Expecting The Unexpected

2 Chr 36:12  And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God; he did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke for the LORD.

2 Chr 36:13  And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel.

2 Chr 36:14  Furthermore, all the officials of the priests and the people were very unfaithful following all the abominations of the nations; and they defiled the house of the LORD which He had sanctified in Jerusalem.

2 Chr 36:15  And the LORD, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place;

2 Chr 36:16  but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, until there was no remedy.

2 Chr 36:17  Therefore He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or infirm; He gave them all into his hand.

2 Chr 36:18  And all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon.

2 Chr 36:19  Then they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its fortified buildings with fire, and destroyed all its valuable articles.

2 Chr 36:20  And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,

2 Chr 36:21  to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete.

Mat 2:2  “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.”

Mat 2:3  And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Mat 2:4  And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born.

Mat 2:5  And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,

Mat 2:6  ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER, WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'”

Mat 2:7  Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared.

Mat 2:8  And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him.”

Mat 2:9  And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was.

Mat 2:10  And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Mat 2:11  And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Mat 2:12  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.

Mat 2:13  Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared^ to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”

Mat 2:14  And he arose and took the Child and His mother by night, and departed for Egypt;

Mat 2:15  and was there until the death of Herod, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, “OUT OF EGYPT DID I CALL MY SON.”

#1) God in His mercy generally chooses to notify of judgment to give people time to repent, in that it is not His desire that any should perish; although God has also chosen not to force us to obey His will; yet God has chosen to assist us in our own individual decisions when we desire to do His will. 

#2) We may rest assured that no matter how things may appear in this world; God’s plans and purposes are progressing at His mysterious pace, moving all things ever closer to the coming of His glorious kingdom in spite of His message being ignored whether by kings, rulers, religious people and lay people alike. 

#3) Individuals who believe and trust in the promises of God should always expect the unexpected knowing that God is in control and that there is nothing in the heavens or the earth that can suppress His ultimate plans for our benefit and His great glory!