©Kris Gerbrandt
Chapter 52:1-11 (ESV) - 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. And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.
And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. 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. So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 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. 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, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 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. 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. The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 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.
Question to consider: Why do you think this historical epilogue was included with the prophecies given to Jeremiah?
This last chapter of Jeremiah served as an epilogue of sorts. Whether it was written by Jeremiah or added by someone like his scribe, Baruch, or Ezra, we don’t know, but it affirmed the fulfillment of the near-term oracles that were given to Jeremiah.
With this epilogue, people could trust that Jeremiah was a true prophet of God and therefore have faith that the LORD would fulfill the future generational and covenantal promises given to him. Seventy years later, Daniel could intercede for the sins of the people in faith that the LORD would bring His people back into the land. The LORD promised this in Leviticus 26:40-45, “But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers in their treachery that they committed against me, and also in walking contrary to me, so that I walked contrary to them and brought them into the land of their enemies—if then their uncircumcised heart is humbled and they make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember my covenant with Jacob, and I will remember my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land. But the land shall be abandoned by them and enjoy its Sabbaths while it lies desolate without them, and they shall make amends for their iniquity, because they spurned my rules and their soul abhorred my statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.”
He knew the covenantal promises were still “far off”, for he was told to “shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end,” (Daniel 12:4) but because the near-term and generational promises came to pass, the people could have faith that a descendant of David would come on clouds and be presented to the Ancient of Days,
And to him was given dominion
and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14)
Of course, Zedekiah was a weak shadow of this king. Throughout his reign we read about his lack of faith and cowardice. As sad as it was to know that the last thing he saw before being blinded was the execution of his sons, it seemed like a fitting end to someone who blindly sold out his people and fled in their time of need.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your covenantal promises which were fulfilled in Christ. May the truth of all that has come to pass help stir up in us the faith to endure the trials and tribulations of this world. Amen.