Day 350 – Repentance

2 Kings 25:1 Now it happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and built a siege wall against it. 2 Thus, the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

 4 Then the city wall was broken through, and the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans encamped around against the city. The king went by way of the plain. 5 However, the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. His army was scattered from him. 6 Thus, they took the king and brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah and pronounced judgment on him. 7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

 8 In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of JEHOVAH and the king’s house; the houses of Jerusalem, that is, the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 The army of the Chaldeans with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 However, the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

 13 The bronze pillars in the house of JEHOVAH, and the carts and the bronze Sea in the house of JEHOVAH, the Chaldeans broke into pieces and carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of JEHOVAH, the bronze of these articles was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits (28.8 feet), and the capital on it was bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits (4.8 feet), and the network and pomegranates around the capital were bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

 18 The captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land found in the city. 20 Thus, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus, Judah was carried away captive from its own land. 22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

 23 Now when the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah-Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it will be well with you.”

 25 However, it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 Then the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

 27 Now it happened in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 Thus, Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and ate bread regularly before the king the rest of the days of his life. 30 As for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life.

God’s names:

JEHOVAH – Self-existent, Eternal

Yeshuwa – Jesus

Elohiym – Supreme God

Hagios Pneuma – Sacred, Holy, Mighty Wind, Breath, Spirit

God’s character:

Judge

Promise Keeper

What do you do when your life goes from bad to worse? Do you try to make the best of a bad situation, or do you give up and let life take you where it will?

King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem. He broke down the walls and took everything from the temple along with the people to Babylon. He left only the poor people in the land to take care of it. When he did, he fulfilled JEHOVAH’S promise to His people to take them from the land He gave them because of their disobedience to Him.

2 Chronicles 7:12 Then JEHOVAH appeared to Solomon by night, and said to him, “I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. 16 For now, I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually. 17 As for you, if you walk before Me as your father David walked, and do according to everything I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments, 18 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom, as I covenanted with David your father, saying, ‘You will not fail to have a man as ruler in Israel.’ 19 However, if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all people. 21 As for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has JEHOVAH done thus to this land and this house?’ 22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook JEHOVAH Elohiym of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other elohiym, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He brought this calamity on them.’”

JEHOVAH kept His promise and sent Nebuchadnezzar against Judah and sent them to Babylon until they repented and returned to Him.

When you accepted Yeshuwa, you committed your life to obey Him in everything He told you. Many Christians believe they can live their lives as they want without retribution for their disobedience to Yeshuwa. However, Yeshuwa punishes disobedience by bringing trouble their way. He allows Satan to bring chaos and destruction to their lives.

What does your life look like? Do you see an unending cycle of trouble? Or is your life one of blessings because of your faithfulness to Yeshuwa? You cannot live your life both ways. You cannot do what you want and claim to be a faithful Christian. Yeshuwa sees the motives of your heart. He also knows if your repentance is real or an attempt to make things right while still wanting to do things your way.

Examine your life. If you see nothing but trouble, stop blaming Satan and repent and return to Yeshuwa and He will bring you back into fellowship with Him and bring blessings your way again.

King Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the temple and took the people from their land because they disobeyed JEHOVAH. Yeshuwa will allow the same in your life if you disobey Him and do whatever you want. You are the temple of Elohiym. Your life reflects your obedience or disobedience to Him. You break down your temple with your disobedience.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of Theos and that the Pneuma of Theos dwells in you?

 17 If anyone defiles the temple of Theos, Theos will destroy him. For the temple of Theos is holy, which temple you are.

1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Hagios Pneuma who is in you, whom you have from Theos, and you are not your own?

 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify Theos in your body and in your spirit, which are Theos’.

Repent, turn back to Yeshuwa and rebuild your temple. Glorify Him in body and spirit because you belong to Him.

Let’s pray: Father, forgive me for doing what I want without regard to my commitment to follow You and obey You in everything You tell me. Restore me to fellowship with You and take away the chaos in my life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Copyright © 3 January 2025 by Valerie Routhieaux