What other scriptures highlight God's judgment on nations for their sins? Setting the scene: 2 Chronicles 28:6 “For Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 in Judah in one day— all brave men— because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.” Ahaz’s Judah chose idolatry and unbelief, so the Lord permitted Israel’s northern army to cut them down. Scripture treats this event as more than tragic warfare; it is divine judgment. The verse opens a door to many other passages where God deals with whole peoples, not just individuals, when sin reaches a tipping point. The Bible’s pattern: God judges nations that persist in sin • Sovereign oversight—God is never passive; He directs history. • Moral accountability—Nations reap consequences for collective rebellion. • Clear warnings—Prophets, signs, and covenants give fair notice. • Measured patience—Judgment arrives after long-suffering mercy (Genesis 15:16; 2 Peter 3:9). • Redemptive purpose—Chastening can lead survivors to repentance and future blessing (Jeremiah 29:11-14). Below are representative texts—arranged broadly by era—that echo the same theme found in 2 Chronicles 28:6. Early history: foundational examples • Genesis 6:13 — “Then God said to Noah, ‘The end of all flesh has come before Me… now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.’” Global flood upon a violence-filled world. • Genesis 19:24-25 — “Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah… He overthrew those cities.” Total destruction for rampant immorality. • Exodus 12:12 — “On that night I will… strike down every firstborn… and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt.” Ten plagues climax with the death of the firstborn because Pharaoh hardened his heart. • Deuteronomy 28:45 — “All these curses will come upon you… until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the LORD your God.” A covenant warning to Israel herself: blessing or cursing hinged on obedience. Conquest and kingdom era • Joshua 6:21 — “At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city.” Jericho judged after centuries of Amorite iniquity (cf. Genesis 15:16). • 1 Samuel 15:2-3 — God commands Saul to punish Amalek “for what they did to Israel” during the Exodus. • 2 Kings 17:18 — “So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence.” The northern kingdom exiled to Assyria for entrenched idolatry. • 2 Kings 25 (select verses) — Jerusalem and the temple burned; Judah goes to Babylon in fulfillment of the Deuteronomy 28 curses. Prophetic oracles against the nations The prophets repeatedly declare that God’s moral plumb line applies far beyond Israel. • Isaiah 13:11 — “I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.” Babylon faces future devastation. • Jeremiah 25:12 — “When seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation.” The conqueror becomes the conquered when her sins mount up. • Ezekiel 30:19 — “So I will execute judgment on Egypt, and they will know that I am the LORD.” God dismantles Egypt’s pride. • Amos 1–2 — A rapid-fire series: Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, Judah, Israel—none escape divine scrutiny. Amos 1:3 captures the cadence: “For three transgressions… even four, I will not revoke My fury.” • Obadiah 15 — “As you have done, it will be done to you; your recompense will return upon your head.” Edom’s violence against Judah boomerangs back. • Nahum 3 (esp. v. 5) — Nineveh is laid bare: “Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of Hosts.” New Testament echoes • Matthew 11:22-24 — Jesus warns unrepentant Galilean towns: “It will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon… than for you.” Past pagan cities become the yardstick for future judgment. • Luke 19:44 — Jerusalem’s pending fall in A.D. 70: “They will level you to the ground… because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” • Acts 12:23 — Herod Agrippa I struck down for accepting worship, a sign that rulers are not above God’s law. • Revelation 18:2 — “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!” Final, global judgment on a corrupt world system tied to commerce, idolatry, and bloodshed. Common threads running through every passage • God’s character is consistent—holy, patient, yet uncompromising with sin. • Judgment often comes through ordinary means (war, plague, economic collapse) but Scripture interprets the events as the Lord’s hand. • Remnants and repentant individuals still find mercy even when their nation falls (e.g., Rahab in Jericho, the exiles returning under Cyrus). • Prophecies fulfilled in history provide assurance that remaining promises—including future judgments and ultimate restoration—will also be fulfilled. Living in light of these truths The chronicles of divine judgment are not dusty relics; they stand as living reminders that God weighs the conduct of peoples and leaders today. Nations flourish when they honor Him and crumble when they entrench themselves against His ways. Believers, therefore, take seriously personal holiness, intercede for their countries, and proclaim the gospel—knowing that the same Lord who judged Judah in 2 Chronicles 28:6 still reigns, still warns, and still saves all who turn to Him. |
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