2 Kings 25:1 – 20 “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 entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it. And the city was kept under siege until King Zedekiah’s eleventh year.
By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city was so severe that the people of the land had no food. Then the city was breached; and though the Chaldeans had surrounded the city, all the men of war fled by night by way of the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden.
They headed toward the Arabah, (the plain of the Jordan) but the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was separated from him. The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him. And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
The Temple Destroyed (Jeremiah 52:12–23) On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon, Nebuzaradan captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. He burned down the house of the LORD, the royal palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem—every significant building. And the whole army of the Chaldeans under the captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
Then Nebuzaradan captain of the guard carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the deserters who had defected to the king of Babylon and the rest of the population. But the captain of the guard left behind some of the poorest of the land to tend the vineyards and fields. Moreover, the Chaldeans broke up the bronze pillars and stands and the bronze Sea in the house of the LORD, and they carried the bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service. The captain of the guard also took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—anything made of pure gold or fine silver.
As for the two pillars, the Sea, and the movable stands that Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the weight of the bronze from all these articles was beyond measure. Each pillar was eighteen cubits tall. The bronze capital atop one pillar was three cubits high, with a network of bronze pomegranates all around. The second pillar, with its network, was similar.
Captives Carried to Babylon (Jeremiah 52:24–30)
The captain of the guard also took away Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest of second rank, and the three doorkeepers. Of those still in the city, he took a court official who had been appointed over the men of war, as well as five royal advisors. He also took the scribe of the captain of the army, who had enlisted the people of the land, and sixty men who were found in the city.
Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. There at Riblah in the land of Hamath, the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death. So Judah was taken into exile, away from its own land.”
It finally happened! After centuries of warnings from God, after prophecy upon prophecy, after reforms that only lasted for a few moments, Jerusalem has finally fallen to the Babylonians. The Babylonians have built a siege wall and have starved out the citizens of Jerusalem. When the king and his men attempt to escape by night, they are hunted down on the plains close to Jericho. King Zedekiah is brought to Nebuchadnezzar, where Nebuchadnezzar pronounces judgement, slays Zedekiah’s sons before him, and then blinds Zedekiah, so that the last visual image he can remember will be watching his sons die a horrible death. Had Zedekiah not rebelled against the Babylonians, his sons would still be alive and he would not be blind; now Zedekiah has lost everything and will be carried off in shackles to Babylon.
The Babylonians collect any prominent men who might lead or organize a rebellion and slaughter them. Jerusalem is burned and all the treasures of Solomon’s temple are looted and sent to Nineveh. Most of the people of Jerusalem are carried off to Babylon, leaving only the very poor to tend the vineyards and the fields.
APPLICATION: 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God has given the nation of Judah a plenitude of opportunities to repent, but its people have persisted in idolatry, murder, child sacrifice, and so many other demonic practices. King Manasseh and others have repeatedly shed innocent blood to the point that the ground is crying out to God. When God has sent prophets, they have been ignored, beaten, imprisoned, and slaughtered. Finally, God is ringing down the curtain on the nation of Judah, and the Babylonians have taken over completely.
There are a number of people in different situations, all of whom believe that they can do anything they want and then repent on their death beds. But what if something happens so suddenly that there is no time for repentance? Strokes, heart attacks, motor vehicle accidents, and other calamities can occur at any time. None of us has control over the circumstances of our death. 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, “For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
For centuries, the citizens of Judah went their way, trusting that they could always turn back to God; however, the further they got from God, the less desirable repentance appeared. Eventually, those people’s hearts were so hard that they had no interest in repentance. Nothing has changed, and the same thing can happen to us. Today is the only day that we have. Now is the time to turn back to God, confess our sins, and repent.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that we have sinned and are sinning and that nothing we do is good enough to cancel out that sin. Please save us and deliver us from our sins. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives and to trust in You and not in ourselves. Help us to worship only You and nothing else. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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