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The Doctrine of Israel (Part Five): A Remnant of Judah
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe destruction of Judah resulted from the persistent rebellion of its kings, priests, and people against God. Zedekiah refused to humble himself before Jeremiah, broke his oath to Nebuchadnezzar, and joined the leaders and populace in adopting the abominations of surrounding nations, defiling the temple. Despite repeated warnings sent through messengers because of divine compassion, the people mocked, despised, and scoffed until wrath became inevitable. God therefore brought the Chaldeans, who slaughtered young and old without pity, looted the temple treasures, burned the house of God and the city, broke down its walls, and carried the survivors to Babylon as servants. This judgment fulfilled the covenant curses outlined in Leviticus and Deuteronomy and addressed Judah's sins, which exceeded those of Israel and even Sodom. The land itself lay desolate for seventy years to restore the neglected Sabbaths. Nebuchadnezzar conducted four deportations between 604 and 582 BC, removing thousands of people, including craftsmen and nobles, while leaving only the poorest behind. The Assyrians had earlier practiced a similar policy of enforced resettlement, transporting captives far from their homeland for labor and assimilation, often with organized provisions rather than extreme brutality outside battle. Babylon continued this approach until the Persian conquest reversed it. Cyrus, stirred by the Lord, issued a decree allowing the Jews and other displaced peoples to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Approximately fifty thousand returned under Sheshbazzar and Zerubbabel, with later groups accompanying Ezra and Nehemiah. This restoration preserved the lineage of David in Bethlehem, enabling the birth of Jesus Christ as prophesied. After the return, however, the people quickly resumed the same patterns of neglecting the temple, profaning the Sabbath, withholding tithes, intermarrying with pagans, and offering blemished sacrifices. Prophets such as Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Malachi rebuked these renewed transgressions, yet the nation persisted until its final rejection of the Messiah brought renewed desolation in 70 AD. The entire sequence demonstrates that Judah's destruction and exile served both judgment and the larger purpose of preserving a remnant through whom the Savior would come.
Zephaniah (Part Three): Quick Destruction, Eternal Restoration
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughZephaniah has messages for the remnant of physical Israel, the house of David, and for the faithful remnant from the Israel of God.
Lamentations (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe book's five acrostic songs (chapters) answer the question, 'Why did this happen?' God brought the punishment on Judah because of gross and sustained sin.
Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Three)
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughAs witnesses to the decline and fall of Israel and Judah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Haggai report the conditions that led to their defeat and captivity.
Lamentations (Part Four)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughIn Lamentations 2, Lady Jerusalem sidesteps godly repentance, opting instead for self-centered recrimination against Almighty God.
Lamentations (Part Two; 1989)
Sermon/Bible Study by John W. RitenbaughJerusalem recounts her sins as a nation, depending on her own strength or on her lovers (political alliances) rather than upon God.
Habakkuk: God's Power and Patience
Sermonette byGod has expressed infinite patience with Jacob's rebellious children, but He has also put a time limit on their tolerance and craving for lawlessness.
Lamentations (Part Three)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughPersonified Jerusalem, whom God depicts as a grieving widow, blames others for her troubles while overlooking her own sins as the real cause of her sorrow.
Lamentations (Part Two)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe Lamentations show poignant before-and-after vignettes of formerly happy times contrasted with the horror of the present as God punishes Judah.
Lamentations (Part Eight)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughAs we approach the coming self-examination prior to Passover, we can apply six significant lessons taught to ancient Israel through the book of Lamentations.
Psalms: Book Three (Part One)
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughBook Three of the Psalms deals with the somber theme of judgment on a people who have rejected their God and have produced much rotten spiritual fruit.
How to Survive Exile
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughGod exiles to punish for sin, separating individuals and groups from Him in order to spur repentance. There is something to exile that God finds very good.
The Book of Joel (Part One)
Sermon by Martin G. CollinsWhen Joel describes the devastating locust plagues, instead of promising a silver lining on a very black cloud, he says things are going to get intensely worse.
Fully Accepting God's Sovereignty (Part One)
Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)We are mandated to live by faith, being given trials of faith in order to chisel our character. We must totally and unreservedly accept God's sovereignty.
Sky Like Iron, Earth Like Bronze
'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. RitenbaughJust about half of the continental United States suffers under severe drought conditions. And lack of water is not the only thing we need to worry about.
Manasseh
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though Manasseh was absolutely the worst king ever to lead Judah, Manasseh finally got the message that God only is God, and sincerely repented.
Zephaniah (Part Two): God's Wrath on the Whole World
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughEven though the Gentiles will be punished, only Israelites had a special relationship with God, and consequently were more accountable for their failure.
Jesus and the Rebellious Son
Sermon by Richard T. RitenbaughThe law for stoning a rebellious son was never recorded as having been carried out, but ironically the nation put to death the maximally obedient Son.