Year 3, Day 92: Jeremiah 39

Prophecy

This is a dark chapter in Jeremiah.  The wall is breached.  The siege is over.

Zedekiah and many of his men flee.  They are pursued by the Babylonians.  They are captured.

Zedekiah is forced to watch the execution of his sons.  Then his eyes are gouged out.  Perhaps the last sight he ever had was watching the death of his offspring.  The price to pay for rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar is high.  For the record, the price to pay for rebellion against God is even higher.

The city is burned.  The king’s palace – what’s left of it after they tore it apart to bolster the walls – is burned.  They destroyed the walls of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah’s prophecy comes true.  The city is burned.  People die by the sword.  Jerusalem is breached.  They did not survive the siege.  As dark as Jeremiah’s prophecy had been, it was true.  God knew the heart of the people.  He knew that they would not repent in any meaningful manner.

What few people remained – those who hadn’t deserted to the Babylonians – are dragged off into captivity.  This is the end of the golden age.  This is the last time that there will be a king on the throne.  From this day forward the Hebrew people will be under the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans …

This is the end of the golden age.  It ends in a whimper.  It ends barely even in the shadow of the days in which it began with such promise.  It ends much like the exodus – another story that began with such promise.  It ends in rebellion against God.

Reprieve

Yet, we find a surprise in this chapter.  Nebuchadnezzar has heard of Jeremiah.  Jeremiah has heard of this prophet whose adversaries had tried to bury him deep in a prison and in a muddy cistern.  Nebuchadnezzar saw what Jeremiah’s own people did not.

In retrospect, this really shouldn’t surprise us.  I’m sure every single one of the defectors came to the Babylonians talking about how Jeremiah had advised them to accept captivity over certain death.  With every one of the defecting Hebrew people Nebuchadnezzar’s appreciation for Jeremiah had to grow.  I’m not saying that Jeremiah said those things to save his own neck.  Jeremiah said those things because God told him to say them.  But through Jeremiah’s loyalty to God, God finds a way to save Jeremiah through Nebuchadnezzar himself.

Nebuchadnezzar sends a message with one of his officials to make sure that Jeremiah is treated well.  In fact, the message Nebuchadnezzar sends is that Jeremiah is to be treated as Jeremiah says to treat him.  That is pretty powerful considering that Jeremiah is a casualty of war.

The Ethiopian’s Reprieve

Jeremiah is not the only one spared in this passage.  Ebed-melech, the man who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern, is also spared.  God tells Jeremiah to tell Ebed-melech that he will see the destruction of the city.  However, Ebed-melech does not need to fear.  In the day that the city is destroyed, God will find a way to spare this Ethiopian who was obedient to God and faithful to Jeremiah.

This is not an easy chapter to read if we step back and consider exactly what is going on.  However, if we take another step back and understand the scope of why it is happening, it is easier to swallow.  God sent prophet after prophet.  God sent message after message through Jeremiah.  God told them to repent.

The people – and the leaders especially – refused to repent.  They now suffer the consequences of their own actions.  It is difficult to watch people when the consequences catch up with them.

However, we also know this is part of the learning process.  Because the consequences of their rebellion do catch up with the Hebrew people, they will have an opportunity to change and reform in captivity.  They will have an opportunity to rededicate themselves to God under the Babylonians.  It’s difficult to watch; it’s even more difficult to read.  But it is a necessary step to true repentance.  That is what is ultimately important.

A restored relationship with God is worth counting the cost.

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