©Bonnie LaBelle
Chapter 52:24-34 (ESV) - And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest and the three keepers of the threshold; 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. And Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 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.
This is the number of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh year, 3,023 Judeans; in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons; 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.
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 began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, until the day of his death, as long as he lived.
Question to consider: What has impacted you the most from these oracles given to Jeremiah?
The book of Jeremiah ends with a validation of the LORD’s oracle concerning Judah. As the LORD promised, those who surrendered to Babylon were carried off into exile while those who resisted or fled were put to death. Most notably was the contrast between the two kings: Zedekiah and Jehoiachin. Zedekiah seemed to secretly believe the LORD, but his actions revealed that his fear of man overshadowed his faith in God, and he lived out his days in blindness and isolation.
Jehoiachin may have been a wicked king during his reign like his great grandfather, Manasseh, but he surrendered early in the Babylonian campaign and lived out the rest of his days in freedom as a friend of Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Evil-merodach. Evil-merodach took over as king during the period in which his father, Nebuchadnezzar, descended into madness for seven years and ate grass like an ox (see Daniel 4).
There is no indication that Jehoiachin ever demonstrated faith in the LORD, but the LORD fulfilled His word, and Jehoiachin at least had a decent life getting to dine at the king’s table and receiving an allowance.
Jeremiah is not mentioned in the epilogue. For all we know, he died when the LORD judged the remnant from Judah which fled to Egypt. The optimistic young man who aspired to the priesthood was instead established by the LORD as a prophetic herald of the nation’s judgment and future restoration after exile. The name Jeremiah means “YHWH establishes” or “YHWH will exalt.” While he sought no glory in this world, Jeremiah was used by the LORD to announce the covenant which would be established eternally by the greater son of king David.
Jesus reflected the heart of Jeremiah when He lamented over Jerusalem, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate.” (Matthew 23:37-38)
Despite this, Jeremiah understood the mercy of God, “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’” (Lamentations 3:22-24)
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for Your renewed mercy. Thank You for the everlasting righteousness of Christ in which You have clothed us, and for removing our sin far from us as the East is to the West. Amen.