Russia's Invasion of Ukraine shows we are in a worldwide time of overreach.

The Kings of Overreach (2) (2.24.2022)

"Woe to the rebellious children, declares the Lord, who execute a plan, but not mine. And make an alliance, but not of My Spirit, in order to add sin to sin." Isaiah 30,1.

Just because God gave Israel the promised land after 400 years of Egyptian slavery didn't mean her leaders could do whatever they wanted thereafter.

Could anyone stand a bit of bible history that makes clear what God thinks of man's prideful overeach?

In 920 BC Judah's King Rehoboam (son of Solomon) told the ten tribes of Israel to go pound sand- he wasn't going to relieve their tax burden. This was a declaration of civil war, to which Israel said "bring it on." (2Chronicles10,16) Five years later, the Egyptian King Shishak raided the Jerusalem temple of its gold treasures and armaments leaving Rhehoboam pounding new brass armaments (2Chronicles 12,10).

In 796 BC Judah's King Amaziah got so cocky after killing ten thousand Edomites (like where Iraq is) that he challenged the King Jehoash of Israel to war, just because he could. King Jehoash wisely warned "Stay where you belong! Why do you challenge disaster, to your own and Judah's ruin? (2Kings 14,10). Amaziah paid no heed and Jerusalem's northern fortressed wall was breached, and her treasures and armaments again carried off, this time to Samaria (2Kings 14,11-14).

Around 736 BC King Ahaz of Judah was told by the prophet Isaiah to hold tight and make no military deals, and also to ask for a miracle-sign (Isaiah 7,10ff, about the Messiah Jesus!). He was told this in the face of Aram (Damascus) and the kingdom of Israel wanting Judah to ally with them against the strongman of the day, Assyria.

Instead of doing either (anything faithful at all), Ahaz signed on with Tiglath-Pileser III, and Judah, yet again, gave away all her wealth (2Kings16,9).

All this overeaching left Judah with seventy years of Babylonian exile in 596 BC.