3 Reasons Judah’s Exile to Babylon Matters to YOU

Some of you may know my personal testimony of becoming a Christ follower. If you haven’t read it, here’s a quick synopsis. I’m a spiritual mutt. Dad was Quaker. Mom’s charismatic. Grandparents were ordained ministers in the Pilgrim Holiness, then Nazarene, and then Wesleyan denominations. Scripture was used as ammunition in their holy wars at dinner, and by the time I was a teenager, I wanted nothing to do with God. 

Enter an old friend from high school who attended freshman year at LeTourneau College. He’d been as utterly pagan as I when he left Indiana, but returned for his sophomore year at a local college a “born-again Christian.” After two months of seeing how much he’d changed, he led me to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And he did it through Genesis 3:15—not John 3:16. 

He did it by showing me that the WHOLE BIBLE is a love letter from God. A single story. It’s history—but also His-story—as well as MY His-story that also tells my future. 

THAT’S why it matters to us. But let’s chat about a few specific reasons Judah’s exile to Babylon in 586 B.C. matters… 

It Proves God Keeps His Promises 

God’s OT Promises 

What were some of God’s promises before the exile to Babylon? 

Adam – God promised if Adam & Eve ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would die (kept his promise). After they disobeyed, God promised Eve’s eventual offspring would overcome the evil that tricked them in the garden. (Imagery in Gen. 3:15 foretelling Jesus’ Cross and Resurrection) 

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring a and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 

Abraham – Yahweh promised to give Abraham a HUGE amount of Land in a country not his own and He’d make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation. He also promised that all people on earth would be blessed through Abraham.  

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3 

Isaac and Jacob – Yahweh reiterated His promise to Abraham’s son and grandson, affirming that it would be their lineage that received both the Promised Land and that blessed all nations. 

Moses – After Yahweh delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He promised to bless with immeasurable good if they obeyed the Law He gave Moses on Mt. Sinai. He also promised to curse with immeasurable tragedy if they turned away from Him once they entered the Land He’d promised to Abraham. (See Leviticus 26:14-46 for a vivid description of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C.—hundreds of years before it ever happened.) 

God follows through with whatever He promises—both with rewards and discipline. He foretold a coming Messiah, and Jesus came, fulfilling over 600 OT prophecies. Those who believe will see Him someday face-to-face: 

“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:2-3 

Illustrates God’s Passion for All Nations 

Judah’s exile to Babylon also shows God’s concern for every nation. Remember the post on King Nebuchadnezzar  (https://mesuandrews.com/who-is-nebuchadnezzar/) and his passion to make the Babylonian empire a multi-cultural world with exceptionally trained leaders? Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were taken to Babylon as young Israelites and trained in literature, history, art, etc. so they could be foreign magistrates placed in leadership throughout Neb’s kingdom. See? Multi-cultural. Records show leaders of many nationalities in his government. 

But God showed even greater concern for the nations than placing a barbaric king at the head of the empire. Yahweh showed personal care for the foreign king himself by repeatedly revealing Himself to Neb—and the crowds of people who witnessed miracles—through Daniel’s faithfulness and that of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. But when Neb’s pride kept Yahweh at arm’s length, God stripped the arrogant king of all he held dear and brought Neb face-to-face with the one, true God of Creation. (See Daniel 4 for full story of his humbling) 

“King Nebuchadnezzar, To the nations and peoples of every language…It is my pleasure to tell you about the miraculous signs and wonders that the Most High God has performed for me…Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” Daniel 4:1-2; 37 

God revealed Himself to Egypt through plagues when He delivered Israel from bondage, but He revealed Himself to ALL nations when He placed the Israelites in Babylon. It’s where we see His quest for the Gentiles (anyone not of Jacob’s blood line)—and His promise that Abraham would bless ALL nations—really pick up momentum. 

Began the Systematic Compilation/Distribution of God’s Word 

The period of the Babylonian Exile was also crucial in forming the written forms of Scripture we hold in our hands today.  

God’s Word from 2 Camps 

When Judah was sacked, most were exiled to Babylon, and a large population of religious Jews lived in an area near the Chebar (Kebar) River. These exiles spoke Hebrew, of course, but the main language used in Babylon was Aramaic for written communication and trade, so much of the Hebrew Scriptures were written, copied, and distributed to other Jews in the empire in both Hebrew and Aramaic. One of those exiles was named Ezekiel… 

“In my thirtieth year, in the fourth month on the fifth day, while I was among the exiles by the Kebar River, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” Ezekiel 1:1 

A second, much smaller, group of exiles escaped to Egypt and sort of kidnapped the prophet Jeremiah. They also spoke Hebrew, but their written language was Greek. They copied the Hebrew Bible into what we know today as the Septuagint.  

“All the army officers and all the people disobeyed the Lord’s command to stay in the land of Judah…and they took Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch son of Neriah along with them. So they entered Egypt in disobedience to the Lord….” Jeremiah 43:4,6-7 

Isn’t it incredible that documents found thousands of miles apart, in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), and having been translated hundreds of years later—are still being proved so accurate? I’d say it’s even—supernatural.  CLICK HERE to read more about this topic from the Biblical Archaeological Society.  

Why the Exile Matters Today 

If you haven’t yet realized it, I’m a little passionate about research. Which is crazy—because I HATED history in school. But this is MY history and MY future—and yours. These answers teach me about the God who carries me through every moment of every day. Is He faithful? Yes. Is He concerned about the WHOLE world? Yes. And can I trust the Bible I hold in my hands to be absolutely True? Emphatically, YES. I hope it’s an encouragement to you as well. 

Tweet-A-Licious! 

• Want proof God keeps His promises? Check out the post today and get a boost in God-confidence! 
• How does King Nebuchadnezzar prove God cares about what’s going on in this world? Find out in the post today!
• Discover how the exile of Judah to Babylon proves your Bible is accurate and true. It might just amaze you! 

Today’s Question: 

• Which of today’s three concepts was most interesting to you or was most meaningful in your current circumstances?