“These disasters happened to Judah because of the Lord’s command. He had decided to banish Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh, who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would not forgive this.”
2 Kings 24:3-4 NLT
God is not mocked. All the sins that were planted by Jeroboam were finally coming to roost for the people of Israel. Manasseh overt wickedness was the final linchpin. The scripture records Nebudchednezzar’s great progress as a military leader. He even scared Pharaoh to enough to recoil away from a fight. Yet, despite all of Nebudcheddnezzar’s machinations, it is clear that all of this only touched the Jews for one reason. This is because the Jews had offended their God to such a degree that they were now more guilty than the Canaanites before them. In this way Neducheddnezzar had become a necessary evil. He would allow for the cleansing of the land by taking the insolent Israel away from it and forcing rule and order upon them. The book of Daniel shows us that this isn’t without its grace. Yet, we must note that the Israelites were not the victims in this story. They were the perpetrators. Babylon was not the mighty army it thought. God used them to bring the very judgment they were to bring upon Canaan, back into them. We must remember this as we progress in life. When we stray from God’s prescribed path, judgment will find us, and we will not be the victims. When we are the enemy of God, even our enemies become his tools.
JOSH McGARY. COM 