Captivity and Redemption

2 Chronicles 36:15-23

    15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.

    17 Therefore He brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

    22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

    23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!

The fall of Jerusalem resulted from the people of God ignoring the warnings to repent from their disobedience, which is sin, against the LORD and His word given to them.  They refused to heed the words given by His messengers, choosing rather to ignore His great and merciful compassion and offer of forgiving restoration in their relationship with Him.  They were so immersed in sin and self-seeking that they despised God’s word of grace, scoffing at and mocking those who were sent and spoke His will and commandments to them.   There came a point in which there was no more cure for their spiritual sickness, and God’s wrath was poured out on them by bringing defeat from their enemies upon them.  They were given over into the hands of those they aspired to be like, and found no compassion with them as they had with the LORD.  All was taken captive from their worship and of their very lives, hauled off to Babylon to serve as slaves, and Jerusalem was burned down with all their precious possessions.  Even then, God had mercy in His plan to save a remnant, for He promised a rest from sin to the land through the messenger Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10).  God used the king of Persia and conquerer of Babylon to fulfill Jeremiah’s prophetic words by moving him to rebuild God’s house in Jerusalem of Judah.  He even called out to the captives of God’s people in Babylon to come forward and return to Jerusalem to rebuild as Jeremiah 29:11 and 14 remind us of His grace and deliverance from captivity.  We also were bound as captives to our sin and inherited sin nature from our father Adam, and find prophetic deliverance from that captivity in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 4:8, Hebrews 2:14-15).  We are a people called out of slavery to sin, to serve Him, now free forever indeed (Romans 6:17-18, 22-23)!  This is our own story of captivity and redemption.