July 15 - Solomon's Temple Destroyed

July 15 - Solomon's Temple Destroyed
2 Kings 24:13, 2 Kings 25:8-17, Psalm 74:7, Isaiah 64:11

Many years had passed, the kingdom of Israel had been torn into two separate kingdoms,  kings had come and gone; then Nebuchadnezzar finally took Judah.  He took Jehoichan, king of Judah prisoner and took everything out of the temple.  He took those who lived in Jerusalem into exile.  2 Kings 24:14 says that only the poorest of the people of the land were left.

The pillars that Solomon had built were broken, the bronze laver was destroyed and the bronze carried to Babylon,  anything made of gold was stolen by the military men, it was all taken to Babylon.

Psalm 74:7 says, “They burned your sanctuary to the ground; they defiled the dwelling place of your Name.”

Isaiah 64:11 says, “Our holy and glorious temple, where our fathers praised you, has been burned with fire, and all that we treasured lies in ruins.”

The sin of Israel had taken them to utter desolation.  There was nothing left, there was nowhere left that they could go.  Solomon had asked the Lord to hold the Temple as a place where everyone could turn in prayer knowing that He would hear and respond.  Solomon had prayed that the Lord would always keep his eye on the Temple, but the sin of Israel had become too great.  Rather than filling the Temple with praise and worship, they had filled it with pride and sin.  The Lord couldn’t see them any longer and someone else was able to steal them away.

While this is the worst possible outcome for the Israelites, it wasn’t the end of the story.  Because the Lord never forgets those he loves.