2 Kings 25
Key Verses 3 By the the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that
there was no food for the people to eat. 4 Then the city wall was broken
through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two
walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city.
1.
[1-7] How long did Nebuchadnezzar siege
Jerusalem (1-3; Jer 39:1-4)? How did it end (3-4)? How was King Zedekiah
captured and treated (5-7)? Why?
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day
of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem
with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siegeworks all
around it. 2 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King
Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had
become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat.
The Siege lasted total of 18 mon [ 10th day 10th
month(Jan) of 9th yr (588 bc) to 9th day of 4th
month 11th year of Zedekiah (586 bc)] During this time, The people of the city were totally cut off
from the outside and there was no food left for them. So long resistance was owing, not to the
superior skill and valor of the Jewish soldiers, but to the strength of the city fortifications, on which the
king too confidently relied, (cf. Jer. 21; 37; 38) pitched
against it; and … built forts—rather, perhaps, drew lines of circumvallation,
with a ditch to prevent any going out of the city. –their confidence in what
they had: fortified city. This was a clear misplacement of their confidence,
not in the Lord but in what they had established. (Jer 21:13 I
am against you, Jerusalem, you who live above this valley on the rocky plateau,
declares the LORD-- you who say, "Who can come against us? Who can enter
our refuge?" –the
message given to Zedekiah; Jer 36:6 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the
prophet: 7 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of
Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to
support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians
will return and attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.’ –this word was given to Jehoiakim:
God gave him an opportunity to come in repentance and if he would do so, God
would relinquish his decision to destroy Judah. But Jehoiakim did not. He stood
firm in his pride and obstinate arrogance.
Jer 37: 17 Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the LORD
God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If
you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared
and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will
live. 18 But if you will not surrender
to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands
of the Babylonians and they will burn it down; you yourself will
not escape from them.’ ”—This was a repetition of the message given in ch
21:13.)
Zedekiah vacillated between the desires and understanding of
his staff and the word was given through Jeremiah.
Eventually, he sat on indecision and fell to the trap of unbelief and its
tragic outcome. (Jer 38:14-17)
They were defeated by the thing that they had built their
confidence in. The way that God led them to defeat—‘siege’ which was used by
King Nebuchadnezzar. This seems to indicate that the siege was God intended.
This siege depleted all the resources of all that they
conjured up. At the end of the siege,
they had nothing but their lives. They were to determine to surrender or to
make an attempt of a method of life and death. They chose the latter, still
refusing to believe the word delivered through Jeremiah: if they would
surrender to Nebuchadnezzar they would live.
What was the purpose of God’s rendering these people to such
helpless conditions? How can the Lord bring the change of their heart to the
Lord by faith? God gave the word to Daniel:
Dan 12:6b “How long will it be
before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” 7 The man clothed in
linen, .., saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally
broken, all these things will be completed.
4 Then the city wall was
broken through, and the whole the army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were
surrounding the city. 5 but the Babylonian army pursued
the king and overtook him in
the plains of Jericho. was captured, taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah,
where a sentence was pronounced on him.
All that escaped were captured including Zedekiah: there is
a sense of justice—‘sentencing’; though it was delivered by King
Nebuchadnezzar, actually it was God who delivered His justice to the one who
disobeyed. The punishment of unbelief
and disobedience was too costly;
7 They
killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with
bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
Killing two sons and blinding
his eyes give a message to him that though he was the
holder/inheritor of the dynasty of God’s chosen people, he and any of his descendants shall not sit on the
throne. Other Assyrian
sources mention the blinding of one eye of prisoners of war, in order that they
could still be used as a workforce but would have been rendered incapacitated
in war. (BBC) – in other words, blinding of his two eyes was a measure to offset or to cure his rebellion. The last king of Judah was utterly humiliated, by
plugging out his two eyes; which spoiled his spiritual discernment and by
decimating his children that no one of his descendants could inherit the
kingdom. The gave him ample opportunity to turn his heart. He took God’s
warning lightly and suffered ‘utter punishment’
What does this tell us? When God gives warnings, we must
turn our hearts positively and decidedly. We must not linger in between the
wisdom/knowledge from the people of the world and the word of truth from our
Lord.
2.
[8-17; Jer 39:8-10] When and what did
Nebuzaradan do to the temple, city Jerusalem, and its people (8-12; Jer 39:9)?
What articles of the temple were taken to Babylon (13-17)?
a.
8 On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the
nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the
imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He set
fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of
Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. 10 The whole Babylonian
army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around
Jerusalem.
i.
The temple fell a week after the breakthrough
(7th or 10th Ab. c. 5 August, 587) and the whole city fell about a month later.
ii.
More attention is paid to the temple than to the
city: Here describes thorough destruction of the temple and removal of all
the articles of the holy places. : Zedekiah and many of his followers had a
doubt on the message delivered by Jeremiah: that doubt was rooted in the
understanding that the temple was the house of the Lord and He would not let
His temple be invaded by pagan forces and all the more so, He would not let His
temple be destroyed where He put His name on by an evil king. This was a
failure to accept God’s word given in Lev 26:
31 “I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries,
and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings.”
This was an expression of their unbelief in God and His Word and as a
replacement, they held on what they had, the temple and its rituals.
iii.
Here we see ‘failure to repent (unwillingness to
accept their sin) à
pride in what they had (the temple and its rituals): God had no choice but to
destroy the false foundation of their righteousness.
We saw similar findings in the leaders of Israel during the time of Jesus.
(Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God's
purpose for themselves because they had not been baptized by John. NIV)
13 The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable
stands, and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried
the bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers,
dishes, and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. 15 The commander
of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were
made of pure gold or silver. 16 The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and
the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more
than could be weighed. 17 Each pillar was eighteen cubits high. The bronze
capital on top of one pillar was three cubits high and was decorated with a
network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its
network, was similar. (see also Jer
52:17-23)
All valuable things of the temple
and palace were taken down to be transported to Babylon. This was the second
deportation of the treasures from the temple after 24:13. This rendered the
temple and its worship meaningless. Also, it’s likely that during this time,
Israel lost the trace or the fate of the tabernacle or of the ark.
3.
[18-21; Jer 39:5-7] Whom did the commander of
the guard take to Riblah (18-20)? There, what did King Nebuchadnezzar do to
them (21)?
18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest,
Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers. 19 Of those still in the city,
he took the officer in
charge of the fighting men and five royal advisers. He also took the secretary who was the chief officer in
charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of the conscripts who
were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and
brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 There at Riblah, in the
land of Hamath, the king had them executed.
These were the ones who stood firm in resistance against
Babylon. –is it similar to what happened to Israel? All these were executed.
Jer 39:9 Nebuzaradan commander
of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in
the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the
people.;
2 King 25:11 Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city,
along with the rest of the populace and those
who had deserted to the king of Babylon. 12 But the commander left
behind some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields.
But all the others who were not involved directly with the
king were taken as captives to Babylon. This is the fulfillment of what God
said to Jeremiah
Jer 24: 4 Then the word of the LORD
came to me: 5 "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from
Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the
Babylonians.1 6 My eyes will watch over them
for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I
will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me,
that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they
will return to me with all their heart. 8 "' But
like the bad figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,' says the LORD, 'so
will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from
Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. 9
I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a
reproach and a byword, a curse1 and an object of ridicule, wherever I banish
them. 10 I will send the sword, famine, and plague against them until they are
destroyed from the land I gave to them and their ancestors. (Jer 24:1 NIV)
4.
[22-26] When Nebuchadnezzar appoint Gedaliah as
the governor, who came to him (23)? What did he tell them (24)? Who killed him (25)? Why? Then what did they
have to do (26)?
23 When all the army officers and their men heard that the
king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah as governor, they came to Gedaliah at
Mizpah—Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah
son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, Jaazaniah the son of the Maakathite, and
their men. 24 Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their men. “Do not be
afraid of the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and
serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”
a.
Gedaliah was Jeremiah’s friend (Jer. 26:24). He
probably fled from the city and surrendered himself to the conqueror (Jer.
38:2, 17). Many of the fugitive Jews, as well as the soldiers of Zedekiah who
had accompanied the king in his flight to the plains of Jericho, left their
retreats (Jer. 40:11, 12), and flocked around the governor, who, having
counseled them to submit, promised them, on complying with this condition,
security on oath, that they would retain their possessions and enjoy the
produce of their land (Jer. 40:9).
b.
Gedaliah assured them and their men of their
safety as he accepted the message of God through Jeremiah. “Do not be afraid of
the Babylonian officials,” he said. “Settle down in the land and serve the king
of Babylon, and it will go well with you.” He did this by making an oath in
order to assure them of their security.
c.
This was a reinforcement of what God had said
repeatedly. But in the seventh month (prob, the same year of the fall of
Jerusalem, 4th month 586/587), Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of
Elishama, who was of royal blood, came with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah
and also the men of Judah and the Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.
Jer 40:13 Johanan son of Kareah and all the army
officers still in the open country came to Gedaliah at Mizpah 14 and said
to him, “Don’t you know that Baalis king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael son
of Nethaniah to take your life?” But Gedaliah son of Ahikam did not believe
them.
He was incited by Baalis the king
of Ammonites. Though Gedaliah gave his trust to this man, he went ahead and
assassinated him at Mizpah. This is an
expression of a self-righteous act in its full force.
For these people, their lives, and
their pride were of the utmost importance for which they would do anything. Their
hearts were open wide to those who would boost their pride and their wellbeing
as shown through Ishmael and his men. Such mind is squarely against God’s will
and they won’t survive in God’s blessing.
They had no choice but to escape to
Egypt.
5.
[27-30] When was Jehoiachin released from prison
(27)? How was he treated by the Babylonian king? Discuss how Jehoiachin’s life
reflect God’s purpose and hope for Judah.
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin
king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released
Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this on the twenty-seventh day of
the twelfth month. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor
higher than those of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So
Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate
regularly at the king’s table. 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular
allowance as long as he lived.
a.
The thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s exile
was 560 B.C. Evil-Merodach (Babylonian, Amel- Marduk, “the man of Marduk”)
ruled Babylon from 562 to 560.
b.
Daniel went to exile in the third year of
Jehoiakim (606-605 BC: at the age of 16?).
Evil-Merodach succeeded his father Nebuchadnezzar in October of 562 B.C.
This means that what Daniel did with his father Nebuchadnezzar was well known
to this king and Daniel was highly respected in the nation. It is not unlikely
that Jehoiakim’s life in Babylon was much favored because of what God did on
the kingdom through Daniel. In other words, God did what he promised to do, to
protect and to prosper in the land where they were taken to exile( Babylon)
6.
Review these events in view of God’s word given
to Jeremiah and discuss what God’s purpose was.
First, God gave these kings repeated warnings and yet they
stood on their pride and upheld their will above God’s word given through
Jeremiah.
Second, they held up against Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar
and they were all captured: those who joined in rebellion were all executed
while the rest were taken to Babylon. It is reasonable to assume that they were
far better off there than in Jerusalem or Egypt. This gives us a stern warning:
when God’s grace is rejected, the outcome will be treacherous. God is the God
of grace but his grace has its limit and boundary. We must have courage in our
commitment to the Lord against all pressures from the people of the world.
Third, the worship in the temple and the pride in what they
could do in the temple could not help them from God’s judgment on the evil
things against the Lord/the law of God. The relationship with the Lord was the
essence of what it means to be His people. This relationship could not be
established by neglecting God’s word or disobeying His word. More often than
not, our pride or our preference or our own wisdom overrides the word of the
Lord and this is detrimental to His people. Be humble before His word!
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