Deuteronomic History

Consider this. For as long as you can remember, or for that matter as long as your great, great grandparents could remember, it was an accepted fact that Jerusalem could never be destroyed. After all, Judah is where Jerusalem is; Jerusalem is where the Temple is; the Temple is where God is; and God is the greatest god in the whole world. So how could Jerusalem possibly be conquered? Could a lesser god lead a foreign army to victory in the Promised Land? I don't think so! Year after year foreign armies are repelled, proving the point.

Then comes the army of Babylon led by a General (soon to be king) Nebuchadnezzar, and the unthinkable happens. The walls are breached, the Temple destroyed, and the occupants of Jerusalem deported to a foreign land. What went wrong?

Joshua to Kings is sometimes called the Deuteronomic History, and it seeks to answer that very question. Remember the premise of Deuteronomy? Do right and be blessed; do wrong and be cursed. Re-read Chapter 30 if you need a reminder. The Deuteronomic History chronicles the nation of Israel from the Moses-Joshua leadership transition through the years of the judges, on into the monarchial period, through the turmoil of the one nation dividing into two kingdoms (northern and southern - Israel and Judah), and if anything remains constant during those 600+ years, it is the tendancy to chase after other gods. One could say the Deuteronomic History is a record of Israel not obeying the first commandment.