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Jeremiah 39 (ESV)
1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, a breach was made in the city. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Nergal-sar-ezer of Samgar, Nebu-sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, with all the rest of the officers of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled, going out of the city at night by way of the king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and they went toward the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, at Riblah, in the land of Hamath; and he passed sentence on him. 6 The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah at Riblah before his eyes, and the king of Babylon slaughtered all the nobles of Judah. 7 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 8 The Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the house of the people, and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Then Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, carried into exile to Babylon the rest of the people who were left in the city, those who had deserted to him, and the people who remained. 10 Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, left in the land of Judah some of the poor people who owned nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.
REFLECTION:
Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, was the last king of Judah. He ruled Judah for eleven years from 597 to 586 BC. The king of Judah before him were his two elder brothers, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and his nephew, Jehoiachin. When Jehoiachin was taken into captivity in Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar made Mattaniah, who was only 21 years old, king of Judah and renamed him Zedekiah (2 Kings 24:17), which means “The Lord is my righteousness” . However, Zedekiah’s life’s deeds are contrary to his name. Zedekiah was unwilling to be the puppet king, and because of his failure to resist Babylon, he fled at the end. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar captured him, killed his sons in front of him, gouge out his eyes, and took him to Babylon. Soon, Zedekiah died in Babylon, ending a sad and deplorable life. We should take the tragic fall of Zedekiah’s kingdom and his death as a lesson, rely on God in everything, live out God’s justice, and manifest God’s glory. Otherwise, God’s discipline may not be delayed. In the newly conquered places, Babylon used the method of combining grace and power to rule the people, taking all the wealthy and powerful away, leaving only the poor in place to win the gratitude of the remnants. This was Babylon’s trick to win over people’s hearts, but God used this to protect the remnants of Judah and make them realize that God is still looking after them in the tragic fate of subjugation.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to give you more vigilance, take history and people as a mirror. In your life, try to take God’s will as the standard for your actions; you should understand that while you are looking at the predecessors, the future generations are also looking at you; ask God for help for you to have a beautiful testimony in this life, set a godly example to your descendants, and inspire them to return to God. It is the blessings that God has given you to pass on from generation to generation.
HYMN:
May The Lord Find Us Faithful – youtu.be/pQ7VWKKgpLU
