#DailyDevotion Why Was The Temple Destroyed?
Luke 2120“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know the time has come for her to be destroyed. 21Then if you’re in Judea, flee to the hills. If you’re in Jerusalem, leave it. If you’re in the country, don’t go into the city. 22Those will be days of vengeance when everything must happen as it is written. 23“Woe to the women who in those days are expecting babies or nursing them. There will be great distress in this country, and God will punish this nation. 24The sword will cut them down, they’ll be taken away as prisoners among all nations, and the Gentiles will trample on Jerusalem until the time for the Gentiles has passed.”
When we get to verse 20 Jesus finally gets around to talking about when the temple in Jerusalem is going to fall. It seems to me the sign of Jerusalem being surrounded by an army might be too late to escape but apparently not. But when they saw it, it is said the Jewish Christians got out of Dodge. They believed Jesus’ word.
The question we should be asking ourselves and modern Jewish people, even the religious one or more especially the religious ones is why did the Lord destroy the temple where his name resided a second time? After all, since their return from Babylon, were they not being scrupulous with the Law of Moses? Had they started to adopt the gods of other nations and worshipping their idols? It doesn’t appear to be so. So why does the LORD bring destruction upon the temple.
Well let’s reason it out. Why did the LORD destroy the northern tribes of Israel? They rejected the LORD and worshipped other gods and did evil in the land. Why did the LORD send Judah into exile and destroy Jerusalem and the temple? They rejected the LORD , worshipped other gods and did evil in the land. So it stands to reason the LORD destroyed the Jerusalem and the temple a second time by the hand of the Romans is—they rejected the LORD, worshipped other gods and did evil in the land.
It is written in 1 Sam. 8. 7“Obey the people,” the LORD told Samuel, “in everything they tell you; they haven’t rejected you but Me from being their King.” You see, the LORD was king over Israel. Eventually he gave them a human king; first Samuel, then David. Through David, the LORD has promised that he himself would join himself to the house of David and be their king, LORD and King, God and man. Well that descendent of David who is both LORD and King is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. In John 19 it is written, 14”‘Look at your king!’ he said to the Jews. 15Then they shouted, ‘Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!’ ‘Should I crucify your king?’ Pilate asked them. ‘We don’t have any king but Caesar,’ the ruling priests answered.” In crucifying Jesus the Jewish people rejected the LORD as their King and their God. True, many would repent and believe later, but they would not be in Jerusalem when it was destroyed.
The Jewish people in Jesus’ day and today still do not obey the Torah as given by Moses. It is written in Deut. 42 “Don’t add anything to what I order you to do or take anything away from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I order you to keep.” Jesus accused them in Mark 78“You have a fine way of setting aside God’s commandment in order to keep your rules!” The Talmud and Mishnah and other traditions of the Jews add and subtract from the Law of the LORD. In doing they set these up as their gods and did evil in the land. Therefore the LORD destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. He did this to call his people to repentance and to faith in Christ Jesus their LORD and King. Today he still calls out to them to repent and believe in the One whom he had promised. Indeed, he calls the whole world to repent and believe in Jesus Christ, the Lord. When we or anyone repents, believes and is baptized into Jesus they are made the people of God.
Lord God and Father, you sent your son Jesus as the king of the Jews and was rejected. Grant all of us repentant hearts that we may turn and believe on Jesus and be saved on the Last Day. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.