Peace Doves

 

In the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and his whole army advanced against Jerusalem, encamped around it, and built siege walls on every side. The siege of the city continued until the eleventh year of Zedekiah. On the ninth day of the fourth month, when famine had gripped the city, and the people had no more bread, the city walls were breached. Then the king and all the soldiers left the city by night through the gate between the two walls that was near the king’s garden. Since the Chaldeans had the city surrounded, they went in the direction of the Arabah. But the Chaldean army pursued the king and overtook him in the desert near Jericho, abandoned by his whole army. 

The king was therefore arrested and brought to Riblah to the king of Babylon, who pronounced sentence on him. He had Zedekiah’s sons slain before his eyes. Then he blinded Zedekiah, bound him with fetters, and had him brought to Babylon. On the seventh day of the fifth month (this was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan, captain of the bodyguard, came to Jerusalem as the representative of the king of Babylon. He burned the house of the Lord, the palace of the king, and all the houses of Jerusalem; every large building was destroyed by fire. Then the Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem. 

Then Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, led into exile the last of the people remaining in the city, and those who had deserted to the king of Babylon, and the last of the artisans. But some of the country’s poor, Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, left behind as vinedressers and farmers. (2 Kings 25:1-12).

2 Kings always strikes me as a strange part of the Bible.  It is full of violence, and peace is far away or not possible.  As Bishop Barron wrote in his 2022 book The Great Story of Israel: Election, Freedom, Holiness, “This book (2 Kings) deals primarily with the political split between north and south that occurred upon the death of Solomon and the string of most inadequate, squabbling potentates that reigned ingloriously on both sides of the divide…we find at the conclusion of the grand narrative, the utter demolition of Solomon’s kingdom and the destruction of the temple…political unity and right worship are meant to be the magnet to attract the nations…”

After reading 2 Kings, I’ve concluded it is a contemporary warning to America.  We have a political split between the north and south.  We have a string of most inadequate, squabbling Congressmen “reigning” ingloriously on both sides of the divide – Republicans and Democrats with siege walls on both sides. Our divisiveness and bitterness towards each side of the divide risk the utter demolition of America and the destruction of our democracy.  

Our political unity and right worship are meant to be the magnet to attract the nations of the world.  Political enmity and religious bickering and disrespect repel, not attract.  From 2 Kings we read: “The Chaldean troops who were with the captain of the guard tore down the walls that surrounded Jerusalem.”  It’s time for us to tear down the walls that divide us all in the interest of bringing the kingdom of God to earth as it is in heaven.   Peace doves should carry olive branches, not explosives.

Deacon David Pierce