From Joshua to Zedekiah

Think about where we have come since the beginning of July. From Joshua to Zedekiah: we have seen the hope of crossing the Jordan as well as the failure resulting in the exile of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms by Assyria and Babylon respectively.

The cycle that we see is frustratingly consistent. Several times throughout the reading I felt the despair and agony of the seemingly fruitless project that is Israel (indeed, us as well). However, I ask, as a final favor, that you read Leviticus 26 after you have finished 2 Kings. Notice the consistency with which God treats the people of Israel. Also pay attention to what God promises after exile, “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt lin the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 26:44-45).

The key to understanding the early prophetic writings is the faithfulness of God in the midst of human unfaithfulness.

On Monday, we will begin our second read-through. Here is the worksheet.