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Fourth Sunday of Lent
Deliverance from Exile

2Chronicles 36:14-16, 19, 23
“Those who escape the sword were carried captive to Babylon.”

What did I do to deserve this? When misfortunes come our way, we instinctively suspect that God is punishing us for something. In truth, we often find out we are our own worst enemies, judging ourselves more harshly than God would. Our own bad habits, our own selfishness, and our own negligence come back to haunt us.

What did I do to deserve this? It’s the question residents of ancient Jerusalem asked when the city fell to the Persians and those who escaped death was carried captive to Babylon. The temple was destroyed, the city lay in ruins, and the people were made slaves. How did this happen?

God’s chosen people had a lot of time to think over threat question and find an answer. In captivity they came to a spiritual awakening. They realized that they and their leaders had been unfaithful to the covenant and insincere to their worship. They believed that God was punishing them. But what did God do?

In time, God spoke to Cyrus, king of Persia and commanded the ruler to free the people. They left their captivity, returned to Jerusalem, rebuilt the temple, and dedicated themselves anew to the sacred covenant.

How has God forgiven you and set you free? What did you do to show your thanks?

Written by Paul Turner