Today’s Bible reading is 2 Kings 24 and Romans 1.
Elijah. Elisha. Amos. Jonah. Joel. Hosea. Micah. Isaiah. Zephaniah. Habakkuk. Jeremiah.
Over the course of nearly 300 years, the LORD called, rebuked, and warned his people through “the prophets.” Three hundred years. Think about that. The United States is only 243 years old. For a longer stretch than we have been a nation, God sent prophets to Israel and Judah. With that in mind…
In [Jehoiakim’s] days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets. (2 Kings 24:1-2)
The back third of the Old Testament can be a challenging section of Scripture. Why is it worth the effort? Among many other things, it teaches and reminds us that God always keeps his word. Nebuchadnezzar rose up and Judah was destroyed “according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets.”
Does that really matter on the other side of the world in 2019? It matters more than most can possibly imagine.
…you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come… (2 Pet 3:2-10a)
Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 2,605 years ago. From God’s perspective, it might as well have been last Saturday.
For three centuries prior to that destruction, kings and beggars doubted the warnings, ignored the rebukes, and rejected the calls. But God kept his word.
God always keeps his word.
“By the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” Even on a sunny Monday morning in 2019, we should remember the predictions of the holy prophets.