August 4, 2026; 2 Kings 25

Daily Dose of Hope August 4, 2026   Scripture: 2 Kings 25   Prayer:  Holy God, We come before you today distracted and with scattered thoughts.  Help us focus, Lord, on you and your Word.  Help us, in the next few moments, to be silent, still, and remember that you are God...Thank you, Lord, for your care and concern for our lives.  Thank you for how you show up in amazing and unexpected ways!  We give you glory, Lord Jesus.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope daily Bible reading plan.  Today, we are finishing up the book of 2 Kings.  I think by this time, most of us know that the ending is not going to be a happy one – necessary yes but happy no.  Just a reminder, tomorrow we will be beginning our deep dive into Genesis and Exodus and we will start at the very, very beginning, Genesis 1.  Hope you will join us.   Today's reading is 2 Kings 25.  It appears the end has come.  The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, came and surrounded Jerusalem.  That meant no food could come in and after several months, the people were starving.  Eventually, the Judean army broke through the wall and fled.  But it was pointless.  The Babylonians caught up with them.  King Zedekiah was arrested.  His sons were killed in front of him and his eyes were gouged out.  Not very pretty.   The remaining treasures were taken apart and carried off to Babylon and then the Temple, the palace, and the homes were all burned.  Only the poorest of the poor remained.  Jerusalem was now a sad shell of itself, just as God told them it would be.   So what can we learn from this?   1.        Sin has consequences.  That seems to be the most prominent theme. 2.        Human kings have nothing on God.  Human kingship and wealth will only get you so far.  God is in control over everyone and everything.  3.        So many people start well and end poorly.  We see this throughout the Bible.  How will we ensure that we end well? 4.        God's purpose will always prevail.  And that brings me great peace, because I know that God is totally loving, just, and filled with truth and grace.  We can trust Him and his purposes. 5.        Be thankful for Jesus.  We live on the other side of the cross.  We have been offered forgiveness and mercy even though we don't deserve it.  Thank you, Jesus.   Join us for Genesis 1 tomorrow.    Blessings, Pastor Vicki