2 Kings 24:14-17 - He carried into exile all
Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the
craftsmen and artisans--a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest
people of the land were left. Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin
captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king's mother, his wives, his officials and the leading men of the
land. The king of Babylon also deported
to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for
war, and a thousand craftsmen and artisans. He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin's uncle, king in
his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
God had said he would allow it…and his promise to Josiah to
wait till he had died was complete. And
so the neighboring kingdoms began to seize and capture the people of Judah. The
main enemy was the king from Babylon…selectively taking the best of Judah to
reestablish itself in Babylon. He took
the king….his family….the strongest military men…and the most skilled craftsmen
to strengthen his own land….leaving the poor…a band of lesser skilled tradesmen…and
a newly appointed king to rule what was left of Judah.
Even though this was a definite negative in the life of the
Israelites…God used the time to actually strengthen the people of Judah. The captives in Babylon were allowed to live
together….maintaining the culture and religious practices that tied them to
God. And the ones who were left in Judah
had to step up and rebuild the kingdom to survive. They honed their weaknesses
into stronger abilities.....found purpose in things that other people had
always done for them…and allowed God to infuse into them the leadership skills
they needed to keep Judah at least a speck on the map.
It is a reminder to me to never let the negatives in our
lives completely break our spirit. God
can use the negatives in our lives to rebuild us into the servants he needs to
carry out his work…and sometimes that retraining he needs to do in our lives
takes a bit of time. We just need to
claim a few Bible verses to help us wait…while God tweaks us into what he needs
us to be to do his work. Maybe 1
Thessalonians 5:18…. “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will
for you in Christ Jesus’ … or Psalms 46:10…. “He says, "Be still, and know
that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the
earth” …can give us all the confidence we need to wait on God’s timing. Then perhaps if we claim Philippians 4:13 … “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”… we can rise
above any negativity that God allows in our life.
Father…thank you for the stories from your
word that remind me that you are always in control. Help me to see that even when the world
around me seems negative and hopeless…that you might be training me for
something you need me to do. Help me cling to the promises of your word…and
wait on your timing…and give thanks in all that happens. Prove to me that I can truly do anything that
you have given me the strength to do…because you have a greater plan than what
I might see with just my human eyes and heart. Amen.
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