in the midst of devastation, captivity, and repentance.
The devastation of Judah being carried away captive from its own land is not pleasant reading. Neither is the account of the destruction of the temple. The book of Kings ends with Jehoiachin, an evil king of Judah, who was being held captive in Babylon, being released from prison. He had been in prison thirty-seven years, however, he was released and changed from his prison garments and ate bread regularly before the king for the remainder of his life (2 Kings 25:27-30). There is no reason given as to why the new king of Babylon "spoke kindly" to Jehoiachin (verse 28) and showed such favor to him.
Today's reading in Psalm may serve to satisfy the mystery surrounding Jehoiachin's release from captivity. Psalm 75:6, says, "For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. (Notice that "north" is not included.) But God is the Judge; He puts down one, and exalts another". Jeremiah 52:31, adds this: the king of Babylon "lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison". (In Psalm 3:3, David wrote: "But, thou, O Lord, are a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head".) God does not reveal the reason Jehoiachin, a descendant of David was released. Perhaps He was showing kindness in the midst of suffering. Maybe there are things that are just between God and the person involved. ("The north" was not mentioned in Psalm 75:6, along with east, west, and south, as they were ruled out as the source of exaltation. In Psalm 48:1-2, the writer mentions "the sides of the north, the city of the great King".)
God is in charge and can do what He desires. He chose Abraham to be the father of His chosen people and for all the families of the earth to be blessed in Christ, Abraham's seed (Acts 3:25). Jesus came to turn away every one from our iniquities (verse 26). That "turning away" is known in the Bible as repentance. In verse 19, Peter admonished the people to "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord". This "refreshing" can be referenced to Hosea 6:3, "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord; his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth". We live in a fallen world that rejected God from the beginning. God is not to blame for the devastation and tragedy that touches our lives. Rather, He waits for us to turn to Him and believe on His Son. Only then can we experience true spiritual refreshing.
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