But because our fathers had provoked the God of heaven to wrath, He gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon.It's unclear if the people of the time understood why God allowed them to be defeated by Babylon. It's not even clear if they knew or cared that God was involved. They may have been totally indifferent to God, or they may have been simply confused at what had happened to their shield of protection.
However, it's clear that during the exile, at least some of the Jews came to realize what had happened. Their fathers had sinned against God, and He had punished them by using a foreign king. They understand this now, and are doing all they can to obey God now. They can't change the past, but they can turn the present back to Him.
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