Reading 75 • November 28
Today's Scripture
2 Kings 25:1–12
And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; they built siegeworks against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine became so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the city wall; the king with all the soldiers fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. They went in the direction of the Arabah. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho; all his army was scattered, deserting him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, who passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, then put out the eyes of Zedekiah; they bound him in fetters and took him to Babylon.
In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month — which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon — Nebuzaradan, the captain of the bodyguard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. All the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon — all the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest people of the land to be vinedressers and tillers of the soil. (NRSV)
Reflection
Today’s scripture describes the end of the kingdom of Judah and the fulfillment of many prophetic warnings. This was not only a political collapse, but also a spiritual one. The city that once housed God’s temple, the symbol of God’s presence and favor, lay in ruins. The people’s rebellion, corruption, and idolatry had caught up with them, and God allowed what they feared most: exile, displacement, and loss.
For those living through it, the destruction must have felt like the end of the world — a nation torn apart, leaders humiliated, and the faithful wondering where God is.
Today, many in our own nation feel similarly disillusioned. Some look at political events and fear the country they love is being pulled apart. Others feel powerless to halt the unjust ways they feel those in power are treating our most vulnerable populations.
Despair not! Today’s verses remind us that God’s sovereignty stands above every throne, every political party, and every government. While the exile of Judah was devastating, it was also the impetus for renewal. The fall of the Kingdom of Judah didn’t mean God had abandoned the people. Rather, it served as a call for the people to return to a deeper dependence on God.
We may lament what’s happening around us, and we should care deeply about justice, truth, and righteousness. But our ultimate hope isn’t in who holds power on earth; it’s in God. Even when the “temple” of our security feels burned down, God’s redeeming spirit is still present, rebuilding what was lost with deeper faith, greater purpose, and a hope that cannot be shaken.
Prayer
Lord, when the world feels unstable and frightening, remind me that your throne is unshaken. Help me turn my heart from fear to faith, from outrage to prayer, and from despair to hope. Use this season of disillusion to draw my heart back to you. Amen.
Written by Sarah Younger, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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