Jump Start # 422

2 Chronicles 36:18 “And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon.” 

  Our verse today probably isn’t found in most devotionals. It’s not one of those upbeat, feeling good verses. It’s just the opposite in many ways. The nation of Judah continued to ignore God. Prophet after prophet was rejected until God finally rejected the nation. Like Israel, Judah would be invaded and carried away into captivity. The instrument to do this was Babylon. The prophets Jeremiah and Daniel were written during this time. God made a promise way back in the days of Abraham, and God always keeps His promise, so a group would be allowed to return after the captivity—but it would be a long time, 70 years in Babylon. (As a side point, Daniel in the lion’s den is not a teenager as many often see him. He’s already gone through the 70 years of captivity. He’s in his 80’s or 90’s when he is facing the lions).

  Our verse shows the extent that God allowed Babylon to crush Judah. His own temple was desecrated and destroyed. It is at this time that the ark of the covenant is stolen and I guess only Indiana Jones knows where it’s at.

  This had to be a sad day for the Lord. The very temple that Solomon had built years ago and that opened with an amazing ceremony and had been used for years with sacred prayers and sacrifices was now ripped apart by pagan soldiers. They went into places that the people of Judah had never seen, except the high priest, and that was once a year.

  From the standpoint of the enemy and even from Judah’s perspective, it looked on that day like the enemies of God prevailed. It looked like someone actually defeated God. The walls around the sacred city in rubble, the buildings on fire and the temple destroyed and all the articles of the temple carried away. This is when sad Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. He was mourning.

  God was not defeated, not even for a moment. God was using Babylon to awaken His people spiritually. His people would return, the temple would be rebuilt, the walls made strong once again and hopefully a lesson learned.

  In Hebrews we are told that we receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken. God cannot be destroyed. At times, from our perspective, it may seem like evil prevails and the enemies are walking over God. Our Lord has big plans and He sees the big picture. The enemies shall never prevail. God will be triumphant.

  There are days when it seems like we witness evil everywhere. God’s name is mocked and ridiculed and taken in vain. It seems that wrong is flaunted and the immoral is the normal. Like Peter described Lot during the days of Sodom, “his soul was vexed.” Our God is upon the throne. God will prevail. We must be careful that we do not make God an “American.” He’s not. There is no American flag waving in Heaven. That’s our thinking. We’ve grown up hearing that this is the best country in the world. We are the strongest and richest. We are a superpower. Those thoughts can lead us to thinking that God is an American—He’s not. His kingdom is spiritual—not national. He’s not promised that there were will always be an America. Our sins may sicken Him so much that He allows another nation to take us over. Kingdoms come and go. His interest, His hope and His will is for the spiritual. It doesn’t matter what flag flies in the land, our allegiance must be to the Lord.

  Patriotism is not the same as righteousness nor spirituality. I’m thankful for our veterans and those that made this country strong and great. I’m more thankful for those who have sounded forth God’s word and have preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

  First and foremost, I am a Christian, then I am an American. God comes first. He comes first in the shaping of my thoughts and ideals. It seems that more are concerned with left and right than the are with the up and down. As we head into the political season you’ll notice those whose minds and hearts are shaped by political persuasion above spiritual persuasion. They have that backwards.

  All that we do, we belong to God. That affects the way I approach a day, the way I work, what I do for entertainment, and how I connect with other people. I belong to God. I belong to God when I facebook (I wish some would remember that). I belong to God when taking a test. I belong to God when I deal in business. I belong to God!

  And I’m thankful, He’ll have me!

Roger