There were three stages in which the people of Judah went into exile. The first stage was in 605BC after the king of Babylon suppressed Jehoiakim’s rebellion. Only a handful of people were taken captive at this time, including Daniel and his friends. The next stage is the one described here in Jeremiah 24, which took place in 597BC. This was when Ezekiel went into exile. The final deportation of captives would take place in 586BC after the city was completely destroyed. It is amazing to see how, as soon as the people are taken into exile, God’s message to them changes instantly from one of doom to one of hope. No sooner had his people suffered the consequences of their sin than God begins to speak tenderly and lovingly to them. There is an uphill ascent in front of every valley that we may go through in life. The valley may last for a long time, as it did for the Jewish exiles, but the moment you are in the deepest part of the valley you can be assured of the ascent. You may not see it now, but it is up ahead. It may not come when you would like it to, but, if you keep walking ahead with God, you will get to it. There is no other time when God wants you to know his presence more than in the valley. It is here that many people, including the Jewish exiles, find God again. His light is brightest in the shadow of the valley, and it is often not until we get there that we see it.
Seek the presence of God.
Read Jeremiah 24 & Isaiah 9:2
