The Exile Story

After Solomon, most of the kings led God’s people to do some very sinful things instead of obeying God’s instructions.

For example, one king, Jeroboam, taught Israel to worship other gods. He made two golden calves and said to the people, “These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” Instead of teaching the people to worship God alone, Jeroboam taught them to worship false gods.

Another king, Manasseh, also did terrible things. He tried to control events through magic and sorcery and he tried to obtain secret knowledge by seeking spirits. He also tried speaking with the spirits of dead people in order to understand the future. God had strictly forbidden his people from doing these things.

Eventually, because of their disobedience, God kicked Israel out of the Promised Land. Just as Adam and Eve had to leave the garden after their disobedience to God’s instruction, so also Israel left their land because they failed to keep God’s instructions. They were forced to live as captives in a land not their own under a king who did not know and worship God.

Meaning: God gave Israel his instructions so that they might model for the nations what it looks like to worship and obey God. Not only this, the instructions were also to be the means by which Israel would be a light and a blessing to the nations – this is how the snake would be crushed and all the nations of the earth would be blessed! The kings were supposed to help Israel remember and keep the law.

Unfortunately these kings acted wickedly and led the nation into further sin. Instead of being an example for the other nations, Israel acted just like the other nations. For this reason God expelled them from the land of promise. But what about the promises to Adam & Eve, Abraham, and David? The king who would defeat evil and bless all the nations would come, but not as soon as Israel might hope.