God’s people disregard God’s laws and kill God’s prophets who were warning them of the consequences of disobeying God’s laws.

God finally turns them over to their enemies because of their blasphemy.

Why? Why would God hand them over to their enemies? Did He want them destroyed? No. He loves His people!

He warns and warns them, but they won’t listen. He hands them over to their enemies to win them back. It works. They cry out to Him and He makes a way of salvation.

God loves them by disciplining them so they might be saved; otherwise, they will be lost to the gods of the world.

God’s people grow fat and rebel. They grow lazy and rebel. Once they have rest, they turn from God’s law again.

God warns and warns, and the cycle repeats. They get handed over to enemies and they cry out and are delivered.

For many, many years God is patient with them, disciplining them, hoping for them to turn from their ways.

He sends prophets to warn them. They kill the prophets. They refuse to listen.

God gives them over to the people of the land. Why?

He gives them what they had sought after. They followed after the gods of the land, so God finally let them go. He gave them over to what they had unwittingly sought – their own captivity or slaughter.

God continues to show His mercy, in that He doesn’t abandon them even at this point. He preserves a remnant. There are men like Daniel and Ezekiel among those deported to Babylon. They serve and worship God alone.

God shows His love by showing mercy. He doesn’t get frustrated and cut them off. He gives them a taste of life without Him to prepare a people to return to Him.