We arrive at the final chapter of Jeremiah. We see the summary of the final moments of the fall of Jerusalem and the aftermath of a rebellious King Zedekiah.
Jeremiah 52: The Fall of Jerusalem Recounted
1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.
2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
3 For because of the anger of the LORD things came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
4 And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it.
5 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
7 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled and went out from the city by night by the way of a gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, while the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah.
8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And all his army was scattered from him.
9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him.
10 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah.
11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.
The Temple Burned
12 In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month---that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon---Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who served the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem.
13 And he burned the house of the LORD, and the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down.
14 And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.
15 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive some of the poorest of the people and the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the artisans.
16 But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.
17 And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon.
18 And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers and the basins and the dishes for incense and all the vessels of bronze used in the temple service;
19 also the small bowls and the fire pans and the basins and the pots and the lampstands and the dishes for incense and the bowls for drink offerings. What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver.
20 As for the two pillars, the one sea, the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which Solomon the king had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these things was beyond weight.
21 As for the pillars, the height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, its circumference was twelve cubits, and its thickness was four fingers, and it was hollow.
22 On it was a capital of bronze. The height of the one capital was five cubits. A network and pomegranates, all of bronze, were around the capital. And the second pillar had the same, with pomegranates.
23 There were ninety-six pomegranates on the sides; all the pomegranates were a hundred upon the network all around.
The People Exiled to Babylon
24 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the threshold;
25 and from the city he took an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven men of the king's council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.
26 And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
27 And the king of Babylon struck them down, and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
28 This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans;
29 in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons;
30 in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.
Jehoiachin Released from Prison
31 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.
32 And he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
33 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table,
34 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king according to his daily need, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.
Things to think about…
1. We are given a number of time stamps in this chapter which help us determine when the events unfolded. To begin Jeremiah dates the events around the Judean kings reign and then around the number of years King Nebuchadnezzar reigned. Zedekiah was a young (21yo) foolish king. It says he did evil in the sight of the Lord, vs 2. God had been angry with Judah for many years and as a trigger for the final destruction of Jerusalem it say Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, vs 3 and in 588BC the Babylonians arrive and build a siegeworks. No food allowed in the city. They had water due to Hezekiah’s tunnel being built over 100 years earlier to stem against such a siege. But water without food does not sustain. In 586BC the city falls.
2. Some commentators have said Jeremiah was written (at least parts of it) after Babylon fell – they say the same with the book of Daniel. Why - because the prophecies are too accurate. As such they say and it’s impossible that the prophet could have known the details with such precision. That’s the difference between faith and flesh of course J. Have a look at Jer 51:11 & 28. It says the spirit of the Medes will be stirred up. This is exactly what happened. The Medo-Persian empire took over Babylon in 536BC under King Cyrus. 70 years from the initial time the captives were taken! We actually know the year of writing. It is in the text – “when he went with Zedekiah king of Judah to Babylon, in the fourth year of his reign”. The year was 593BC. Listening to the Lord and allowing a tender conscience before Him is always the way of blessing. Zedekiah had many opportunities. Unfortunately, even in tragedy he runs.
3. The Babylonians pursue Zedekiah and capture him and the leaders and their families, Jer 52:8, 9. The last thing Zedekiah sees before his eyes are put out is the brutal slaughter of his sons, 10. He is then taken to Babylon to see out his days. It is sad when we see families reap the grief of the poor decisions made by a father. Lord be merciful to us, give us godly fathers and leaders.
4. The temple, the city walls and the houses are torn down, Jer 52:12-23. The temple which had been built by Solomon with the bronze pillars – (Jachin and Boaz) as well as the big bronze basin, the 12 oxen on which it stood, the carts, the temple articles were all taken. It is interesting that the gold covered Ark of the Covenant, the gold lampstand, the gold table of shewbread are not mentioned. This is because they were likely taken in either 605BC or 597BC when Judah rebelled. Note that it says “the vessels of bronze used in the temple service”, vs 18. These were all made of gold in Solomon’s time. Here we see the glory of Jerusalem had long departed, the bronze had replaced the gold. The Babylonians take it all and destroy what was left. Only some poor folk are kept to plough the land and tend the fruit trees and vines that remain, vs 16. Sin takes away the shine of God’s glory in our lives. Obedience is better than sacrifice. The Lord does not want the outward, he wants our hearts. Zedekiah had shown time and time again that he did not honour the Lord and he lost a kingdom and a national legacy as a result.
5. The leaders who led the people astray from the Lord’s blessing were taken and killed, Jer 52:24-27. Jeremiah had prophesied against these leaders and was persecuted and thrown into prison as a result. Now their time had come and the words of Jeremiah would be fulfilled. How many times must we be warned before its too late. Lord give us ears to hear and hearts ready to obey. Babylon takes 3 lots of captives. 3023 were taken in King Neb’s reign in 597BC (his 7th year), vs 28. 832 in 586BC (his 19th year), vs 29. 745 in 582BC (his 23rd year), 4,600 taken to Babylon in total, vs 30. Ezra would return with the articles taken and some of the captives who were young at the time returned after 70 years.
6. Jehoiachin in Jer 52:31 only reigned as king for 3 months. He was taken captive when the Babylonians raided Jerusalem the second time before their destruction and captivity in 586BC. He is also called Jeconiah (Jeremiah 24:1; 27:20, etc.), and Coniah (22:24; 37:1). He had been in prison the whole of King Nebuchadnezzars reign. But when King Neb’s son Evil-merodach took the throne Jehoiachin was released from prison. He spent the last of his days enjoying freedom and abundance around the kings table until his death. The Lord can bless us in this life after hardship, even in the end receiving grace. This is the heart of the gospel. Repenting, receiving forgiveness and ultimately enjoying eternity at the Lord’s table with peace, power and abundance.
Vision Point for cell groups – Cell groups on break over the school holidays
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sunday’s sermon “do whatever it takes” – reading Jeremiah 42:1-12
1. The remnant that was left in Judah said they would do whatever the Lord had told them. The Lord said stay in Judah, but they left and went to Egypt. Discuss what you remember from the message.
2. Have you ever made a promise either to the Lord or someone else and broken your promise? What were the consequences? What did you learn from the experience?
3. We all have a religious Pharisee inside. We know what to say and do outwardly, but the Lord looks at the heart. In what ways have you heard clearly from the Lord in the past? Was it easy or difficult to obey?
4. There is a very simple test to see whether we are seeking after the Lord’s will in our lives or not. Do you remember what it is? Discuss.
5. Pray for eachother, for tender hearts and ready minds and wills.
Prayer Points
1. Sally Gauntlett has been admitted to care. Please pray for Richard and the family through this challenging time.
2. Ross Goltz is in constant pain. Has constant hip and joint pain. Seeking specialist help. Please pray for relief.
3. Families that have just started attending CBC.
4. The horror story playing out in Ukraine.
5. Christ to be seen through us in our community.
6. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
7. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. New folk attending CBC on Sunday
2. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
3. Covid restrictions being lifted – 4th March
4. Worship and technical team. Thanks Suzie, Gina, Zac, Bec, iMan and Tim.
Announcements
1. Cell groups back. A new cell group has started at the church for residents around Karalee. Wed 7pm at church.
2. Kidz@Church every Sunday
3. Members Meeting after the service 27th Feb
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism question for February...
Q. 16. Who should partake of the Lord's Supper? A. Only those who repent of their sins, believe in Christ for salvation and live according to his word.
