Wednesday August 12, 2015

Read Jeremiah 52:4-9

 Zedekiah rebelled against the King of Babylon who had installed him as the king in place of Jehoiachin who was sent into exile. The immediate result was that Nebuchadnezzar attacked the city, besieged it and built siege works against it. Interestingly, the siege’s beginning was memorialized in later Judaism by the institution of a fast on that date (cf. Zech 8:19).

As we read the parallel passage in 2 Kings we find that there were 3 deportations in general. The first 598BC, the second in 587BC and the last in 582BC possibly after the assassination of Gedaliah (Jeremiah 40:7ff).

By the ninth day “of the fourth month” (possibly July 587), the city’s food supply was all but exhausted. Obviously with the city surrounded by the enemy, farming would have been impossible and supplies would have been quickly eaten up. The suffering resulting from the lack of food is described in Lamentations 2:12; 4:4, 9–10. In their weakened condition the people were unable to defend the city walls, which were broken by the besieged people themselves in order to escape the doomed city.

The prophesy of Jeremiah in 19:7-9 had eventuated.

“7 In this place I will ruin the plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, at the hands of those who seek their lives, and I will give their carcasses as food to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.

8 I will devastate this city and make it an object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.

9 I will make them eat the flesh of their sons and daughters, and they will eat one another’s flesh during the stress of the siege imposed on them by the enemies who seek their lives.”

The people did indeed eat bitter food (Jeremiah 23:15) as prophesied in contrast to the exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29) who were told to plant gardens so that they can be productive and eat richly from the fields.

To add injury to insult, the army of Judah fled the city by night toward the Arabah (in the direction of the Jordan Valley). See Ezek 12:12–14 for additional details of the escape. No explanation is given for their ability to escape through the army of enemy soldiers around the city. Their familiarity with the surrounding terrain, however, would have enabled them to escape undetected through enemy lines. Zedekiah’s troops deserted him seeking to save their own lives. The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and captured him in the plains of Jericho, namely, the semi-desert plains south of Jericho.

Prayer:

Using today’s Bible passage and notes write down points for

Adoration:

Confession

Thanks

Supplication:

· Pray that the MOPS and Playpals ministries would reach many families with the gospel and that they would be greatly equipped to minister to, support and reach families with the grace of the gospel.

· Pray that the MOPS team and the Playpals team would be greatly refreshed and strengthened by the Lord in their ministry and service.

 

 Discussion Questions

1. Picture yourself in Jerusalem during the siege. Describe what it might have been like.

2. While Jeremiah called the people to go over to Nebuchadnezzar there were many pressures to stay. What pressures do you think were present?