Jeremiah 39:1-18. Today’s reading is the last chapter in a section about the fall of Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah has warned and warned the people of Jerusalem and Judah, their religious leader the scribes and priests, the political leaders the “officials”, their kings that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed. He offered them hope to spare at least the physical city and many lives; but they would not surrender to Nebuchadnezzar, as God repeated told them to do. Nebuchadnezzar had made at least three trips to the area 605-604 BC, 597-598 BC, and now 588-586 BC. I’m sure the repeated trips to put down rebellion did not make Nebuchadnezzar the happiest over-lord for these people. And I’m pretty sure the people in his army were not too happy about the many trips so far from home.
In verses 1and 2 we learn that the city was besieged from the 10th month of the ninth year to the 4th month of the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign. Some experts say at this time the calendar being used was the Babylonian calendar and that the 10th month was December/January 588-587 BC (Neither the Babylonian nor the Jewish months do not line up with ours) and the 4th month was June/July 586 BC. These dates evidently line up with dates found in other sources from the time. I’m not sure we need to be that precise but it is good to know that the record in the Bible agrees with stuff archeologists have found. What we want to see is that the siege lasted for 18 months as I mentioned in an earlier post. In the fourth month the Babylonians broke through the wall (breached). The author then tells us that the “officials of the king of Babylon” came in and sat down at the “Middle Gate”. When Zedekiah saw the Babylonian officials sitting in the place of judgment he fled with his soldiers.
Experts are not sure where that gate was but one archaeologist thinks he found it in the middle of what had been the north wall of the city in Jeremiah’s day. It is not surprising that we are not sure since the city was burned down in Jeremiah’s day, and sat unrepaired for 143 years (Nehemiah moved to Jerusalem in 444 BC and began an effort to rebuild the walls of the city. The temple itself had been rebuilt starting in 538 BC when then king of the empire, Cyrus, commanded that Jewish people be allowed to return home and start to rebuild their Temple. The work was quickly abandoned with only the foundation stones laid until 520 BC when the work on the Temple was resumed and finished in 516 BC). Houses were rebuilt on the site of the old city between 538 and 444 BC with most of the activity happening after a second return of Jewish people about 458 BC., about 20 years before the birth of Jesus the Temple had become quite old (500 years) and needed major repair. The Roman ruler of the area set out to make it as grand as it had once been in the time of Solomon. A major portion of the Temple was rebuilt over the next 10 years but work continued through out the lifetime of Jesus; at one point the religious leaders challenged Jesus about his ability to “rebuild the temple in three days” when at that time it had been under construction for 46 years (of course Jesus was talking about his body as the “temple” of God (John 2:19-21). In 70 AD the Jewish people revolted against Roman rule and the city was again destroyed and burned. The modern city of Jerusalem was rebuilt over the last 1900+ years on that same site. It is very difficult to know every detail of the earlier versions of the city.
The story here in Jeremiah is a short version of what happened. When the wall was breached Zedekiah and his “men of war” ran away at night. The Babylonians found out and chased them down, near the city of Jericho down by the Jordan River, about 12 miles north-east of Jerusalem. Zedekiah and his soldiers were caught and taken to the towm of Riblah, about 175 miles north of Jerusalem, where Nebuchadnezzar himself had an encampment. The Babylonian leaders also brought Zedekiah’s sons and the “nobles of Judah” (the rich and powerful friends of Zedekiah) to Riblah. Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on Zedekiah and his people and had his sons and nobles slaughtered (the word is one usually used of butchering an animal) before his eyes. Zedekiah’s eyes were then poked out and he was bound in chains. He was taken to Babylon where he lived out his last days as a prisoner.
In verses 8-9 we see that Nebuchadnezzar’s military leaders returned to the city which they burned to the ground and destroyed the walls of the city. According to Jeremiah 52:12-13 they also destroyed the Temple. This all occurred about a month after the Babylonians first entered the city. According to verse 9 “the rest of the people” were taken into exile in Babylon. Verse 10 tells us though that some of the poorest people were left behind and given the fields and vineyards. It would be unwise to leave a portion of his empire without at least some subjects to care for it.
In verses 11-14 we learn that Nebuchadnezzar gave orders that Jeremiah be treated well by his military leaders. They took Jeremiah from the place he had been imprisoned and put him in the care of a guy named Gedaliah. This is not the sme Gedaliah as in Chapter 38 (he was the son of Pashur remember) this Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam and the grandson of Shaphan. Shaphan had been a scribe or religious leader in the days of Josiah and had a part in the discovery of scrolls of the Old Testament and the renewal of honor for Yahweh in the kingdom (2 Kings 22:3-20). Ahiakam also had helped Jeremiah back in the days Jehoaikim when he wa son trial for predicting the destruction of Jerusalem; Gedeliah would eventually be made governor of the area by Nebuchadnezzar. It is unclear whose home Jeremiah went to either his or Gedaliah’s but we are told that he stayed “with his people”. Jeremiah was a faithful prophet and servant of the people to the very end.
The history of the destruction of Jerusalem ends with a flash back to the life of Ebed-melech, the guy who risked his life by confronting the king and then rescued Jeremiah from the second cistern he had been imprisoned in. After that rescue while Jeremiah was a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard at the palace (the place where Nebuchadnezzar’s guys found and released him from), Jeremiah was given a promise for his rescuer Ebed-melech the Ethopian. The promise was from the one true God, “Yahweh over the armies” (see 8/24/14 post). The promise was that Ebed-melech would survive the invasion. He is told he will have his life as his reward because he trusted in Yahweh” (when he helped Jeremiah).
This final flash back is a reminder that in the middle of God dealing with the disobedienc3 and rebellion of a whole group of people he sees and remembers the faithfulness of individuals. We also see that God doesn’t care where you are from if you are faithful to him. Ebed-melech the Ethopian got what so many Israelites missed out on because he listened and obeyed God with his life. Jeremiah too was faithful and he too was allowed to remain with his people, the very place he wanted to be (though I’m sure he would have been happier if Zedekiah and the others had surrendered and the city and the Temple had not been destroyed). We see in this story the seriousness of disobeying God and also his love, faithfulness and protection. It is a sad story that a whole kingdom went down because their leader failed to stand up for God and accept the path God had given him. We need to learn to talk to God each day and listen to him through his word. And then to obey the directions he gives us. There is no telling who might be affected by it, maybe just us or maybe a whole nations. We need to be faithful.
God help me be faithful to you. Help me stay close. Help me listen and understand. Help me put your words into actions in my life. Let me honor you in all I do and with all the people I meet. Let me stand up fro the broken, hurting, and stepped on people. You love people and I need to also. Let me be a clear reflection of your love in my world; and your seriousness too.