2 Chronicles 36: An Issue of Lordship

“And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.” ‭‭II Chronicles‬ ‭36‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

When I read this passage, two phrases leapt off the page like a neon sign: “They became servants…” and “until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths.” The Israelites were going to be taken captive regardless. That was coming. I knew that! Their choices had already set that in motion. It was the whole, “…until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths.” that felt out of place to me. There definitely was a reason scripture talked about rest/sabbath at the exact time of the exile.

It was the Sabbath line that grabbed me today. I kept wondering why it mattered so much in the bigger picture of the exile. The consequence and the command to rest seemed oddly connected. What tied those two together? As I prayed on it, the Lord kept pressing on my heart the Issue of Lordship.

Suddenly the exile and the Sabbath made sense in the same sentence. The downfall of Israel wasn’t just bad behavior… it was a failure to recognize God as Lord. They relied on themselves,

chased what gratified them, piled up idols, and eventually were handed over to the very things they thought would satisfy.

Israel wasn’t just choosing self—they were ignoring the One who rescued them. Sabbath wasn’t about taking a break; it was about acknowledging who actually runs the world. Who provides. Who protects. Who leads. Every time they rejected Sabbath, they were rejecting Him. Every idol was another “no” to His authority. Every alliance they trusted more than God revealed a heart already drifting. The exile—harsh as it was—revealed two things at once:

1. The consequence of choosing self-rule

2. The kindness of a God who refuses to let His people stay in the chaos they created.

Their hearts had been off long before Babylon marched in.

Even the land got a reminder of who really owns it. This is where I have landed. I continue to struggle with sabbath and rest. What about resting am I avoiding or unable to surrender to? I have way too much of my identity wrapped up in what I do and achieve. Holy moly does this hit home for me.