Today I read 2 Kings 24, in which the Lord sent bands against Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and Jehoiachin, king of Judah, was carried away to Babylon. Today I considered that God did not even forgive his chosen people for shedding innocent blood, we have to be careful not to harm those who have committed no sin.
Punishment Because of Killing the Innocent
The people in Jerusalem lost wars, were captured, and another person was put on the throne because of their evil deeds (2 Kings 24:1-20). God did not forgive the people of Jerusalem for the massive amount of innocent blood shed under the prior reign of Manesseh. God had the bands of Chaldees, Syrians, Moabites, and children of Ammon come against Judah and Jerusalem during Jehoiakim’s reign. When Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachim began to rein, Babylon came against the city and took the king and his wives, all of the mighty men, craftsmen, smiths, and anyone of value or skilled back to Babylon. Babylon made Mattaniah (also called Zedekiah) king of Judah. God’s anger came to pass in destruction and captivity coming to the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
Questions and Thoughts for Today
God’s anger about the shedding of innocent blood made me interested in knowing what God meant by innocent blood. The Bible declares killing someone who did no wrong, sacrificing children to idols, condemning the innocent to death, and killing the righteous are all shedding innocent blood. God even had the Israelites build sanctuary cities to avoid killing the innocent.
What do to you believe God meant by shedding innocent blood?
Bible passages for reference: Psalms 106:34-39 (MSG), Psalms 106:36-39 (KJV), Deuteronomy 19:8-10 (MSG), Joel 3: 19 (KJV), 1 Samuel 19:5 (KJV), Jeremiah 22:17 (KJV), Lamentations 4:13, and Genesis 4:10 (Amplified). Some of these passages can be found here.