Children Bible Overview 81 9/11/08

WHEN GOD’S TIMETABLE ARRIVES,

HE CAUSES JUDAH TO BE CARRIED INTO EXILE TO BABYLON

Teachers to read bible scripture: <2 Ki 24:8-25:30> <2 Chr 36:9-21>

Children to memorize bible scripture: <Jer 33:7-8>

Recap
Children, last week, we saw how King Hezekiah gradually become more conceited and displayed his
splendor to the Babylonians. He also gave birth to a son, Manasseh. When Manasseh was King of
Judah, he led many people to worship idols.

Introduction
From then on, the King of Judah continued to do evil before the Lord, God. They all did not listen to
the words of God’s prophets and instead listened to the words of false prophets. Judah hence
gradually became weak. When Jehoiachin became king, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked
Judah. The king of Babylon won the battle and he took away all the treasures of King Jehoiachin, his
mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials as well as all the gold articles in the Holy Temple,
bringing them back to Babylon. Thereafter, he imprisoned King Jehoiachin. After that, the king of
Babylon also made Zedekiah, Jehoiachin’s uncle king of Judah in his place. Not long after, Zedekiah
rebelled against the king of Babylon. The king of Babylon then led his entire army to attack Jerusalem
in Judah. The king of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and destroyed all the holy temples. Thereafter, he
also killed all the leaders of Judah, killing King Hezekiah’s sons before his eyes. After that, he put out
the eyes of King Hezekiah. The rest of those people of Judah who were carried out in exile left their
home country. Judah hence encountered a very serious consequence. Actually, the Lord, God loves
His people. Therefore, from the start, He sent His prophets to pre-empt them. However, not only did
they not listen, they also made fun of the words of the prophets, and even killed some of them.
Towards the end, God’s anger came upon His people, causing them to be carried away in exile. The
Lord God did that out of His love for His people. Because when the people were in exile, they would
then repent and turn towards God. Moreover, in the big land of Babylon, God already had plans to
raise up a few people of Judah who revered God. They would hold high positions and glorify God’s
name, and hence, the Lord, God’s name could be spread to the world.

1. Judah repeatedly did not listen to the words of God’s prophets

1) Today, we must know what kind of god God is like. He is a God who has mercy,
grace and abundant love and is not easily angered. Therefore, He is a Father who
loves us and not a god who judges. Therefore, when we err, He will continue to give
us chances to repent.
2) However, God’s people (Judah) continued not to listen to God, abandoned Him and
made fun of the prophets whom He sent to speak His words. It reached a point when
they no longer had a heart that revered God because they were completely deceived
by the devil, Satan.
3) When God’s people repeatedly do not listen to God, they will lose a lot of blessings
and their lives cannot glorify God and would continue to be violated by other strong
countries. Therefore, because God loves His people, He wants to awaken and
discipline them.

2. Because God loves His people, therefore, He disciplines them and causes them to
be violated
1) Today, we must understand why God wants to discipline His people (children)? The
reason why God disciplines His peoples is not only due to His anger but because He
loves them and is not willing to allow the devil Satan to continue to deceive
 them. Therefore, he disciplines them. [Just like when our parents discipline us, they
are not just angry with us but they discipline us because of love]
2) As a result, God allowed Judah to be carried into exile by the King of Babylon.
Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials
surrendered all the treasures in Judah and the royal palace and also all the gold
articles from the Holy Temple to the Babylonians. Eventually, Zedekiah who rebelled
against the king of Babylon was also humiliated. His sons were killed and his own
eyes were being put out by the Babylonians.
3) In all this discipline, God still loves His people. What God is concerned about is not
the Holy Temple. Neither is it the gold and treasure in Judah. God’s greatest concern
is still the heart of His people. God’s purpose is not only to punish them, but God
hopes that His people can have a repentant heart. In all these sufferings, they do
not worship idols but are willing to turn towards Him.

3. Although Judah was captured, God who loves them had the most important plans
for them
1) Today, we must confirm to what extent that God loves His people (children)? God
loves His people to the extent that He gave up His life for them! If not for God who
uses His own life to save His people, the sins that they had committed, they would
already had been destroyed and vanished from earth! [We are the same. If Jesus
Christ did not die for our sins, we cannot be set free from our sins. Instead, because
of our sins, we would be bounded by the devil and would go into hell eternally.]
2) Because God loves His people to such an extent, He would never let them be at a
disadvantage. When God disciplines His people and causes them to be carried into
exile by the Babylonians, He already has the best plan prepared for them, that is to
be raised up in Babylon and become the important people in Babylon. Therefore,
through their influence, they can spread the name of God, Jesus Christ throughout
the entire land.
3) Therefore, when the people from Judah were carried into exile to Babylon, they
repent repeatedly and turned towards God. The built churches in Babylon and many
parts of the place, where they worshipped and prayed in the name of the Lord.
Therefore, God blessed them repeatedly and caused them to be raised up. In
Babylon, God raised up a few blessed and outstanding people of Judah. They
became very important people in Judah and blessed many of God’s people,
influencing the whole world. [In the next few weeks, we will hear more about their
stories.]