The Lord said also to me in the days of Josiah the king: “Have you seen what backsliding Israel has done? She has gone up on every high mountain and under every green tree, and there played the harlot. And I said, after she had done all these things, ‘Return to Me.’ But she did not return. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it. Then I saw that for all the causes for which backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a certificate of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear, but went and played the harlot also. So it came to pass, through her casual harlotry, that she defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned to Me with her whole heart, but in pretense,” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 3:6-10)

Learning From The Mistakes Of Others

The nation of Israel was united for one hundred twenty years before falling into civil war and dividing north and south. After the death of Solomon, ten tribes followed after a rival of Solomon named Jeroboam. The son of Solomon, Rehoboam retained the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and control over the city of Jerusalem. Beginning with Jeroboam, all of the kings of Israel (the northern tribes) were wicked. The northern tribes lasted two hundred years before the Assyrian Empire destroyed them in 722 B.C. During that time, the prophets repeatedly warned the two southern tribes (Judah) that what happened to Israel would happen to them if they did not repent.

There is a powerful testimony to the misfortunes of others that must be realized. None of the kings were righteous in Israel, and the people suffered greatly. When the Assyrians came, they destroyed and devastated the people and the land. Judah was spared the onslaught of the Assyrians when an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian mighty men in one night. King Sennacherib went home and was killed in his temple by his sons. Prophets like Jeremiah warned Judah the things that befell Israel would happen to them. Sin is not a respecter of persons. What condemned Israel would condemn Judah.

Judah saw the idolatry of Israel as the people worshiped other gods on every hill and under every green tree. God was angry with them and destroyed them. Mercy was given to Israel, but they refused to repent, and God punished them. Judah saw what God did to their brethren in the north, but it did not impact their hearts. God divorced himself from Israel, and this did not bother Judah. Everything that happened to Israel should have been a warning to Judah. God showed His wrath and fury against the wickedness of Israel to show Judah the need to repent. Judah did not believe what God did to Israel would happen to them. They were wrong.

The Assyrians did not come against Jerusalem again. After the battle of Carchemish, the Babylonians took center stage as a world power and turned their attention to Judah. In 606 B.C., the Babylonian Empire began their conquest of Judah and the remnant of God’s people. In the year 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar did the unthinkable and the impossible. He burned Jerusalem to the ground and destroyed the temple built by Solomon. For one hundred thirty years, God told Judah what happened to Israel would happen to them. They refused to believe God would do such a thing. In 586 B.C., they remembered the word of the Lord.

Jeremiah says that Judah is more treacherous than Israel. The reason is that Judah had the example of Israel as a pattern to God’s wrath against sin. No one in the land could excuse themselves for not understanding what the Lord would do with rebellious Judah. If God punished Israel, He would punish Judah. The people of God saw how evil Israel had become and how God destroyed them, but they had no fear of God. Judah left the Lord and suffered the same fate. That is the pattern of divine justice.

The Bible contains examples of God’s wrath against sin and His mercy toward those who repent. His will has not changed since the day He drove Adam and Eve from the garden. In the days of Noah, everyone on earth was killed by the hand of God as an example of God’s wrath. Few people take notice. The special people of God, the nation of Israel, were destroyed because they rebelled against God. Later, the Jews killed the Son of God through the agency of the Roman government. This made all men guilty of killing Jesus. Few people take notice of God’s wrath against sin.

God has given the world every message of His divine grace, love, wrath, and judgment against those who refuse to repent. The world can deny there is eternal punishment, but they will know for certain one day; and it will be too late. Those who are punished will know that God gave testimony of His grace and wrath, and they refused to listen. Like Judah of old, they had no fear of the Lord. That will change in death. How important it is to learn from others’ mistakes. Let Judah’s failure become your victory. Listen to the Lord. Repent.