August 10

The Great Deportation
Reign of Zedekiah

In today's reading, Jehoiachin becomes king of Judah and he did evil in the eyes of the Lord. His reign does not last long. After three months, Nebuchadnezzar has the king, his mother, all fighting men, craftsmen, artisans, and all the temple treasures sent to Babylonia. Then he set up Zedekiah as king of Judah. He too did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Despite all that the people had done against God, He was still trying to get through to them. His punishment against them (deportation to a foreign land) was already under way, but He wanted them to understand what they had done. He was trying to give them yet another chance to repent and give their hearts back to Him.

This is the last part of today's reading:
"The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God's messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy. Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the Lord has spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. It was because of the Lord's anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah and in the end he thrust them from his presence."

Even in the middle of the great deportation, God was still giving his people another chance to come back to Him. This is significant because He's still doing the same thing with us today. It's important to remember that even when we are disobedient, God always wants us to come back to Him.