On the Way Back

OK, so if you remember from yesterday, Zedekiah was the king of Judah for 11 years and he "did what was evil in the sight of the Lord."  The result of this was that he rebelled against the Babylonian king and was eventually overthrown. 
As punishment he was made to watch as his sons were killed and his eyes were gouged out and he was led off to live as a prisoner and exile in Babylon.  It is my belief that it all started with his choice to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord.  From there it simply snowballed on him.  This is all found in 2 Kings 24:18-25:8 as well as at the end of 2 Chronicles.

So we talked yesterday about how it is usually that one choice, one decision to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord that leads us deeper into rebellion and away from God.  Let me go ahead and say this about the phrase "what is evil in the sight of the Lord."  Basically for to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord means that we commit some kind of sin.  It is this initial sin, when we do nothing about it, that then leads us to our rebellion.

So we have committed some kind of sin and it has led us to begin stepping away from God and what he has in store for us.  It sometimes feels like God has turned his back on us in these times, like we will never again be able to be in his presence.  But here is the thing: it's just a feeling.  God doesn't turn his back on us when we sin, but rather we turn our back on him and then forget where to look.  The people of Israel and Judah were put into exile for 70 years after Zedekiah's reign and rebellion.  They were taken away from their homes and their temple was destroyed.  They had to feel as though God were a very long way off from them.  This was all due to the fact that they as a people had sinned against God and rebelled against him.  Yes King Zedekiah is who we read about, but he is also a figurehead for the people.  What he did was simply a more specific example of what the entire nation had done.

Then we get to Ezra 1:1-11.  The Babylonians are no longer the dominant empire over the Israelites.  It has been 70 years that they have been in exile.  And now God is calling them back.  He is showing that they are forgiven for their sin and rebellion.  The people are able to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple and their homes and their lives.

This is an example of what God wants to do with and for us.  There are times that it seems we have been away from God for so long.  Then, we remember that we simply turned our backs and have only to turn once more toward him in repentance and we will have the opportunity to rebuild.  This is what I am able to take from Ezra 1.  That regardless of how long it seems, how far away we feel, God is there and he is ready to restore us through his Love and Grace.  Peace and Love y'all.