2 Chronicles 36 -- An Unremarkable Ending

It didn’t take much room to squeeze in the last 22 ½ years of Judah’s existence.

A younger brother served about 3 months as king, then his older brother, chosen by the Egyptian king, served for 11 years.  Then his son served only 3 months, followed by his uncle for the remaining eleven years before the Babylonian captivity.

Spiritually, it was a downward spiral for Judah and Jerusalem.  They watched at the end as the Temple was burned to the ground, its treasures having been taken to Babylon to adorn the king’s palace.

Emptiness is the word that keeps popping into my head.  Not only was the country left empty, but so were the people’s hearts.  They’d left God, and now He’d left them.  What could possibly be worse?

Father, there is no worse feeling than walking away from You and then having You walk away from us.  But You do it out of love, to draw us back to You.  Right now I’m so fearful for our country.  The choices our government is making appear to be leading us down the path of ruin, and away from You.  Please halt the slide, Father.  Shake us up and cause us to pay attention before it is too late.

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford