CAST IN
J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series is enjoying renewed attention, especially with a television adaptation set for release in 2027 and a new audio production launching this month. Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions is a multi-voice production featuring well-known actors such as Hugh Laurie (House) and Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who), as well as newcomers, including the young Frankie Treadaway, who voices Harry in the first three installments. Both long-time fans and new audiences are eagerly awaiting further casting announcements for both projects.

CAST OUT
During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, the southern kingdom of Judah still stood as a nation. Nebuchadnezzar deported Judah’s king, Jehoiachin, and appointed his 21-year-old uncle, Zedekiah, as ruler of Judah. Once Zedekiah took the throne in Jerusalem, he continued the evil practices of his predecessors. Additionally, he rebelled against Babylon. This act of defiance proved to be the point of no return for the kingdom of Judah, leading God to discipline the kingdom by casting them out of His presence through exile in Babylon.

Questions

• What’s the best or worst casting decision you can think of?
• How might things have gone differently for Judah if Zedekiah had served the Lord?
• What does it mean that God cast Judah from His presence?