2023_09_11 Insight Post- Kim Feld

Last week, we read about the fall of Israel, and this week, we read about the fall of Judah. Warnings have come through the words of the prophets over many years, yet the divided kingdom has turned deaf ears. Look at these words from 2 Kings 24:20 (NLT):

“These things happened because of the Lord’s anger against the people of Jerusalem and Judah, until he finally banished them from his presence and sent them into exile.”

The NIV translation says that He “thrust” them from His presence, which gives me a more vivid picture. The Hebrew word for “thrust” is šālak, meaning to throw, hurl, or scatter. I can’t emphasize enough what it meant for God’s people to be removed from His presence and sent into exile. If we had just begun reading the story here, it would be easy to conclude that the God of the Old Testament and Jesus are entirely different. We read of Jesus allowing Himself to be brutally beaten and murdered in the New Testament, and it’s hard to wrap our heads around scripture telling us they are ONE. But hopefully, through our reading this year, you have a picture of our long-suffering God, who gives every opportunity for His people to do the right thing. But finally, His Holiness cannot, will not, turn away from the evil deeds of His people.

We see glimpses of Jesus, our Messiah, throughout the Old Testament. He is the long-awaited Savior of His people. He gave Himself as the final sacrifice, allowing us to be with God. Without Him, we could not find our way to God. I’m so grateful that Israel’s exile was not the end of the story.

Another word for long-suffering is patient. The Greek word for patient is makrothymia, meaning “forbearance, internal and external control in a difficult circumstance, which control could exhibit itself by delaying an action” (NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary, 2015). If you look back over our reading this year, you must see the patience of God, who delays acting against His people repeatedly. Even if there is just a glimpse of a positive turn, He doesn’t act. That is the very definition of patience.

This year’s Bible Reading Plan has had difficult portions, especially as we have hit this section on all of Israel’s kings. Still, our prayer has been that it would give us a picture of the lengths God went to redeem us. The fact that God is omniscient means He knows it ALL – past, present, and future. He knew what Israel would do, just as He knows the decisions you and I will make each and every day. And yet, He forgives, restores, and calls us His own. Things may look bleak at this part of the story, but hang on!

 “For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning” (Psalm 30:5, NLT).

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach

Reference: NIV Exhaustive Concordance Dictionary. (2015). Zondervan.