Year 2, Week 17, Day 1 Bible Reading Observations

Year 2, Week 17, Day 1

I have a brief observation for today’s reading of Jeremiah 52.

Today’s reading concludes the Book of Jeremiah. Today’s reading is an epilogue to Jeremiah. The Book of Jeremiah began with a prologue (Jeremiah 1:1-19), which described God’s call of Jeremiah to become a prophet during the reign of Josiah. The epilogue (Jeremiah 52:1-34) describes the aftermath of his ministry: the fall of Jerusalem during the reign of Zedekiah, as well as the last years of the last living Davidic king, Jehoiachin. Today’s reading parallels much of 2 Kings 24:18-25:30. Jeremiah 52 reports on what actually happened in such a way that it vindicates all of what Jeremiah declared would happen: “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” (Jeremiah 52:3). Jeremiah was accused of prophesying falsely. Of course, those making such claims were actually false prophets. In the final analysis, the validation of Jeremiah’s prophets over the false prophets was seen in the fact that all that Jeremiah said would happen did in fact happen.

One of the things that struck me from today’s reading is the close attention that today’s reading pays to how what happened to Jerusalem was in perfect accordance with what Jeremiah prophesied: “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…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…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” (Jeremiah 53:3b-4,8-9a,10-11). This description fulfills prophecies from Jeremiah, which landed him in prison: “For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it” (Jeremiah 32:3). Jeremiah’s words got him in trouble, but they were true.

Not only was Zedekiah imprisoned as the LORD had declared through Jeremiah, the nature of the destruction upon Jerusalem was also proven to be true: “For thus says the LORD: Behold, I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends. They shall fall by the sword of their enemies while you look on. And I will give all Judah into the hand of the king of Babylon. He shall carry them captive to Babylon, and shall strike them down with the sword. Moreover, I will give all the wealth of the city, all its gains, all its prized belongings, and all the treasures of the kings of Judah into the hand of their enemies, who shall plunder them and seize them and carry them to Babylon” (Jeremiah 20:4-5). The prophet’s description was spot on as today’s reading reports: “In the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month—that was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon—Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard…he burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house and all the houses of Jerusalem; every great house he burned down. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. And…carried away captive some of the poorest of the people” (Jeremiah 52:12a,13-15a). Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks over his words, but they were true.

Jeremiah’s words about the Temple’s destruction also came about as he said: “For thus says the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, the sea, the stands, and the rest of the vessels that are left in this city, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take away, when he took into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem— thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that are left in the house of the LORD, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem: They shall be carried to Babylon and remain there until the day when I visit them, declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 27:19-22). Jeremiah had warned: "Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:4). And while his warning was unheeded, it proved true as we read: “And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried all the bronze to Babylon…What was of gold the captain of the guard took away as gold, and what was of silver, as silver” (Jeremiah 52:17-20).

The Book ends with a note concerning Jehoiachin: “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…brought him out of prison…he dined regularly at the king’s table…until the day of his death, as long as he lived” (Jeremiah 52:31,33). A Davidic king was being preserved at the expense of the Babylonians and it so doing, the anticipation of another prophecy from Jeremiah will be shown to be trustworthy: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land” (Jeremiah 33:14-15).

What struck you in today’s reading? What questions were prompted from today’s reading?

Pastor Joe