Royals Part III: Into ExileVoorbeeld

# Enough is Enough Up until this point God has been merciful time and time again. If He wasn’t so patient, Israel and Judah could have been exiled centuries ago. Israel had completely abandoned him and Judah was only holding on to Him when it suited them. But there comes a point when God would only end up allowing greater suffering and injustice to occur by being merciful to these individuals. God had established Israel and given them the land to drive out exactly these practices. Israel was supposed to be a nation that stood out in contrast to all the other nations, but instead they allowed themselves to be conformed to every evil thing the nations around them were doing. Ahaz’s reign is a low-point for Judah. It’s not quite as bad as Ahab’s earlier reign in Israel generations earlier, but to stoop to child sacrifice shows a complete disregard for everything that God values. This is the beginning of the end. Rather than just warning Israel and Judah, the prophets begin to describe the imminent collapse of these nations- Israel first, then Judah. And yet at the same time, Isaiah speaks of one who is to come. A true King, a Messiah who knows right from wrong, who won’t be influenced by the world, but who will be Immanuel, God with us. Ahaz gave his children to the gods for his own good but God would give his Son to humanity for our good. In this way, God would be able to deliver justice while also being abundantly merciful. Thought Point How does this passage help you see that God’s judgement is necessary? Prayer Point Ask God to protect you from being influenced by the world and to stay true to his path for your life.