Deuteronomistic History

Why did the two kingdoms go into exile? I believe that the DH explains this to some extent. God made a covenant with Israel. The people did not hold up their end of the relationship. They did not obey God, so God did not protect them from their enemies. Deuteronomistic theology would explain this as blessings and curses. If the people did what was right, and obeyed God, then all would be well with them. If they disobeyed the law, then God would curse them, and things would not be good for the Israelites. The whole nation had gotten so perverse that God sent them out of the land. Even though the Israelites did not hold up their end of the covenant, God still did what God had promised. God had a responsibility. So did the Israelites, even though they did not follow through with it. If they did evil, then they would be punished. This was God’s end of the covenant, and God still chose to hold Godself accountable.

It just seems like the Israelites never learned. They would worship other gods, then, once in a great while, a good judge or king would come along, and they would denounce those other gods. Almost immediately though, they would go back to idol worship. It seems like God would put them out of the land God gave them, just so maybe they would turn back to God. This would maybe remind the Israelites that God was in control.

I understand the concept of Deuteronomistic theology in the context of the Israelites, but it seems like a hard thing to apply to our lives today. After Jesus came, a new covenant was formed. Forgiveness is a part of that. This means that even if/when we displease God, we will be forgiven if we ask. This is comforting, because we all mess up and disobey God at times. We luckily will not be exiled out of our homes because of it.