January 20, 2022
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Reading along with us in 2 Kings? Here’s today’s reading:
2 Kings 24 (NIV)
1 During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled. 2 The Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the Lord proclaimed by his servants the prophets. 3 Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, 4 including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.........Continue Reading
2 Kings 24
“4 including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”
This verse bothered me so at first because I just didn’t like the translations “not willing to forgive” as if there are times God won’t forgive. It left me confused because I feel like God is always willing to forgive, however, forgiveness would be in response to a repentant heart which the people here clearly did not have.
But I went to other translations it read “would not pardon” which seemed much more clear in this situation where there is not a repentant state but rather a repeated pattern of disobedience. Then I felt so sad to see God just finished with the mess, all the second chances, and ready to do His own house cleaning of these people.
The shedding of innocent blood that God would not pardon also struck me as well. I think of our own nation’s “shedding of innocent blood” with regard to abortion and child-trafficking and wonder what thoughts God might have towards our nation.
It’s not surprising that God connects His judgement to the sins of Manasseh. He reigned for so long and promoted a depth of evil that reviled the kings of Israel. And for God to highlight the sin of shedding innocent blood as being the most egregious of all and something that He could not overlook makes sense, especially since some of that blood was spilt in the worship of false gods. And so being faithful to His word, He brings in the one who will be used by Him to drive Judah from the land, much like He did to Israel years earlier. It is interesting to consider that Daniel and his 3 friends were probably part of this exile and God did a marvelous work through them there, primarily ministering to Nebuchadnezzar himself. It would be very typical for victorious armies to do what the Babylonians did, plundering the goods and enslaving the people and taking the best of the best. But it does not mean that God is done with the Jews. He will just deal with them and use them in a foreign land…..