Read 2 Kings 25
25 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. 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 deserted 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 eighteen cubits high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits 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 the conscripts who were found in the city. 20 Nebuzaradan the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 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 Maakathite, 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.
Jehoiachin Released
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the year Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. He did this 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.
Go Deeper
As we wrap up this journey through 2 Kings, we read about the execution of judgment fulfilling the warnings to each corrupt king of Israel throughout this book. There is famine, war, and murder leading to complete destruction of Judah. The people of Judah are either murdered or driven out, and all hope is lost. How can a tribe that starts out so faithful end in such corruption? This chapter gives us a look into why walking with the Lord is so important to not only us as individuals but corporately as well.
Prophets spent years warning against corruption, but the capture and destruction of Judah happened just as the prophets forewarned. Walking in obedience with the Lord allows us to enjoy His blessings and use our gifts and passions to bring others closer to the Lord. We are able to encourage each other in our faith, and help each other when we fall short. The people of Judah all chose to walk in disobedience, leading to collective destruction and fear.
The end of this chapter reminds us of the Hope that we have in the Lord, and the restoration He brings because of His love for us. Jehoiachin was released from prison, but the love and care poured out on the former king of Judah offers a promise of abundance and prosperity. He was released from bondage and given a seat at the king’s table. This is a beautifully described scene of hope we can look forward to as Christians. Our disobedience will never be greater than the Lord’s love for us.
Jehoiachin’s redemption is an example of individual love that the Lord has for him: a seat at the king’s table above others, fresh garments and food, and he was given an allowance according to his daily needs. The Lord cares about us personally, he does not compare us to our past but instead invites us into a future of obedience with him. Disobedience in Judah began when the people did not trust that the Lord was providing for their daily needs. This chapter reminds us that our God is just, and He alone brings hope no matter how far we are walking in disobedience.
Questions
- Do you believe that the Lord is providing for your daily needs?
- Are you listening to the people in your life trying to point you to obedience with the Lord?
- In what area of your life can you be more obedient to the Lord’s plan for you?
By the Way
Jericho was the city the Israelites first entered in the Promised Land. Joshua 6 tells the story of the Israelites marching around the city for seven days, and on the last day they blew trumpets and shouted as the walls fell down. Jericho was the scene of Israel’s very first victory after obeying the Lord, and it was also Israel’s defeat from many years of disobeying the Lord.
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4 responses to “2 Kings 25”
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
What happened to have changed Awel-Marduk‘s heart? Yes, what a redemptive outcome!
“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:6,11).
Every ask, precept and promise of God is given and driven by love for our ultimate good. His discipline guides us away from our sin and into holiness, something only achieved through surrender and obedience. The Israelites are a glaring reminder of how compromise leads to disaster that exacts a hefty price with deep regret.
God is seeking all through history and time, dedicated, distinctive people. He does not want cookie cutter, pretending Christians. Worship Him, seek Him, be a living sacrifices to Him. Distinctive people who point to Jesus and let your light so shime.
God does not allow rebellion without consequences. We let our guard down, by not seeking God in ALL things and we become spiritual blind. We are also in spiritual bondage to where/what our idols are. So now we are spiritual poor. We end up in despair and helpless BUT GOD!!! His grace and mercy come when we accept the need for a savior. He is faithful even when we are not, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13). “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thess. 5:24). God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:9).
No structure, person, or heritage can substitute for genuine trust, obedience, and love toward the living God.
God thank You that You say “For I know the plans I have for you, plans for welfare and not for evil, that You want to give me a future and a hope. God You designed me for a purpose for I am God’s masterpiece. He has created me anew in Christ Jesus, so I can do the good things he planned for me long ago.(Eph 2:10). God, You love me deeply, no matter what,(Romans 8:39)“No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate me from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus my Lord. God, I believe You will strengthen and help me (Isaiah 41:10) Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. I believe that You have created me for such a time as this. God I know that I know, deep in my knower, that I am Yours and You are mine. God give me, in these minutes of this day, the wisdom, knowledge and understanding for how to interact with You first, and others so that You are exalted and glorified in all that I say and do in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
REFLECTION ON 2 KINGS 25
When History Reads Like Fiction
This is it. We are here. The Babylonian exile.
The horrifying plot twist.
If this were a Julian Fellowes production, this would be Downton Abbey, where Matthew Crawley is killed in a car accident the very day his son is born. It’s the moment just after a long-awaited restoration between two dear friends in The Gilded Age. There’s that powerful, poignant parting… then John Adams steps into the path of a speeding carriage.
Shocking. Deadly. Devastating.
(Julian, you’re killing me!)
And we, the audience, never see it coming. After all, these are decent people who don’t deserve such a grisly end. What will ever become of Lady Mary and baby George… or even Oscar van Rijn?
And all this, just when life was FINALLY going well for a change. The future could not have been brighter. The happily ever after we had all waited for for such a long time…
Gone.
I realize this is not the best of parallels for this particular Bible chapter — the events leading up to 2 Kings 25 don’t exactly read like a Julian Fellowes production. These people SHOULD have seen this coming — and they DID deserve it.
What ties the stories together for me is this image of “life as we know it” so completely demolished and devastated. It’s shocking. It’s bloody. It’s horrifying. “What will become of us now?”
Trying to make some sense of it all, I started researching to see “what does this chapter teach us today?”
Here is some commentary that stuck with me:
“Despite the bleak circumstances, the gracious act of the Babylonian king toward Jehoiachin and the preservation of David’s lineage offered a glimpse of future restoration and God’s enduring faithfulness.”
“The chapter demonstrates God’s supreme rule and His ability to bring good out of difficult situations, providing hope for a future where His promises are fully realized.”
Bleak circumstances? Difficult situations?
That’s putting it mildly.
There are a lot of things in this chapter that horrify me — but seeing your own children, struck down before your very eyes — and that’s the last thing you’ll ever see because your eyes are gouged out?
I. Can’t. Even.
One of the privileges of growing up in suburban, middle-class America from the 1960s to now is that I have never come face-to-face with bloodshed and horror.
Death, loss, grief, and heartbreak — certainly.
But this? This reads like something out of Game of Thrones. And if I had my way, that’s where such graphic destruction belongs — safe between the pages of sensationalist fiction where we can CHOOSE to read it — we don’t have to LIVE it.
But if I can pull back from the bloodshed and the eye gouging and the exile…
Hopefully I can see something bigger. Something so much better. Something more lasting and real than any “happily ever after” make-believe.
Because there is more to story:
“Glimpses of future restoration and God’s enduring faithfulness… God’s supreme rule and His ability to bring good.”
The biggest, best plot point is this:
GOD is writing the story.
God is in charge. God was and is and always will be. And God is faithful. God is GOOD.
He has already promised to restore us all to the most glorious, most eternal “happily ever after” we could ever imagine.