THE FALL OF JERUSALEM JEHOIACHIN RELEASED 2 KINGS 25:1-30

Transcription

1 1 THE FALL OF JERUSALEM JEHOIACHIN RELEASED 2 KINGS 25:1-30

2 2 The Fall of Jerusalem Jehoiachin Released Text: 2 Kings 25:1-30, 1. 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 siege works 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. 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. They fled toward the Arabah, 5. but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, 6. and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. 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. 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.

3 3 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. 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 gone over 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. 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 twenty-seven feet high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was four and a half feet high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar. 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 chief officer in charge of conscripting the people of the land and sixty of his men who were found in the city. 20. Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

4 4 21. There at Riblah, in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed. So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. 22. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to be over the people he had left behind in Judah. 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 Maacathite, 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. 25. In the seventh month, however, 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. 26. At this, all the people from the least to the greatest, together with the army officers, fled to Egypt for fear of the Babylonians. 27. In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin from prison 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. (NIV 1984)

5 5 Introduction: I. The Babylonian army arrived at Jerusalem on January 4, 587 B.C., Smith wrote. II. Coffman introduced chapter 25 by writing, This chapter records the tragic eleven (11) year reign of Zedekiah, his rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem and another deportation of the people. There are also a couple of paragraphs dealing with the governorship of Gedaliah and amazing favors conferred upon Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) by the king of Babylon. Commentary: The Fall of Jerusalem 2 Kings 25:1, 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 siege works all around it. (NIV 1984) I. Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. A. Jehoiakim had rebelled against the king of Babylon and paid the price Kings 24:1, During Jehoiakim s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he changed his mind and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. (NIV 1984)

6 6 2. It seems Zedekiah was slow to learn because he also rebelled and paid a horrible price. a. 2 Chronicles 36:12-13, He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the Lord, the God of Israel. (NIV 1984) b. Jeremiah 27:1-22, Early in the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord said to me: Make a yoke out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck. Then send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah. Give them a message for their masters and say, This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Tell this to your masters: With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Now I will hand all your countries over to my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; I will make even the wild animals subject to him. All nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his land comes; then many nations and great kings will subjugate him. If, however, any nation or

7 7 kingdom will not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon or bow its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation with the sword, famine and plague, declares the Lord, until I destroy it by his hand. So do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums or your sorcerers who tell you, You will not serve the king of Babylon. They prophesy lies to you that will only serve to remove you far from your lands; I will banish you and you will perish. But if any nation will bow its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will let that nation remain in its own land to till it and to live there, declares the Lord. I gave the same message to Zedekiah king of Judah. I said, Bow your neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and you will live. Why will you and your people die by the sword, famine and plague with which the Lord has threatened any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon? Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say to you, You will not serve the king of Babylon, for they are prophesying lies to you. I have not sent them, declares the Lord. They are prophesying lies in my name. Therefore, I will banish you and you will perish, both you and the prophets who prophesy to you. Then I said to the priests and all these people, This is what the Lord says: Do not listen to the prophets who say, Very soon now the articles from the Lord s house will be brought back from Babylon. They are prophesying lies to you. Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon, and you

8 8 will live. Why should this city become a ruin? If they are prophets and have the word of the Lord, let them plead with the Lord Almighty that the furnishings remaining in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem not be taken to Babylon. For this is what the Lord Almighty says about the pillars, the Sea, the movable stands and the other furnishings that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away when he carried Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about the things that are left in the house of the Lord and in the palace of the king of Judah and in Jerusalem: They will be taken to Babylon and there they will remain until the day I come for them, declares the Lord. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. (NIV 1984) B. Coffman again well wrote that, This rebellion was against the prophecies and warnings of God s great prophets Ezekiel and Jeremiah, who had specifically warned Zedekiah that God had delivered apostate Israel into the hands of Babylon and that the people would serve the king of Babylon for seventy (70) years. 1. Jeremiah 25:11-12, This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the

9 9 Babylonians, for their guilt, declares the Lord, and will make it desolate forever. (NIV 1984) 2. Zedekiah had sworn with a solemn oath invoking the name of Jehovah that he would be faithful to... the king of Babylon, Coffman wrote, but he rebelled anyway! C. Zedekiah rebelled, among other reasons, because he listened to the false prophet, Hananiah, and was influenced by the Egyptians and the corrupt priests and idolatrous people of Judah and Jerusalem. (See Coffman.) 1. Jeremiah 28:1-4, In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, early in the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the Lord in the presence of the priests and all the people: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon, declares the Lord, for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. (NIV 1984) 2. Jeremiah 34:8, The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. (NIV 1984)

10 10 3. Ezekiel 12:13, I will spread my net for him, and he will be caught in my snare; I will bring him to Babylonia, the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, and there he will die. (NIV 1984) 4. Isaiah 6:9-10, He said, Go and tell this people: Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed. (NIV 1984) II. So in the ninth year of Zedekiah s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month,... A. Long suggested that Zedekiah may have been influenced to rebel by Egypt. B. This was the Jewish month Tebet. C. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah ( B.C.). He was the son of Josiah. (Youngblood) D. Only in 2 Kings 25 in the books of 1 and 2 Kings is the day, month and year of an event cited and in this chapter, 2 Kings 25, the day, month and year are cited three (3) times, (The Pulpit Commentary) in verses 1, 4 and The date in verse 1 is confirmed by: a. Jeremiah 52:10, There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; he also killed all the officials of Judah. (NIV 1984)

11 11 b. Ezekiel 24:1, In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me: (NIV 1984) III. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. A. This attack is dated to 01/15/588 B.C. (Long) Clarke, quoting Usher, placed the date on 01/30, a sabbatical year. B. Nebuchadnezzar was king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (ruled B.C.) who captured Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and carried the people of Judah into captivity in Babylonia. Neubchadnezzar was the oldest son of Nabopolassar, the founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. (Youngblood) C. Nebuchadnezzar was wearied, really tired, of dealing time and again with Jerusalem s bad faith and rebellious nature. (Clarke) 1. Nebuchadnezzar then marched with a massive military force and in time left the city totally devastated. a. Jeremiah 34:1-7, While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him, This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.

12 12 You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon. Yet hear the promise of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, Alas, O master! I myself make this promise, declares the Lord. Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. (NIV 1984) b. Ezekiel 24:1-27, In the ninth year, in the tenth month on the tenth day, the word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, record this date, this very date, because the king of Babylon has laid siege to Jerusalem this very day. Tell this rebellious house a parable and say to them: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Put on the cooking pot; put it on and pour water into it. Put into it the pieces of meat, all the choice pieces the leg and the shoulder. Fill it with the best of these bones; take the pick of the flock. Pile wood beneath it for the bones; bring it to a boil and cook the bones in it. For this is what the Sovereign

13 13 Lord says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Empty it piece by piece without casting lots for them. For the blood she shed is in her midst: She poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, where the dust would cover it. To stir up wrath and take revenge I put her blood on the bare rock, so that it would not be covered. Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the city of bloodshed! I, too, will pile the wood high. So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows so its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away. It has frustrated all efforts; its heavy deposit has not been removed, not even by fire. Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided. I the Lord have spoken. The time has come for me to act. I will not hold back; I will not have pity, nor will I relent. You will be judged according to your conduct and your actions, declares the Sovereign Lord. The word of the Lord came to me: Son of man, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes. Yet do not lament or weep or shed any tears. Groan quietly; do not mourn for the dead. Keep your turban fastened and your sandals on your feet; do not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of

14 14 mourners. So I spoke to the people in the morning, and in the evening my wife died. The next morning I did as I had been commanded. Then the people asked me, Won t you tell us what these things have to do with us? So I said to them, The word of the Lord came to me: Say to the house of Israel, This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to desecrate my sanctuary the stronghold in which you take pride, the delight of your eyes, the object of your affection. The sons and daughters you left behind will fall by the sword. And you will do as I have done. You will not cover the lower part of your face or eat the customary food of mourners. You will keep your turbans on your heads and your sandals on your feet. You will not mourn or weep but will waste away because of your sins and groan among yourselves. Ezekiel will be a sign to you; you will do just as he has done. When this happens, you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord. And you, son of man, on the day I take away their stronghold, their joy and glory, the delight of their eyes, their heart s desire, and their sons and daughters as well on that day a fugitive will come to tell you the news. At that time your mouth will be opened; you will speak with him and will no longer be silent. So you will be a sign to them, and they will know that I am the Lord. (NIV 1984) D. Because this was a Jewish Sabbatical year, servants were set free in Jerusalem/Judah.

15 15 1. Jeremiah 34:8-10, The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. (NIV 1984) 2. Exodus 21:2, If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything. (NIV 1984) 3. Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 12, At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the Lord s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, sells himself to you and serves you six years, in the seventh year you must let him go free. (NIV 1984) E. Jeremiah had predicted the city would be destroyed because of its rebellions against Nebuchadnezzar. For this Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah. (See Clarke.) 1. Jeremiah 34:1-7, While Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms and peoples in the empire he ruled were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding towns, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Go to Zedekiah king

16 16 of Judah and tell him, This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down. You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon. Yet hear the promise of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the Lord says concerning you: You will not die by the sword; you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, Alas, O master! I myself make this promise, declares the Lord. Then Jeremiah the prophet told all this to Zedekiah king of Judah, in Jerusalem, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. (NIV 1984) 2. Jeremiah 32:1-16, This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, This is what the Lord says: I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hands of the Babylonians but will certainly be

17 17 handed over to the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will remain until I deal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed. Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it. Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself. I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard. In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land. After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord: (NIV 1984)

18 18 F. Egypt, fearing the massive Babylonian army so near its borders, came to help Judah. (See Clarke.) 1. The siege of Jerusalem was interrupted to deal with the Egyptians. 2. Thinking the siege was over, the people of Jerusalem reclaimed their servants. a. Jeremiah 34:8-11, The word came to Jeremiah from the Lord after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim freedom for the slaves. Everyone was to free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female; no one was to hold a fellow Jew in bondage. So all the officials and people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their male and female slaves and no longer hold them in bondage. They agreed, and set them free. But afterward they changed their minds and took back the slaves they had freed and enslaved them again. (NIV 1984) G. Nebuchadnezzar first moved against Judah and took fortified towns such as Lachish and Azekah. In this way he protected his army from Egyptian attack. (The Pulpit Commentary) IV. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. A. Nebuchadnezzar blockaded Jerusalem and systematically set about to eliminate the outlying fortified towns.

19 19 1. Jeremiah 34:7, while the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah that were still holding out Lachish and Azekah. These were the only fortified cities left in Judah. (NIV 1984) 2. This siege lasted one (1) year, seven (7) months leaving the people so destitute that mothers ate their children. a. Lamentations 2:20, Look, O Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? (NIV 1984) b. Lamentations 4:10, With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed. (NIV 1984) B. The Babylonian siege of Jerusalem now began in earnest. 1. This siege reminds us of the Syrian siege of Samaria in regard to the famines produced by the sieges. a. 2 Kings 6:24-31, Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria. There was a great famine in the city; the siege lasted so long that a donkey s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter of a cab of seed pods for five shekels. As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried to him,

20 20 Help me, my lord the king! The king replied, If the Lord does not help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress? Then he asked her, What s the matter? She answered, This woman said to me, Give up your son so we may eat him today, and tomorrow we ll eat my son. So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, Give up your son so we may eat him, but she had hidden him. When the king heard the woman s words, he tore his robes. As he went along the wall, the people looked, and there, underneath, he had sackcloth on his body. He said, May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today! (NIV 1984) C. In the summer of 587 B.C. an Egyptian army marched northward with the intention of relieving the pressure on Zedekiah, Smith wrote. 1. Nebuchadnezzar interrupted his siege of Jerusalem and dispatched the Egyptians, and then returned to Jerusalem. a. Jeremiah 37:5, Pharaoh s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) b. Ezekiel 17:17, Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in

21 21 war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. (NIV 1984) D. References to Babylonian siege works: 1. Jeremiah 52:4, 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. They camped outside the city and built siege works all around it. (NIV 1984) 2. Ezekiel 4:2, Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. (NIV 1984) 3. Ezekiel 17:17, Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. (NIV 1984) 4. Ezekiel 26:8, He will ravage your settlements on the mainland with the sword; he will set up siege works against you, build a ramp up to your walls and raise his shields against you. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 25:2, The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. (NIV 1984) I. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh (11 th ) year of King Zedekiah.

22 22 A. Having been victorious over the Egyptians, Nebuchadnezzar returned in earnest to the siege of Jerusalem. (See Smith.) B. The details of this siege are essentially omitted by the author of 2 Kings. 1. During the siege the Egyptians marched an army into Southern Judea with the intention of relieving the siege, but Nebuchadnezzar defeated the Egyptians and resumed the siege. (The Pulpit Commentary) a. Jeremiah 37:5, Pharaoh s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) b. Ezekiel 17:17, Pharaoh with his mighty army and great horde will be of no help to him in war, when ramps are built and siege works erected to destroy many lives. (NIV 1984) c. Jeremiah 37:7, 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. (NIV 1984) d. Jeremiah 21:7, 9, After that, declares the Lord, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them

23 23 to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life. (NIV 1984) e. Lamentations 2:12, 20, They say to their mothers, Where is bread and wine? as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers arms. Look, O Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? (NIV 1984) f. Jeremiah 21:6-7, I will strike down those who live in this city both men and animals and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion. (NIV 1984) g. Lamentations 4:3-9, 10, Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert. Because of thirst the infant s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them. Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the

24 24 streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps. The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her. Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires. But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. Those killed by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 25:3, 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. (NIV 1984) I. By the ninth (9 th ) day of the fourth (4 th ) month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. A. The people of Jerusalem were in dire straits, were dealing with severe famine and pestilence. (See Smith.) 1. Jeremiah 21:6-9, I will strike down those who live in this city both men and animals and they will die of a terrible plague. After that, declares the Lord, I will hand over Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the people in this city who survive the plague, sword and famine, to Nebuchadnezzar king

25 25 of Babylon and to their enemies who seek their lives. He will put them to the sword; he will show them no mercy or pity or compassion. Furthermore, tell the people, This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life and the way of death. Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine or plague. But whoever goes out and surrenders to the Babylonians who are besieging you will live; he will escape with his life. (NIV 1984) 2. Lamentations 2:12, 20, They say to their mothers, Where is bread and wine? as they faint like wounded men in the streets of the city, as their lives ebb away in their mothers arms. Look, O Lord, and consider: Whom have you ever treated like this? Should women eat their offspring, the children they have cared for? Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord? (NIV 1984) 3. Lamentations 4:3-10, Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young, but my people have become heartless like ostriches in the desert. Because of thirst the infant s tongue sticks to the roof of its mouth; the children beg for bread, but no one gives it to them. Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets. Those nurtured in purple now lie on ash heaps. The punishment of my people is greater than that of Sodom, which was overthrown in a moment without a hand turned to help her. Their princes were brighter than snow and whiter than milk, their bodies more ruddy than rubies, their appearance like sapphires. But now they are blacker than soot; they are not recognized in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones; it has become as dry as a stick. Those killed

26 26 by the sword are better off than those who die of famine; racked with hunger, they waste away for lack of food from the field. With their own hands compassionate women have cooked their own children, who became their food when my people were destroyed. (NIV 1984) 4. Lamentations 5:7-16, Our fathers sinned and are no more, and we bear their punishment. Slaves rule over us, and there is none to free us from their hands. We get our bread at the risk of our lives because of the sword in the desert. Our skin is hot as an oven, feverish from hunger. Women have been ravished in Zion, and virgins in the towns of Judah. Princes have been hung up by their hands; elders are shown no respect. Young men toil at the millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood. The elders are gone from the city gate; the young men have stopped their music. Joy is gone from our hearts; our dancing has turned to mourning. The crown has fallen from our head. Woe to us, for we have sinned! (NIV 1984) 5. Jeremiah 52:6, 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. (NIV 1984) 6. Ezekiel 5:10-12, Therefore in your midst fathers will eat their children, and children will eat their fathers. I will inflict punishment on you and will scatter all your survivors to the winds. Therefore as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your vile images and detestable practices, I myself will

27 27 withdraw my favor; I will not look on you with pity or spare you. A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword. (NIV 1984) 7. The Babylonian Ebed-Melech, about this time, expressed his fear that Jeremiah would starve, since there was no more bread in Jerusalem. (The Pulpit Commentary) a. Jeremiah 38:9, My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city. (NIV 1984) B. Long dates these events to B.C. 1. The siege had lasted for eighteen (18) months to this point. 2. This was in the Jewish month of Tammuz. 3. Coffman identified this as occurring on B.C. 2 Kings 25:4, 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. They fled toward the Arabah, (NIV 1984)

28 28 I. 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. A. This breach in the defensive walls of Jerusalem can be dated to August 15, 586 B.C. after a siege of eighteen (18) months. (See Smith.) Clarke dates this event to Wednesday, July Ezekiel 9:2, And I saw six men coming from the direction of the upper gate, which faces north, each with a deadly weapon in his hand. With them was a man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. They came in and stood beside the bronze altar. (NIV 1984) 2. Jeremiah 52:7-9, Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. (NIV 1984) 3. As the enemy broke into the city on the north, Zedekiah fled from the city on the south by a gate that opened into the Tyropoeon Valley, between the two walls that guarded the city on either side of it. (The Pulpit Commentary) B. Zedekiah and his army fled in hope of saving their lives.

29 29 1. Zedekiah obviously could not defend himself and tried to escape. C. The king s garden, the royal gardens, were situated near the Pool of Siloam, at the mouth of the Tyropoeon Valley, and near the junction of the Hinnom Valley with the Kidron Valley. (The Pulpit Commentary) D. The city was surrounded on all sides and slipping out or fighting their way through the Babylonian line was no easy task. 1. Zedekiah did escape the city, but the Babylonians were aware of their departure and gave chase. 2. Zedekiah may have taken the ordinary road from Jerusalem toward Jericho. II. They fled toward the Arabah, A. The Arabah, in this case, was the Jordan River valley. The Arabah is more than two hundred forty (240) miles long and ranges from six (6) to twenty-five (25) miles wide. The Arabah includes the Sea of Galilee, the Jordan River valley, the Dead Sea, and the area between the Dead Sea and the Red Sea. (Youngblood) 2 Kings 25:5, but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, (NIV 1984) I. but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho.

30 30 A. Zedekiah did not get very far before he was captured by the Babylonians. B. McGee reminds us that Jeremiah had predicted the fall of Jerusalem and that Judah should not resist Nebuchadnezzar. For this he was considered a traitor to Judah and Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar consequently treated him with kindness. Jeremiah spoke the truth! C. Nebuchadnezzar had previously left the siege and had retired to Riblah from which location he gave directions regarding all military activities in the entire area. 1. For Nebuchadnezzar s generals to have allowed Zedekiah, his family and army to escape would have brought disgrace to the officers and may have led to their execution. 2. Consequently, the Babylonian officers and army were intent on capturing Zedekiah which they did in the Jordan plain. II. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered,... A. The soldiers that had survived the siege of Jerusalem now ran for their lives. 1. Ezekiel 12:14, I will scatter to the winds all those around him his staff and all his troops and I will pursue them with drawn sword. (niv 1984) 2 Kings 25:6, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. (NIV 1984)

31 31 I. and he was captured. A. Zedekiah was captured. 1. Jeremiah 39:4-5, When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. (NIV 1984) II. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. A. Zedekiah paid a terrible price for his treasonous rebellion! B. Riblah was located about sixty-five (65) miles north of Damascus and served as Nebuchadnezzar s field command post. (Younblood) C. The Pulpit Commentary states, As a rebel, who had broken his covenant and his oath, Zedekiah was brought to trial before Nebuchadnezzar and his great lords. 1. Ezekiel 17:16, 18, As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, he shall die in Babylon, in the land of the king who put him on the throne, whose oath he despised and whose treaty he broke. He despised the oath by breaking the covenant. Because he had given his hand in pledge and yet did all these things, he shall not escape. (NIV 1984)

32 32 2. Jeremiah 52:9, and he was captured. He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. (NIV 1984) 2 Kings 25:7, 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. (NIV 1984) I. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. A. This was a horrible thing to experience and it was the last thing Zedekiah ever saw. 1. Zedekiah was no more than thirty-two (32) years of age at this time, The Pulpit Commentary reads, meaning the sons of Zedekiah were minors at this time. a. 2 Kings 24:18, Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. (NIV 1984) b. Joshua 7:24-25, Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today. Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. (NIV 1984)

33 33 c. Daniel 6:24, At the king s command, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought in and thrown into the lions den, along with their wives and children. And before they reached the floor of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones. (NIV 1984) B. Zedekiah believed the false prophets, disbelieved Jeremiah and paid a terrible price for his sins. II. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon. A. Smith suggested this was likely done by means of a redhot rod. 1. Judges 16:21, Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding in the prison. (NIV 1984) B. He was then taken to Babylon as a prisoner and he remained in prison there until he died. 1. Jeremiah 39:4, 7, When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah. Then he put out Zedekiah s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. (NIV 1984)

34 34 2. Jeremiah 52:7, 11, Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled. They left the city at night through the gate between the two walls near the king s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. Then he put out Zedekiah s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon, where he put him in prison till the day of his death. (NIV 1984) 3. Jeremiah 32:4, Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hands of the Babylonians but will certainly be handed over to the king of Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes. (NIV 1984) 4. Jeremiah 34:3, You will not escape from his grasp but will surely be captured and handed over to him. You will see the king of Babylon with your own eyes, and he will speak with you face to face. And you will go to Babylon. (NIV 1984) 5. Ezekiel went to Babylon, but he didn t see it because he was blind. C. Zedekiah remained in Babylon until he died after which he was given a royal funeral. (The Pulpit Commentary) 1. Jeremiah 34:5, you will die peacefully. As people made a funeral fire in honor of your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so they will make a fire in your honor and lament, Alas, O master! I myself make this promise, declares the Lord. (NIV 1984)

35 35 2 Kings 25:8, 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. (NIV 1984) I. On the seventh (7 th ) day of the fifth (5 th ) month, in the nineteenth (19 th ) year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,... A. 2 Chronicles 36:17-19, He brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord s temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. (NIV 1984) B. Long dates these events to B.C. Coffman places this in the Jewish month Abib and states it fell on B.C. Clarke dates this to Wednesday, A month had passed since Zedekiah, his family and his army had fled Jerusalem. C. Jeremiah 52:12 states it was on the tenth (10 th ) day while 2 Kings 25:8 states it was on the seventh (7 th ) day that Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. The Pulpit Commentary attributes this difference to a scribal error. 1. Jeremiah 52:12, On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the

36 36 imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) 2. 2 Kings 25:8, 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. (NIV 1984) D. This occurred in the nineteenth (19 th ) year of Nebuchadnezzar s reign, his reign having begun in B.C. 605 which brings us to 586 B.C. (The Pulpit Commentary) II. Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. A. Nebuzaradan, commander of the imperial guard, came to Jerusalem with orders to raze the city and prepare its inhabitants for deportation. The city was burned and its massive walls were totally dismantled, Smith wrote. 1. Jeremiah 39:13, So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal- Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon (NIV 1984) B. Long defined the imperial guard as Nebuchadnezzar s body guards while The Pulpit Commentary translates Captain of the Guard literally as chief of the executioners. C. A month had passed since the walls fell and Nebuchadnezzar s army entered Jerusalem. 1. The delay in the arrival of Nebuzaradan may have been due to Neubuchadnezzar s giving careful thought

37 37 to what he was going to do about Jerusalem. (The Pulpit Commentary) 2 Kings 25:9, He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. (NIV 1984) I. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. A. However, before burning the temple, he stripped it of all its valuables. B. This was total devastation! 1. Some seventy (70) years later, Nehemiah, upon his return, when he saw the destruction, regarded the situation as almost helpless. (See McGee.) a. Nehemiah 2:17, Then I said to them, You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace. (NIV 1984) C. Clarke dated the burning of Jerusalem to Saturday, B.C. 1. Jeremiah 52:13, He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. (NIV 1984)

38 38 2. Jeremiah 39:8, The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) 3. Josephus via The Pulpit Commentary stated the temple had stood 470 years, 6 months and 10 days, but The Pulpit Commentary says, This calculation seems to exceed the truth. 4. The palace was also a very elaborate, ornate building, almost as magnificent as the temple. (The Pulpit Commentary) II. Every important building he burned down. A. McGee wrote that Jerusalem was plundered, burned, and left a pile of rubble Chronicles 36:19, They set fire to God s temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. (NIV 1984) B. Jerusalem has been destroyed about twenty-seven (27) times, McGee wrote. 2 Kings 25:10, The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. (NIV 1984) I. The whole Babylonian army, under the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around Jerusalem. A. The walls were broken down making them useless as a defense for the city.