The Exiles of Israel & Judah

The kingdoms of Israel and Judah both continued to deteriorate spiritually, and the LORD God punished them with exile in Assyria and Babylonia.

Even though the LORD God had delivered them from the power of Pharaoh in Egypt and proved His power and love to His people time and again, the northern kingdom of Israel sinned against Him. They worshiped other gods and followed the customs of the ungodly nations whom the LORD had driven out of the land. Israel’s kings even encouraged this pagan worship and introduced additional practices.

The LORD was very angry with the people of Israel and rejected them, removing them from His presence by giving them into the hands of plunderers. The king of Assyria invaded the land, marching against the capital, Samaria, and laid siege to it for three years. Finally, in the year 722 B.C., he captured the city and deported the Israelites to Assyria. Then, the king of Assyria brought people from cities throughout the Assyrian empire and settled them in the towns of Samaria. These foreigners replaced the Israelites and took over the whole area. One of the exiled priests returned to Bethel to teach these people how to worship the LORD, but each nationality still made their own gods and continued to worship them.

This left only Judah, the southern kingdom, but they did not obey the LORD’s commands either. They walked in the customs which Israel introduced. So 134 years later, God’s judgment fell on them as well when Nebuchadnezzar and his entire Babylonian army (Babylon had subsequently conquered Assyria.) marched on and laid siege to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. For nearly two years, the people of Jerusalem were trapped, and eventually, they had nothing to eat. Finally, the wall was broken through, but Zedekiah (the king of Judah) fled with all his warriors. The Babylonians pursued Zedekiah, scattered his army, captured him, and killed his sons right before his eyes. The brutal murder of his sons was the last thing Zedekiah saw. They immediately blinded him and led him bound to Babylon.

Later, Nebuchadnezzar’s chief deputy arrived in Jerusalem. He burned the temple, the royal palace, and the whole city to the ground. He had his soldiers break up and knock down the city walls. Then, he rounded up everyone who was left in the city and led them off into exile. The only ones left were a few poor farmers to tend what remained in the fields and vineyards.

In the meantime, the Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, washstands, and the huge basin that were in the temple of the LORD and took it to Babylon. They plundered so much bronze that they couldn’t even weigh it! They also gathered all the bronze, silver, and gold liturgical accessories that had been used in worship at the temple and hauled it off to Babylon.

So Judah was exiled from the land; the temple had been destroyed and plundered.

But how can this be? God had promised David that He would establish his house (dynasty) forever. God had said that when David’s offspring disobeyed, they would be punished, but that His love would not be removed from him as occurred with Saul. One of David’s offspring would succeed him and have a kingdom and throne which God would establish forever. Had God broken His promise? Did He not really promise David’s house would endure forever? And what of the temple? Solomon had mentioned in his prayer of dedication that the temple was to be a testimony to the LORD’s uniqueness as the only God. What did its destruction portend?

Or is it possible that the overthrow of the Davidic line of kings would be temporary? Is it possible that the son whose throne would be established forever had not yet come on the scene?