.
It is important to realize that although God may allow for events to happen that we deem as unnecessary, He does not make mistakes. His character does not let sin slide by unpunished. His grace is always more evident than we realize. This takes faith, and it’s not developed logically or intellectually. It is a gift from God that allows us to trust Him even when it makes no sense.
Ironically, after all of their time in captivity, most of the Jews still had it in their heads that God’s will was to conquer their enemies once and for all. As Jesus stepped onto the scene, they were fully convinced that if He was the Messiah, He would deliver them from the Romans and lead their people as an independent and powerful nation. Some still believe this today.
What happens when God isn’t who we thought He was?
I see a part of myself when I read of how the captives were marched out of their land into captivity. I’m sure they were wagging their heads back and forth as they walked along wondering what just happened. But if God made complete sense to me, and I could figure Him out, then what kind of God would He be?
Is it possible that in our darkest moments we’ve made assumptions about God’s will that aren’t true? As we refuse to submit, we grumble and march along to our captivity wondering when God will REALLY do what He’s “supposed to do.” The strongest message I’ve taken from this chapter is the fact that God will do whatever it takes – tough love and all – to grow His people and stay true to His character. He’s always right. He’s always faithful. Amazingly, He always gives grace for us to return back to Him in fullness one day.
He will right every wrong. He will wipe every tear. There is no promise that will be left unfulfilled.