A Shoot From the Stump of JesseSample

Does God Break His Promise?

“Hear the word of the Lord, O house of David! Thus says the Lord: […] I will punish you according to the fruit of your deeds.” (Jeremiah 21:11-14)

The kingdom of Israel split into a northern and a southern part. Only the southern part was reigned over by the descendants of David.

Some kings served the Lord and urged their subjects to do the same. But most kings and the majority of the people turned their backs on God. Over the generations, things got worse. Despite repeated warnings, they did not do what the Lord God required of them: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with [their] God” (Micah 6:8). Therefore, God announced that they will get the punishment they deserve. They would face war, hunger, and a terrible disease, and those who survived would be captured by the king of Babylon.

Psalm 80 compares the people of Israel to a vine that God planted in good soil and took care of. But now He has torn down the walls around it, allowing other nations to pluck its fruit and cut it down. It seems like the Lord gave up on His promise to David that his descendants would always reign over Israel.

Do you think God’s response to Israel’s continuous unfaithfulness was fair and just? Do you think God still punishes nations and people nowadays?