| JUDGEMENT ON JUDAH |

Next week, we will read about the fall and exile of Judah and Israel, both the Northern and Southern kingdoms. Our reading today is the pronouncement of God’s judgment on these nations.

You will remember the three parts of God’s covenant. God promises blessing for faithful obedience, curse for sin and rebellion and restoration to all who repent. We are clearly entering into the part of history where God brings a curse upon the sin of his people.

Try to notice a few things from our reading today:

  1. In verse 8 God condemns Judah for its sin. Specifically, he calls out the way their speech and deeds have been against his own glory. All is, first of all, against the Lord.
  2. Verse 15 condemns the nation’s leaders for their treatment of the poor. There is both a vertical and horizontal reality to sin. Throughout the prophets, God shows himself to be quite concerned about how those in power treat those who are powerless.
  3. It is interesting that in verse 10, tucked in the middle of this judgment, God gives comfort to those who have followed his ways in faith. While they will have to endure much in the fall of their nation and the exile, God has not abandoned them. He will still be with them.

History and Prophets

I thought I’d take the opportunity today to explain why we have been jumping over to Isaiah and Jeremiah in the middle of reading through Kings and Chronicles.

1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles are books of history. They are parallel accounts of much of the same events. Isaiah, Jeremiah and the books that follow are known as the prophets. These prophets ministered during the same time covered in Kings and Chronicles. Much of their ministry is reminding the people of God’s covenant. God uses the prophets to call the people to repent and to warn them of judgment. God also uses the prophets to point to how he will redeem and restore the people. It is in the prophets that we learn a lot about the future King, the Messiah, the one who would rescue the people from their sin. Jesus fulfills literally hundreds of prophecies spoken during this time period.

Hopefully, it isn’t too confusing to jump back and forth. Basically, the Bible isn’t completely laid out in chronological order. Instead, different types or genres of literature are grouped together (i.e., history, wisdom, prophesy).