READ 2 Kings 25
God judges Judah by allowing Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jerusalem.

INSIGHT
Judah has a total of 20 kings after Solomon. Only eight of them give moral and spiritual leadership. And as the king goes, so goes the nation. As a result, God has to bring judgment on Israel. The ghastly succession of horrors promised for disobedience in Deuteronomy 28—and reiterated to Solomon in 1 Kings 9—begins to unfold. “I will cast (Israel) out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples” (1 Kings 9:7). Nebuchadnezzar besieges and captures Jerusalem, transports her main people to Babylonia, robs her treasury, and violates worship in the temple. Sin has a terrible price.

PRAYER
Offer your praise to the Lord that we can be spared from His judgment on sin:
God, you are my God; I eagerly seek you.
I thirst for you; my body faints for you
in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water.  
So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
to see your strength and your glory
(Psalm 63:1-2).

Pray this confession to the Lord as you seek to keep your life free from sin:
My soul, bless the Lord,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.  
My soul, bless the Lord,
and do not forget all his benefits.  
He forgives all your iniquity;  
he heals all your diseases
(Psalm 103:1-3).

Confess any sins that the Holy Spirit brings to your mind. Now pray this affirmation to the Lord:
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30).

As you make your requests known to the Lord, include:

• Greater faithfulness in sharing Christ
• The Lord’s work in national and world affairs
• Whatever else is on your heart

Finally, offer this closing prayer to the Lord:
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity (2 Peter 3:18).