Day 198: 2 Kings 24-25, 2 Chronicles 36:1-21, Jeremiah 52

The thing about reading the history recorded in the Bible is that you get God's perspective on the events. I suppose you could read other secular historians and find out the details of the events and these records may, at times, actually be more complete. What you don't get from secular historians is what God may be up to. The events happened and there may be completely earthly reasons why Nebuchadnezzar destroyed and took the Israelites into captivity...but God was in it. He had something He was working out and He used these events to do it.

Here's what the Bible says about these events:

The LORD sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him to destroy Judah, in accordance with the word of the LORD proclaimed by his servants the prophets. Surely these things happened to Judah according to the LORD’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD was not willing to forgive. (2 Kings 24:2-4)

Whether or not God actually directs the events of history is not my point. My point is that God uses them to accomplish what He wants to accomplish. He is at work. I don't think it's as simple as Jerry Falwell and others try to make it...but I do think it may be important for us to ask the question, "What is God up to?"

How will God use the events of today, September 9, 2011? What will be my part?