WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.160 Well, today we are continuing our series called The Story of the Old Testament. 00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:12.320 We're looking at some of the big moments that take place across the Old Testament. 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:16.280 And as we do so, we want to learn more about what happens at these moments. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:19.400 We want to try and see how all of these fit together. 00:00:19.400 --> 00:00:24.240 And above all, we want to see how it's all pointing forward to the coming of Jesus Christ 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:25.240 in the new. 00:00:25.240 --> 00:00:29.440 We've made our way quite far on in this story, and so we've just got another, I think, two 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:32.320 more sermons after this one. 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:35.160 So we're needing the end of the story. 00:00:35.160 --> 00:00:43.160 Our title today is Exile, and we can read again from the beginning of Lamentations 1. 00:00:43.160 --> 00:00:47.880 How lonely sits the city that was full of people? 00:00:47.880 --> 00:00:50.520 How like a widow she has become? 00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:52.880 She who was great among the nations? 00:00:52.880 --> 00:00:57.040 She who was a princess among the provinces has become a slave? 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:01.920 She weeps bitterly in the night with tears on her cheeks? 00:01:01.920 --> 00:01:05.120 Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her? 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.439 All her friends have dealt treacherously with her? 00:01:08.439 --> 00:01:11.039 They have become her enemies? 00:01:11.039 --> 00:01:16.239 Judah has gone into exile. 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:19.039 As with previous sermons, we've done. 00:01:19.039 --> 00:01:21.960 We're going to just ask four questions to take us through. 00:01:21.960 --> 00:01:23.439 What's the story so far? 00:01:23.439 --> 00:01:25.039 What's the story at this point? 00:01:25.039 --> 00:01:26.560 What's the bigger story? 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:29.760 What does it mean for your story? 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:35.159 So the story so far, if you're maybe just joining us for the first time today, or maybe 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:40.400 if you want to be reminded of where we've reached, let me tell you the story of the 00:01:40.400 --> 00:01:41.400 Old Testament. 00:01:41.400 --> 00:01:44.920 I don't know how vivid your imagination is, but as much as you can, I want you to try 00:01:44.920 --> 00:01:48.879 and picture in your minds what has been happening. 00:01:48.879 --> 00:01:54.480 But bear in mind that I'm giving you the time-lapsed, fast-forward version. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:02:00.120 In the beginning, God speaks and the universe explodes into existence. 00:02:00.120 --> 00:02:06.159 So think of stars appearing, billions of them, planets emerging, galaxies forming. 00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:11.560 The universe is created as this astonishing mass of energy and potential. 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:17.640 Near, one of these stars is a planet where dry land is separated from water. 00:02:17.640 --> 00:02:22.560 Mountains are made, rivers begin to flow, trees and plants shoot up from the ground. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:27.400 Fish start to swim, birds start to fly, animals run on the face of the earth. 00:02:27.400 --> 00:02:33.000 It's a stunning, thriving habitat of color, beauty and life. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:38.759 And the climax of it all is humanity. 00:02:38.759 --> 00:02:45.800 Men and women made in the image of God, placed in this beautiful planet to enjoy a stunning 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:49.840 homeland that God has made. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.599 And from the stars to the sun, to the planet earth, to the seas, the mountains, the plants, 00:02:54.599 --> 00:03:01.960 the animals, it all builds up to the creation of a people made to glorify God and enjoy 00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:04.759 him forever. 00:03:04.759 --> 00:03:08.039 And so I don't know if you watch programs like Blue Planet or all these other things 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:14.640 that see just the majesty of creation, it all builds up to the creation of humanity. 00:03:14.639 --> 00:03:20.839 And humanity stands on the threshold of all these extraordinary blessings that God has 00:03:20.839 --> 00:03:21.839 provided. 00:03:21.839 --> 00:03:31.279 And at that moment when everything is very good, humanity looks at God and spits in his 00:03:31.279 --> 00:03:37.759 face. 00:03:37.759 --> 00:03:45.519 He sins, rebelling against God and bringing a curse on all creation. 00:03:45.519 --> 00:03:50.280 And that great family of humanity created by God to live in this beautiful homeland 00:03:50.280 --> 00:03:56.879 is now a broken mess alienated from God and hostile to one another, living in a battle 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:58.560 ground. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:02.439 God's beautiful creation has been broken. 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:05.639 Humanity has rejected its creator. 00:04:05.639 --> 00:04:16.199 But the story of the Old Testament is that God does not give up. 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:21.199 In the midst of the brokenness and chaos, he calls a man, Abraham, living in the deserts 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:22.199 of Arabia. 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:27.560 He brings him west and in his amazing grace, God promises him a son and a land to live 00:04:27.560 --> 00:04:28.560 in. 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.319 And through his family, God's purposes are going to be fulfilled. 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:37.959 After years of waiting, that son is finally born and the children of Abraham grow into 00:04:37.959 --> 00:04:41.879 a clan, but they are forced into slavery in Egypt. 00:04:41.879 --> 00:04:44.319 They are oppressed, but they grow. 00:04:44.319 --> 00:04:47.040 And now they're as big as a nation. 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:54.879 And God calls Moses to lead the people out of slavery into the promised land, the land 00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:57.800 that was promised to their ancestor, Abraham. 00:04:57.800 --> 00:05:03.960 And in a mighty display of God's power, this vast family nation escapes from Egypt and 00:05:03.960 --> 00:05:06.520 now they are free. 00:05:06.520 --> 00:05:11.280 And so God gives them commandments for how to live as God's people. 00:05:11.280 --> 00:05:15.040 And the intention of those commandments is for them to stand out from the rest of the 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:16.040 world. 00:05:16.040 --> 00:05:19.240 After 40 years as nomads, they enter the promised land. 00:05:19.240 --> 00:05:23.199 But in doing so, they fail to drive out their enemies who already live there. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.720 And they're constantly tempted to become like the nations around them. 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.880 They were commanded to conquer, but instead they compromised. 00:05:29.880 --> 00:05:34.080 They were expected to be different, but they were constantly tempted. 00:05:34.080 --> 00:05:37.400 They were constantly wanting to blend in. 00:05:37.400 --> 00:05:40.080 God wanted to be in a covenant relationship with them. 00:05:40.080 --> 00:05:47.240 But all too often for these Israelites, being in covenant with God became inconvenient to 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:50.080 them. 00:05:50.080 --> 00:05:55.000 But still God does not give up. 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.160 He made Abraham into a family. 00:05:57.160 --> 00:05:58.600 He made that family into a nation. 00:05:58.600 --> 00:06:03.680 He gave that nation a land and eventually that nation becomes a kingdom. 00:06:03.680 --> 00:06:11.399 But over the last three weeks, we've seen that although that kingdom started with David, 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:18.399 who in so many ways was a man after God's heart, the kingdom did not last. 00:06:18.399 --> 00:06:23.480 From David onwards, it gradually fell apart. 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:26.240 It's easy to get lost in all the names and dates. 00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:28.480 So let me just put them in front of you to see them. 00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:30.920 David was succeeded by Solomon. 00:06:30.920 --> 00:06:33.840 Solomon was succeeded by Rehoboam. 00:06:33.840 --> 00:06:41.319 But in Rehoboam's reign in 931 BC, the kingdom divided in two. 00:06:41.319 --> 00:06:46.240 And from that point on, you ended up with the family nation separated. 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:51.439 And you had a northern kingdom on one side called Israel. 00:06:51.439 --> 00:06:56.959 It was ruled by, initially by Jeroboam, but there was a series of different family dynasties 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:00.000 who were kings over that nation. 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.639 The capital was predominantly in Samaria. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:08.159 All of the kings were bad in terms of their attitude towards God. 00:07:08.159 --> 00:07:15.240 In the south, the Davidic line continues through Rehoboam and his descendants. 00:07:15.240 --> 00:07:17.000 Some of these were good kings. 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:18.439 Many of them were failures. 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:22.160 None of them were quite like David. 00:07:22.160 --> 00:07:26.600 The north was conquered by Assyria in 722 BC. 00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:30.240 That's in the days of Isaiah, the prophet. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:36.879 The south, known as Judah, was conquered by Babylon over a 20-year period leading up to 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:43.360 586 BC in the days of Jeremiah. 00:07:43.360 --> 00:07:51.840 And if you were able to go back in time and stand in Jerusalem in 586, you would be standing 00:07:51.840 --> 00:07:55.160 in a city of ruins. 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:59.240 Most of the inhabitants have been taken away as captives. 00:07:59.240 --> 00:08:07.759 The great family nation of Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David is history. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:10.040 God's people are in exile. 00:08:10.040 --> 00:08:16.920 In fact, they are all the way back in the land that Abraham had been called out of 1500 00:08:16.920 --> 00:08:19.879 years earlier. 00:08:19.879 --> 00:08:24.040 We've been saying throughout this series that the story of the Old Testament is like a downward 00:08:24.040 --> 00:08:31.400 line with we spikes going upwards, but the general trajectory is negative. 00:08:31.400 --> 00:08:38.560 The exile is the lowest point of all. 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:52.439 At this point in the story, everything looks as though God really has given up. 00:08:52.439 --> 00:08:53.919 So what is the story at this point? 00:08:53.919 --> 00:08:56.719 Well, we read from two passages. 00:08:56.719 --> 00:09:01.000 Neil read from 2 Kings 24 and 25. 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:04.879 That passage gives us the facts about what happened. 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:08.279 The exile was the culmination of a period of about 20 years. 00:09:08.279 --> 00:09:16.000 So in 605 BC, Babylon, the Babylonian empire rises to dominance over the whole ancient Near 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:17.000 East. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:23.360 For those of you who are interested, there was a massively important battle at Karchimish, 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:29.159 where the Babylonians defeated an alliance of the Egyptians and the Assyrians. 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:35.360 If you think of it like this, it would maybe be like over the last 50 years, Russia and 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:40.080 America have been the two superpowers in the world. 00:09:40.080 --> 00:09:45.600 Imagine that in the next 50 years, they slowly became weaker, then began working together, 00:09:45.600 --> 00:09:52.840 and then a new superpower, say Brazil or India or China, came and took their place as the 00:09:52.840 --> 00:09:55.080 dominant world power. 00:09:55.080 --> 00:09:56.200 That's what happened. 00:09:56.200 --> 00:10:04.720 And 605 is a key year because then it's at that moment when Babylon becomes dominant. 00:10:04.720 --> 00:10:06.800 The new emperor took the throne in that year. 00:10:06.800 --> 00:10:10.200 His name was Nebuchadnezzar. 00:10:10.200 --> 00:10:15.200 As part of that dominance, he began to take people hostage from the various territories 00:10:15.200 --> 00:10:16.200 around him. 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:23.000 And so in 605, some of the Israelites were taken to Babylon among them was Daniel. 00:10:23.000 --> 00:10:31.920 In 597, so eight years later, he comes to actually take control, to take over Judah properly. 00:10:31.920 --> 00:10:33.720 And he captures Jerusalem. 00:10:33.720 --> 00:10:40.800 He takes the king, Jehoiakin hostage, and he places Zedekiah on the throne instead of 00:10:40.800 --> 00:10:41.800 him. 00:10:41.800 --> 00:10:44.759 And so what you have there is what you call a vassal king. 00:10:44.759 --> 00:10:49.080 So it's basically somebody appointing a king who's not really a king because they're under 00:10:49.080 --> 00:10:51.080 the control of the emperor. 00:10:51.080 --> 00:10:55.399 And be a bit like if, supposing the American president could appoint our prime minister 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:58.960 and basically control them. 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:02.759 More hostages are taken to Babylon among them was Ezekiel. 00:11:02.759 --> 00:11:06.519 And as Neil read for us, Zedekiah rebelled. 00:11:06.519 --> 00:11:09.679 So he was supposed to be this loyal faithful king to Babylon. 00:11:09.679 --> 00:11:11.200 He rebelled. 00:11:11.200 --> 00:11:16.279 So Nebuchadnezzar's forces return around the year 588. 00:11:16.279 --> 00:11:20.960 For two years, they sieged Jerusalem, which basically meant that they slowly starved the 00:11:20.960 --> 00:11:22.840 city. 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:25.840 And in 586, Jerusalem falls. 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:31.000 In the fifth month of the seventh day of the month, the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar, 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:36.720 so if you go from 605 to 586, 19 years, if I got my maths right, the captain of the guard, 00:11:36.720 --> 00:11:40.440 Nebuchadnezzaradan, the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:41.440 Jerusalem. 00:11:41.440 --> 00:11:48.080 He burned the house of the Lord and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem. 00:11:48.080 --> 00:11:51.799 Every great house, he burned down. 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:55.840 All the army of the Chaldeans who were with him, Chaldeans is just another word for Babylonians, 00:11:55.840 --> 00:12:00.200 who were with the captain of the guards, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.200 And the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who deserted the king 00:12:03.200 --> 00:12:07.480 of Babylon together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuchadnezzaradan, the captain 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:10.560 of the guard, carried into exile. 00:12:10.560 --> 00:12:17.000 So in 597, Jerusalem was captured. 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:22.160 In 586, Jerusalem was destroyed. 00:12:22.160 --> 00:12:24.160 That's what happened. 00:12:24.160 --> 00:12:26.560 Second Kings is giving us the facts. 00:12:26.560 --> 00:12:29.160 The other passage we read was from Lamentations. 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:37.120 Now Lamentations is a city of poems written in the aftermath of 586, probably or certainly 00:12:37.120 --> 00:12:42.039 very possibly written by Jeremiah or certainly by somebody who was closely acquainted with 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:43.039 him. 00:12:43.039 --> 00:12:44.039 And Lamentations is a small book. 00:12:44.039 --> 00:12:49.480 It's one that we probably don't read very often, but it is a hugely important book for 00:12:49.480 --> 00:12:55.120 understanding the story of the Old Testament at this point, because Second Kings gives 00:12:55.120 --> 00:12:59.480 us the facts. 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:05.799 Lamentations tells us how it felt. 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:09.679 And as I read these words, I want you to imagine your standing in Jerusalem. 00:13:09.679 --> 00:13:14.720 How lonely sits the city that was full of people. 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:17.399 How like a widow she has become. 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:20.159 She who was great among the nations. 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.159 She was a princess among the provinces has become a slave. 00:13:23.159 --> 00:13:26.600 She weeps bitterly in the night with tears on her cheeks. 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:29.039 Among all her lovers she is none to comfort her. 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:31.360 All her friends have dealt treacherously with her. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:32.799 They've become her enemies. 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:35.679 Judah has gone into exile. 00:13:35.679 --> 00:13:41.919 And if you go and read the rest of Lamentations, it's a hard book to read. 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:47.720 It describes the horror of the situation in very vivid and powerful terms. 00:13:47.720 --> 00:13:49.919 I can only touch on things very briefly. 00:13:49.919 --> 00:13:53.679 Now, let me just highlight some of the things that Lamentations speaks of. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.799 It talks of famine and destruction. 00:13:56.799 --> 00:13:58.719 So Jerusalem was now in ruins. 00:13:58.719 --> 00:14:03.000 It's basically been starved to death for two years. 00:14:03.000 --> 00:14:06.959 And the people there are in desperate poverty and need. 00:14:06.959 --> 00:14:09.639 It speaks of loneliness and separation. 00:14:09.639 --> 00:14:11.879 So not everyone was taken into exile. 00:14:11.879 --> 00:14:14.199 Many of the poorest and weakest were left behind. 00:14:14.199 --> 00:14:16.919 But that meant that families had been torn apart. 00:14:16.919 --> 00:14:18.360 Mothers left without their children. 00:14:18.360 --> 00:14:20.080 The city was now exposed. 00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:23.919 And all that remained were those who were the most frail. 00:14:23.919 --> 00:14:34.960 And as verse five says, her children have gone away. 00:14:34.960 --> 00:14:39.240 You know, our children are downstairs for half an hour at Kids' Church. 00:14:39.240 --> 00:14:41.800 And it's great that they can be there and you'll all get them back at the end of the 00:14:41.800 --> 00:14:44.440 service. 00:14:44.440 --> 00:14:50.160 What would it be like if they were gone for good? 00:14:50.160 --> 00:14:55.840 That's what it was like for them in Jerusalem in 586. 00:14:55.840 --> 00:14:58.280 Not just young children, teenagers, young adults. 00:14:58.280 --> 00:15:01.680 There's a sense of betrayal and shame. 00:15:01.680 --> 00:15:05.120 On many occasions, the people had made the huge mistake of thinking that if they colluded 00:15:05.120 --> 00:15:10.880 with other nations like Egypt or Assyria, that they would be able to help them and protect 00:15:10.880 --> 00:15:11.880 them. 00:15:11.879 --> 00:15:17.639 And God, to deliver them, they kind of thought they could go to other nations. 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:23.279 But when the Babylonians came, none of these nations helped them. 00:15:23.279 --> 00:15:25.919 And so the people on the one hand felt betrayed. 00:15:25.919 --> 00:15:28.639 On the other hand, they knew that they'd made a terrible mistake. 00:15:28.639 --> 00:15:30.799 And so they felt a huge sense of shame. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:32.439 Verses seven and eight captures this. 00:15:32.439 --> 00:15:36.720 Jerusalem remembers the days of affliction and wandering. 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:39.039 All the precious things that were hers from days of old. 00:15:39.039 --> 00:15:41.679 When the people fell into the hand of their foe, there was none to help her. 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:42.959 Their foes gloated over her. 00:15:42.959 --> 00:15:44.639 They mocked at her downfall. 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.879 Jerusalem sinned grievously. 00:15:46.879 --> 00:15:48.039 Therefore she became filthy. 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:50.879 All who honored her despised her, they've seen her nakedness. 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:58.239 And she herself groans and turns her face away. 00:15:58.239 --> 00:16:06.039 But verse seven also highlights another thing that Lamentations talks about. 00:16:06.039 --> 00:16:08.719 Memories. 00:16:08.720 --> 00:16:15.320 The community, the security, the prosperity, the joy that this city once had is now only 00:16:15.320 --> 00:16:19.759 a memory. 00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:25.360 Now all of that can seem like a million miles from Scotland in 2021. 00:16:25.360 --> 00:16:30.759 But I want to say two things very quickly before we go on to our next heading. 00:16:30.759 --> 00:16:32.000 The first thing is this. 00:16:32.000 --> 00:16:36.879 When we read about the exile or indeed about any devastating event, whether it's in the 00:16:36.879 --> 00:16:41.879 Bible or in another part of history or in the news, we must always remember that although 00:16:41.879 --> 00:16:52.240 that's happened long ago or far away, it is still talking about people. 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:54.879 And it's vital that we don't forget that. 00:16:54.879 --> 00:17:00.720 But it's probably even more important that we remember that although you read a passage 00:17:00.720 --> 00:17:05.319 like Lamentations one and think, well, that seems like ancient history to us, there are 00:17:05.319 --> 00:17:14.359 many people in the world today for whom Lamentations one is probably the most relevant chapter 00:17:14.359 --> 00:17:18.240 in the whole Bible. 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:26.799 When we hear of facts about suffering in places like Syria or Yemen or Somalia, God forbid 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:32.599 that we forget to think about how that must feel. 00:17:32.599 --> 00:17:41.679 The other thing is that we might be thousands of miles and thousands of years from the fact 00:17:41.679 --> 00:17:45.399 of Second Kings 24 and 25. 00:17:45.399 --> 00:17:52.679 But I am pretty sure that for many of us, the feelings of Lamentations one are a lot 00:17:52.679 --> 00:17:55.279 more close at hand. 00:17:55.279 --> 00:18:01.839 So we might not be in famine and rubble, but maybe you feel like your life has fallen apart. 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:04.240 Maybe you feel alone. 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:08.119 You might be surrounded by a city, but you feel totally isolated. 00:18:08.119 --> 00:18:11.199 Maybe you are separated from people you love. 00:18:11.199 --> 00:18:16.639 Maybe you are grieving for people you desperately miss. 00:18:16.639 --> 00:18:18.879 Maybe you feel ashamed of yourself. 00:18:18.879 --> 00:18:20.519 Maybe you've made big mistakes. 00:18:20.519 --> 00:18:23.759 Maybe it feels like other people are looking at you and gloating. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:30.359 Maybe you've been betrayed by somebody who you expected to look after you. 00:18:30.359 --> 00:18:38.479 Or maybe it's the case that the things you long for most are memories of days that won't 00:18:38.479 --> 00:18:41.839 come back. 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:47.039 The story of the Old Testament reaches its lowest point at the exile. 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:58.199 If you have had a rubbish week or a hard month or a really awful year, then maybe this is 00:18:58.200 --> 00:19:03.920 the point at the story of the Old Testament that God is talking to you. 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:17.920 Never forget that God knows the facts of your situation, and he knows exactly how you feel. 00:19:17.920 --> 00:19:19.680 What's the bigger story? 00:19:19.680 --> 00:19:24.400 Well, as we said already, the exile is the point when it really looks as though God has 00:19:24.400 --> 00:19:25.400 given up. 00:19:25.400 --> 00:19:26.400 The family is broken. 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:27.400 The nation is defeated. 00:19:27.400 --> 00:19:28.400 The land is occupied. 00:19:28.400 --> 00:19:32.200 The temple is a heap, and the kingdom has been crushed. 00:19:32.200 --> 00:19:34.680 Where is God in all of it? 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:38.120 Well, lamentation says two crucial things about God. 00:19:38.120 --> 00:19:41.000 You can see them in verse 18 and verse 21. 00:19:41.000 --> 00:19:44.120 I'd intended to put these in the screen, but I forgot to do so. 00:19:44.120 --> 00:19:49.200 So I'll read them out to you so that you can hear them. 00:19:49.200 --> 00:19:58.120 Lamentations 18 says the words at the start, the Lord is in the right. 00:19:58.120 --> 00:20:06.400 And then lamentations 21 says that the Lord has brought the day that you announced. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:07.400 Thank you. 00:20:07.400 --> 00:20:08.400 There we are. 00:20:08.400 --> 00:20:11.559 21 it says, you've brought the day that you announced. 00:20:11.559 --> 00:20:17.440 So these two things, the Lord is in the right, and he's brought the day that he announced. 00:20:17.440 --> 00:20:23.360 These statements are highlighting to us the fact that God had repeatedly warned the people 00:20:23.360 --> 00:20:25.320 that this was going to happen. 00:20:25.320 --> 00:20:28.240 And this was in fact part of his covenant promises. 00:20:28.240 --> 00:20:34.039 If they abandoned God's covenant, they would lose the privileges that they'd been given. 00:20:34.039 --> 00:20:42.000 And the key point that we need to remember is that this judgment that came in the exile 00:20:42.000 --> 00:20:47.360 was not a sign that God was abandoning his covenant promises. 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:50.439 It was actually a sign that he was sticking to them. 00:20:50.439 --> 00:20:53.919 He was being consistent with what he had warned. 00:20:53.919 --> 00:20:58.959 And that's why the people who stood in Jerusalem were not saying, why did God allow this? 00:20:58.959 --> 00:21:05.119 They were saying, why didn't we listen to him? 00:21:05.119 --> 00:21:09.559 But if God had warned that this would happen, if God was right to allow it to happen, what's 00:21:09.559 --> 00:21:10.719 going to happen now? 00:21:10.719 --> 00:21:11.919 What is the bigger story? 00:21:11.919 --> 00:21:15.919 Well, imagine that there was Facebook back in the days of lamentations. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:19.800 And imagine you uploaded all the pictures of the destruction and you posted a comment 00:21:19.800 --> 00:21:20.800 on how you were feeling. 00:21:20.800 --> 00:21:23.800 What's the kind of things that people would say? 00:21:23.800 --> 00:21:26.440 Well, I think it's very likely that the kind of things that people would say would be the 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:33.640 kind of things that you really wanted to hear because that's often what we tend to get. 00:21:33.640 --> 00:21:36.560 And that's exactly what happened all these years ago. 00:21:36.560 --> 00:21:41.759 The people who were taken in 597, so that was before Jerusalem had been destroyed, but 00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:45.880 those people who'd initially been taken into exile, some of them began to claim that 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:46.880 they were prophets. 00:21:46.880 --> 00:21:51.240 And they began to say, listen, this is only going to last a couple of years. 00:21:51.240 --> 00:21:55.760 God's going to crush the Babylonians and everything's going to get back to normal. 00:21:55.760 --> 00:21:56.760 Everything's going to be fine. 00:21:56.760 --> 00:22:00.600 And of course, that was what everyone wanted to hear. 00:22:00.600 --> 00:22:04.680 And you can read about all those predictions in Jeremiah chapter 28, which we don't have 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:07.880 time to look at, but you can look up later on if you wish. 00:22:07.880 --> 00:22:11.480 But of course, that's not what was going to happen. 00:22:11.480 --> 00:22:19.360 And so in Jeremiah 29, the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to these exiles, telling them 00:22:19.360 --> 00:22:22.720 what God was actually saying about what would happen. 00:22:22.720 --> 00:22:25.920 And I do want to read these words to you because they're really important. 00:22:25.920 --> 00:22:27.839 So let's read these words together. 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:31.960 I've missed out verses two and three just to save a little bit of time. 00:22:31.960 --> 00:22:35.759 These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:40.960 elders of the exiles, to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar 00:22:40.960 --> 00:22:44.079 had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. 00:22:44.079 --> 00:22:46.480 And we can put in brackets in 597 BC. 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:50.240 So that's the people who'd gone initially, Ezekiel and others. 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:54.720 The letter said this, Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles 00:22:54.720 --> 00:23:00.400 whom have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses and live in them, plant 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:05.319 gardens and eat their produce, take wives and have sons and daughters. 00:23:05.319 --> 00:23:09.200 Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage that they may bear sons and daughters 00:23:09.200 --> 00:23:13.440 and multiply there and do not decrease, but seek the welfare of the city where I've sent 00:23:13.440 --> 00:23:16.720 you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf. 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:19.519 For in its welfare, you will find your welfare. 00:23:19.519 --> 00:23:22.799 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, do not let your prophets and your 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:25.240 diviners who are among you deceive you. 00:23:25.240 --> 00:23:29.960 Do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying 00:23:29.960 --> 00:23:30.960 to you in my name. 00:23:30.960 --> 00:23:32.840 I did not send them, declares the Lord. 00:23:32.840 --> 00:23:34.880 The lie that's been referred to is the lie. 00:23:34.880 --> 00:23:39.280 This is going to be over in just a couple of years. 00:23:39.280 --> 00:23:42.040 The people had gone into exile because of deafness. 00:23:42.040 --> 00:23:45.600 Now they would endanger of responding to it with blindness. 00:23:45.600 --> 00:23:51.080 God had made it clear what the people wanted to hear wasn't going to happen. 00:23:51.080 --> 00:23:53.480 It wasn't going to be over in two years. 00:23:53.480 --> 00:24:01.160 They had to settle down and get on with life because the situation was not about to change. 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:06.640 But that's not all that God says in this letter, because in the next two verses you find one 00:24:06.640 --> 00:24:12.960 of the most famous statements in the whole of the Old Testament. 00:24:12.960 --> 00:24:19.640 For thus says the Lord, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and 00:24:19.640 --> 00:24:25.680 I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 00:24:25.680 --> 00:24:31.040 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:39.039 Plans for welfare and not for evil to give you a future and a hope. 00:24:39.039 --> 00:24:45.440 And what I hope you can see is just how amazing God's timing is because Jeremiah 2911 is 00:24:45.440 --> 00:24:48.960 one of the most famous verses in the Old Testament. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:50.680 It's such an amazing promise. 00:24:50.680 --> 00:24:57.440 But in the big story of the Old Testament, when did it come? 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:05.039 It came just before things were at their very worst. 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:09.960 And that plan for a future and a hope was the plan that God had always had from the 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:13.960 very moment when humanity first spat in God's face. 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:16.400 And that plan runs right through the Old Testament. 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:20.720 It's the plan as we've been saying that points forward to Jesus Christ. 00:25:20.720 --> 00:25:23.840 And in Jesus, the kingdom is reestablished. 00:25:23.839 --> 00:25:30.439 The family is restored and expanded and the whole of creation is being brought back and 00:25:30.439 --> 00:25:33.359 restored to be our promised homeland. 00:25:33.359 --> 00:25:43.279 And it means that there's a future that is full of hope and it's all because God never, 00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:47.919 ever gives up. 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:55.880 And it's an amazing reminder that with God, what he wants to do is actually way better 00:25:55.880 --> 00:25:59.160 than what you want to hear. 00:25:59.160 --> 00:26:02.840 And that's why if you feel lost or isolated or full of regret, God is not saying, oh, 00:26:02.840 --> 00:26:03.840 well, it's not too bad. 00:26:03.840 --> 00:26:08.920 He's saying, I've got a plan to give you a future and a hope. 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:14.000 At the exile, the people would have felt like they had completely blown it. 00:26:14.000 --> 00:26:20.559 And maybe you feel like that too, God is saying to them and to you, you blowing it is not 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:22.960 the end of the story. 00:26:22.960 --> 00:26:28.240 And his salvation, his plan of salvation is clear, deliberate, definite. 00:26:28.240 --> 00:26:30.839 It is centered on Jesus Christ. 00:26:30.839 --> 00:26:36.720 It's been offered to you today, which brings us to our last question. 00:26:36.720 --> 00:26:39.559 What does it mean for your story? 00:26:39.559 --> 00:26:42.460 Time has run out as I expect, as I thought it might. 00:26:42.460 --> 00:26:46.799 So I just want to ask three questions in conclusion. 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:53.440 And what I hope you'll see, or I certainly hope it'll be the case, that the answer to 00:26:53.440 --> 00:26:56.960 all of these questions is no. 00:26:56.960 --> 00:27:03.920 So question one, the passages we've been looking at today describe a scene of desperation and 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:04.920 destruction. 00:27:04.920 --> 00:27:06.360 Our lives can feel like that. 00:27:06.360 --> 00:27:11.319 The mission field around us that God's placed us in can often feel like that. 00:27:11.319 --> 00:27:18.279 But if you are confronted with desperation and destruction, does that mean that God has 00:27:18.279 --> 00:27:23.439 given up? 00:27:23.439 --> 00:27:29.720 Question two, in all the passages that speak about the exile, it's made absolutely clear 00:27:29.720 --> 00:27:33.559 that the reason it happened was because the people refused to listen to God over many, 00:27:33.559 --> 00:27:34.679 many years. 00:27:34.679 --> 00:27:40.079 One of the main reasons why they didn't listen to him is given to us in Lamentations chapter 00:27:40.079 --> 00:27:41.079 one, verse nine. 00:27:41.079 --> 00:27:47.000 It says that the people took no thought of their future. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:53.000 The mess of the exile arose because people stopped listening to God and they stopped 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:54.639 thinking about the future. 00:27:54.639 --> 00:28:00.079 They stopped listening and stopped thinking and they only realized they were doing it 00:28:00.079 --> 00:28:02.019 when it was too late. 00:28:02.019 --> 00:28:09.559 And so in terms of your salvation, I have got to ask, are you going to do the same? 00:28:09.559 --> 00:28:19.319 And question three, the exile is the lowest point in the Old Testament story. 00:28:19.319 --> 00:28:23.039 But in the midst of that sorrow and heartbreak, there's an amazing message of hope, a clear 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:24.039 message of hope. 00:28:24.039 --> 00:28:25.399 God has not given up. 00:28:25.399 --> 00:28:28.480 God has got a plan that plan centers on Jesus Christ. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:33.240 He's come to bring salvation to all who put their trust in him. 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:36.960 He's come to give healing and hope to all who are lost. 00:28:36.960 --> 00:28:43.519 And so my last question is this, as Jesus offers that salvation again today, as Jesus 00:28:43.519 --> 00:28:48.319 holds out his hands in compassion to everyone in the building, to everyone watching at home, 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:55.960 as Jesus promises a future and a hope, as Jesus says, trust me and follow me this week 00:28:55.960 --> 00:29:02.519 and for the rest of your life, as Jesus says, all of these things. 00:29:02.519 --> 00:29:12.319 Is he talking to someone else? 00:29:12.319 --> 00:29:17.759 The answer to all of these questions is the biggest no of your life. 00:29:17.759 --> 00:29:21.799 The story of the Old Testament is that God does not give up. 00:29:21.799 --> 00:29:25.920 The story of every Christian is that God does not give up. 00:29:25.920 --> 00:29:31.240 He's offering you salvation today because he has not given up. 00:29:31.240 --> 00:29:32.240 Amen. 00:29:32.240 --> 00:29:33.240 Let's pray. 00:29:33.240 --> 00:29:48.400 Father, we thank you so much that you're the God who does not give up. 00:29:48.400 --> 00:29:55.880 Help us to understand what the events of the exile and what the story of the Old Testament 00:29:55.880 --> 00:29:58.240 is teaching us. 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:05.440 Help us to see that these things are pointing us to your Son, our Lord Jesus. 00:30:05.440 --> 00:30:11.240 And help us to respond to your call to follow him. 00:30:11.240 --> 00:30:29.240 Amen.