"And then after 14 generations from David, it is the exile. What happened at that time?" Asked Yeshua as He looked around. "Yes, Matthew," said Yeshua as He looked at Matthew, making us all look at him.
Matthew widened his eyes as he lowered his hand. "Oh." Matthew gulped, "uhm… the-uh the Israelites were invaded by Babylon with their reigning king Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiakim was the reigning king of Judah that time but he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar so they were wiped out. That happened according to the Lord's command because of the evil things that Jehoiakim's great grandfather, Manasseh, had done when he was still alive,"
"I thought you only read the book of St. Matthew?" Asked Thomas. Matthew looked at him then shook his head in response then looked back at Yeshua, "Jehoiakim's son, Jehoiachin is now reigning at the age of eighteen. But only for 3 months because he also did evil just like his father and so Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem, making Jehoiachin and his mother, attendants, nobles, and officials surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiachin is now a prisoner of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then carried all Jerusalem into exile,"
"Where did he even get that?" Asked one from the crowd. "2 Kings chapter 24." Answered Tabitha without even looking away from Yeshua.
"Nebuchadnezzar then chose Jehoiachin's uncle, Mattaniah, as the next king but his name was changed into Zedekiah. But then just like Jehoiakim, he had done evil in the eyes of the Lord. Then Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. For 2 years, Jerusalem was kept under siege by Nebuchadnezzar and his army until famine fell in Jerusalem. When Zedekiah and his army tried to flee from the land, he was captured while his army was scattered. Zedekiah's sons were killed in front of him then they made him blind with bronze as his shackles then they brought him to Babylon,"
"What verse is he now? I can't find it in chapter 24," said one girl from the crowd who was looking at her phone. "He's now in 2 Kings chapter 25." Answered one of the women from the crowd.
"That was the time when Nebuchadnezzar commanded his commander of imperial guards, Nebuzaradan, to set the Temple of the Lord, the royal palace, and the houses of Jerusalem on fire. They took all the bronze, silver and gold from the Temple of the Lord. Even all the important people in the Temple and royal palace were brought back to Babylon as captives by Nebuzaradan and there in Riblah the king Nebuchadnezzar had them executed."
"Oh, okay. I found it," said the girl from the crowd who was still looking at her phone.
"With everything destroyed, the identity of the Israelites were in danger because they identified themselves with the Temple of the Lord, the altars of the Lord and the sacrifices that they made in the Temple." Finished Matthew. Yeshua smiled widely at him. "Thank you so much Matthew for that very specific answer. Much appreciated," thanked Yeshua while still looking at Matthew.
"That was the problem when one made temporary things as their identity. When it was destroyed, they lost their identity with it." Said Yeshua as He looked around. "But the thing that was completed in that time of exile was the reidentity of the Israelites. They now based their faiths in the Word of God instead of the Temple and the altars and the sacrifices. For the Lord our God knows the plan that He has for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future." Said Yeshua as He looked us in our eyes.