He cast them out from his presence
Fri, 11 November, 2005: Today’s Bible readings.
18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.
And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
We are coming to the end of the kingdom of Judah. Judah is a vassal state of Babylon, and due to their continuing rebellion, they are being deported in stages. But this national defeat at the hands of the Babylonians is no accident. The author of Kings goes out of his way to make it very clear what is happening: God is judging the nation of Israel because of their sin.
What do we learn from this?
God punishes sin. Often, but not always, that punishment initially comes in the lifetime of those who are sinning. For example, we see around us every day the wrecked lives from drunkenness, drug abuse, and sexual immorality. The results of sin destroys the lives of the sinners.
But we also see people who seem to prosper in their sin. They continue on with no ill effects, but instead, they are healthy, wealthy, and admired. They thrive in their sin, and we could be tempted to think that God is pleased with them despite their sin.
But then we consider Judah. We have read the account of how long they wallowed in their sins, and God spared them. Yet eventually, God cast them out from His presence, because of their sins.
There will come a time when our sins will be punished. It might seem like God passes them over, but that is only for a time. God will punish all sin. That punishment might start in this life, but even if it doesn’t start now, it will come.
Where is Christ in this passage?
All sin must be punished. It will either be punished in us, or in the Substitute that God has provided. Jesus Christ took the penalty for the sins of all who come to Him in faith. He bore the punishment for His people upon Himself on the cross, and He provides salvation to them as they trust in Him only for their salvation.
