Impressive cultures with creative and skilled people sometimes come to an end suddenly and completely. When digging, archaeologists often find a layer of ash between layers of impressive artifacts. The ash shows the culture's destruction. This is one of the most troubling parts of human history.
Israel's history includes cycles of bravery and success, followed by disaster. Leaders like Joshua, Samuel, David, and Solomon brought Israel to power. Yet, the nation often worshiped other gods instead of the one true God. As a result, God's people experienced judgment, and their culture failed.
They lost political independence and became slaves treated badly. The northern kingdom of Israel was particularly attracted to worshiping idols like Baal and Asherah. Thus, God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the northern kingdom, destroying it in 722 BC.
During the prophet Jeremiah's time, the spiritual and political culture in Judah was collapsing. Some kings, like Josiah, followed the covenant ban against idol worship and brought the people back to God. Yet, many rulers, including King Josiah's sons, did not continue these changes.
For instance, King Jehoiakim ignored his father's renewed commitment to God. He considered it as a threat to his political power. He became so opposed to the Lord that he tried to kill Jeremiah, the Lord's messenger. King Zedekiah was more fearful than opposed to change, but he also refused to obey the Lord.
God's messages through Jeremiah strongly criticize Judah's worship of Baal (Jeremiah 2:8; 7:9; 11:13, 17; 12:16; 19:5; 23:13, 27; 32:29, 35). He also criticized the immorality linked to this idol worship. Judah's moral decay and spiritual corruption, shown by its greed, hate, and violence, were obvious to everyone. The people stubbornly refused to abandon idol worship and return to the worship of the one true God. Yet, the people of Judah hoped God would perform a miracle by defeating the Babylonian army and sending it away.
They believed the temple would magically protect them. They did not realize that God hated their actions there. This quickened their destruction instead of protecting them (Jeremiah 7:4–15). They were completely unprepared for the horror of defeat in war and the destruction of their nation, capital, and temple. They did not understand that their spiritual and moral failure had already made their destruction certain.
Passages for Further Study
Joshua 1:1–9; 11:16–23; 1 Samuel 4:1–22; 2 Kings 17:6–18; 23:1–25:30; Jeremiah 7:4–15; 19:1–7; 24:1–10; 28:10–17; Daniel 7:1–8:27