Into the Exile...

It has been said and I surely do believe that every passage of scripture has the gospel in it. Maybe not every verse, there are simple verses where the gospel is hard to see because it needs more context. As I was reading for the day I thought man where is the gospel here? wheres the good news? all this is is bad news, the story of a people thrown into exile a great city and temple destroyed. I felt deeply sad i was reading this passage like it was my own house or something. Exile represents a lot of different things to me here. I firmly believe that one can not fully understand God's grace and what he has done out of his love unless one examines seriously the nature of mans depravity and sin. We can see how good grace us unless we look at how sinful and desperately in need of it we are. I think the gospel is found in this here, the exile the destruction of the holy city, tells the story about how sin even if its paid for has consequences in our lives, how we are captives needing redemption needing a rescue.

there is one verse at the end of the reading that gives me great hope:  verse 29 that says "So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table," I read this and though what does that have anything to do with the rest of the story, the book of second kings ends in a hurry and the tag line at the end is seemingly random. Except that this passage is rough it is dark and heart breaking, but it ends in a moment of hope. To the readers being taken to a place of inner exile, we read that this man has put off his prison clothes. The rescue is coming, and has begun. in Christ we can put off the clothes that label us as prisoners, the parts of our lives that have held us captive no longer need to be worn. The last bit is a picture of grace as well. the idea of taking off the clothes of captivity and then eating at the kings table. We have much to look forward to in eating at the Lords table. A new home where there is no pain, suffering or exile. We sit and eat with the King of all Kings, the Lord who is our rescuer.