You may turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings chapter 25. 2 Kings chapter 25. We just finished looking at the prophet Zephaniah, and we saw that he wrote his book approximately in 630 B.C. Well, the next minor prophet for our study is the prophet Haggai, and he wrote in 520 B.C. So there's about a 110-year period there, and I thought it would be best to look at that 110-year period, or at least a portion of it, rather than going from Zephaniah right into Haggai.

Because there was a crucial event that took place between Zephaniah and Haggai, namely the fall of Jerusalem, specifically to the Babylonians, commanded by Nebuchadnezzar. Thankfully, the rest of the Bible supplies a great deal of data concerning the fall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity of Judah. Jeremiah, for instance, ministered from about 627 to 580, and he was a first-hand witness to the destruction of Jerusalem and an advisor to a few of the kings that we will see, or a prophet to a few of the kings that we will look at this evening. Ezekiel, or Daniel, was probably carried off to Babylon during the first deportation.

We learn that from his opening sentences in Daniel chapter 1. Ezekiel was carried off probably during the second deportation. There was a series of events or a series of times when Nebuchadnezzar would take some people back to Babylon. This happened on three occasions.

Second Kings and Second Chronicles also record the fall of Jerusalem. And this evening we're going to consider a large portion of scripture. It is historical, but it is theological history and informative for us. We ought to study history because it is the record of God's decree executed in time and in space and as well we ought to study history because those who are ignorant of it are certainly doomed to repeat it and there are very instructive lessons in the historical records. of the Old Testament.

We're going to look actually from 2 Kings 23 at verse 28 all the way to 2 Kings 25 verse 21. Now, we won't give a detailed exposition, but we're going to make four observations on this entire section. But I do want to read chapter 25, verses 1 to 21.

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 25:1–21

Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it. And they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. By the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king's garden, even though the Chaldeans were still in camp all around against the city. Remember, Chaldeans is another name for the Babylonians. And the king went by way of the plain. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho.

All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

He burned the house of the Lord and the king's house. All the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city, and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts in the bronze sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried their bronze to Babylon. They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

The two pillars, one C, and the carts which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network. and the captain of the guard took Saria, the chief priest, Zephaniah, the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king's close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. So Nebuchadnezzar, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Amen. Let us pray.

Opening Prayer

Our God and our Father help us to appreciate biblical history and help us to learn the theology. that the writers infuse in these accounts. We pray that you would grant us grace, Lord God, to be mindful of your sovereignty, of your glory, of your command over all of history. And our God, we thank you so very much that you have orchestrated our salvation through the cross of Jesus Christ. May we be forever grateful and forever praising and honoring you.

We ask in Jesus' name, amen.

Introduction

As I said, we're going to pick up with King Josiah. The first observation is the death of Josiah. Secondly, the rise of Nebuchadnezzar. Third, the last kings of Judah.

And fourth, the fall and captivity of Judah. Again, it's important that we understand this data. because it's very difficult to understand Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi if we are ignorant of the Babylonian captivity of the exile that occurred, and this is all ultimately in God's plan. Now this section, 2 Kings 2, or 23, 28, to 25, 21, covers the reigns of five kings and about a 22-year period very quickly. Ralph Davis said, it's almost as if the author says, here we go again.

And instead of making a long, drawn-out account, he just hits the main themes or the main thoughts that preceded those last days of Judah prior to its fall in 586 BC.

The Death of Josiah

But notice, first of all, the death of Josiah in chapter 23, verses 28 to 30. Josiah's grandfather, we remember, was Manasseh. A lot of these things we've already seen, we've already covered in our study thus far of the Minor Prophets. Well, Manasseh was a real wretch, and he set a new benchmark or standard for wickedness in the Southern Kingdom.

He was, by all accounts, the Ahab of Judah. Remember, Ahab in the Northern Kingdom was looked at as the one who basically plunged the nation into more depravity than she had ever known before. Well, Manasseh was that to the Southern Kingdom of Judah. He was the grandfather of Josiah.

He reigned for about 53 years. And it's important that we understand that, because in the declaration concerning the judgment in chapter 24, God does not forget. There's a bit of theology for you with reference to history. God does not forget.

We might forget all about him and ask for an ungodly leader that we have known, but the Lord God doesn't. Notice in chapter 24, at verse 3, Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from his sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon." So while men may have forgotten about wicked Manasseh, the Lord God did not forget. Manasseh's son, Amen, basically imitated his father and maintained a two-year reign of wickedness.

Very interesting. There was an ungodly grandfather and an ungodly father. Here comes godly Josiah. Josiah's 31-year reign is summarized in 2 Kings 22 at verse 2.

And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David. He did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. What a blessed testimony concerning this godly king, Josiah. According to 2 Kings 22 at verse 19, his heart was tender and he was humbled at the reading of the law.

When Hilkiah found the book of the law, and it was read before this godly king. His heart was tender and he was humble. He then sought counsel. He sent for counsel from the Lord as to what should be done in Judah.

He then restored true worship through covenant renewal and through intensive reform within Judah. But then notice, he died. He died on the battlefield. He went out to head off an attack by Pharaoh Necho, who was the king of Egypt.

Josiah went to the aid of the Assyrians at this time, and he died at Megiddo. And he was quite a young man, and a godly man, and he was cut off in his youth. And sometimes we might ask the question, why would such a godly, good man die in his youth? Well, Jay Adams on his blog had a very good observation concerning this thing.

He says, obviously, we see here a reason why one promising young person died in his youth, to preserve him from the trouble to come. Sometimes a godly man dies when he's young to preserve him from trouble that would be brewing in his future. In fact, the biblical author tells us this is the case. In 2 Kings 22, verse 20, it says, Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.

So it was a mercy that Josiah died on that battlefield in Megiddo. He was spared from the judgment that was to come upon Judah. J. Adams goes on to say it was a kind act of God to take him, as we say, before his time.

We can never be sure because we will not receive divine revelation about it, but there may be times when choice, Christian men and women are removed from this earthly scene to keep them from having to undergo certain hardships that in God's providence He is about to bring upon a country, a church, a family, and so forth. Let's not hear then regrets about God's judgment in taking a youth who is living righteously for Him. It may be a great mercy on His part. God knows what He is doing.

Certainly in Judah they probably said, Oh, what's going on here? Here we've lost a good king, a solid king, a godly king. Well, the Lord is orchestrating all of this according to His plan, according to His promise, according to His mercy.

The Rise of Nebuchadnezzar

Now, to consider the rise of Nebuchadnezzar, there's two things we need to consider. This, again, is biblical. It's all in the Bible for us. First of all, his reign.

Prior to his father's death, Nebuchadnezzar's father was Nabopolassar. I hope that's the way to pronounce it. Nabopolosar. He reigned from about 626 to 605.

Well, in 605, remember this is the time frame that we're at right here in 2 Kings. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar was the crown prince. And he led the Babylonian armies into battle at Carchemish, and there he dealt a great blow to Egypt. Egypt was a world power at the time.

You see, within this very section, a shift or a transfer of power from Egypt over to Babylon. But in that same year of 605, Nebuchadnezzar's father died, and so Nebuchadnezzar became the king of Babylon, and basically the world ruler at that time. I mean, he was the head honcho, he was the main man. As I said, in this particular section, if you notice first of all, just to see something of this transfer of power, in chapter 23, at verse 33, Chapter 23, verse 34.

Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. So, notice that power. When the pagan king of Egypt comes to Judah, takes one man out, and installs another, we have to say that Pharaoh Necho has the power in Judah. Well, later on, after this decisive victory of 605, in chapter 24, in verse 7, we read, And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land any more, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

And then, with reference to Jehoiachin, He is taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, and then Nebuchadnezzar installs Zedekiah to rule over Judah. So you see this balance of power transferred to the king of Babylon. And if you notice something very interesting, the first time in the history, in the books of 1st or 2nd Kings, in chapter 24, verse 12, time is reckoned according to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. It's no longer the third year of Jehoiakim.

It's no longer the third year of Jehoahaz. It is the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar here. So there was a transfer of power. Now what Nebuchadnezzar did as he marched with his armies through newly conquered lands, is he would tell the big cities, you need to pay up.

It's called tribute. We hear that word, kids, and we think tribute is a nice thing that we do to people. Tribute primarily means extortion. You pay me and I won't destroy you.

That's what Nebuchadnezzar would do. And we see some of the kings of Judah would pay. They'd pay that protection. It's like paying the bully at your school so he doesn't punch you in the face and take your lunch money.

Well, Nebuchadnezzar was the bully of the then-known world. And so he'd march through these cities and he'd impose tribute on the cities. And what else would he do when he was in those cities is that he'd find choice young men. And he would take those young men with him back to Babylon.

And then they would be educated at the University of Babylon, taught all the wisdom of the Chaldeans, skilled and schooled in all of the literature of the Babylonian Empire, and they would be reared as government officials. This is the story of Daniel. That's exactly what happened with Daniel and his three friends. Assyria would take some peoples, but they would take other peoples and sort of sew them into the land to offset the balance of power.

Babylon would take people back to Babylon, by and large. That was their method. Now, it is crucial to remember that

God's Sovereignty Over Earthly Rulers

Nebuchadnezzar was under the control of God. I think we need to hear this, because so often we see a man raised up and put into political power, and we go nuts. We freak out. We talk about how evil they are, we talk about how bad they are, we talk about what wretched policies they have.

I'm not saying we can never do that, but we need to realize that behind every Nebuchadnezzar is a sovereign god. Now, in terms of world leaders and rulers of empires, Nebuchadnezzar was a bad egg. He wasn't like a choice servant. Notice in chapter 24, verse 1.

In his days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came up and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. That means he paid him tribute, paid him the taxes, did everything that Nebuchadnezzar said. Then he turned and rebelled against him, and the Lord sent against him, raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon. He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord, which he had spoken by his servants, the prophets.

Surely, at the commandment of the Lord, this came upon Judah, to remove them from his sight." We mustn't ever think that a man in power rules sovereignly. He is always subject to the authority of God Most High, who is King of kings and Lord of lords. The Lord already specified that this judgment was coming. After the chapter 21 tells the story of Manasseh, and then in verse 10 of 21, it says, The Lord spoke by His servants, the prophets saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, has done these abominations, we'll just drop down to verse 12, Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle.

And I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab. I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down." And again in chapter 23, verses 26 to 29. Chapter 23, verses 26 to 29, even though Josiah had introduced godly reform, we read in chapter 23, 26, nevertheless, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of His great wrath with which His anger was aroused against Judah because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the Lord said, I will also remove Judah from my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city, Jerusalem, which I have chosen, and the house of which I said my name shall be there." Brethren, we cannot let our fears overtake us.

We need to remember God really is sovereign, not just in our salvation. We as Calvinists like to talk about that. He unconditionally elected. Jesus died for us particularly.

The Spirit irresistibly draws us, and God keeps us and enables us to persevere. When we look at our salvation, we see the sovereignty of God, but then we see an ungodly man ascend a position of power, and we begin to freak out and lose it. I am certain that when these people saw Nebuchadnezzar rising up, conquering lands, taking peoples, taking the young men of Judah off to Babylon, they were probably, what's happening here? We need to look beyond these circumstances and these events and realize there is a sovereign God. several times in the prophet Jeremiah, which you've got to read Jeremiah in conjunction of these sections, he calls Nebuchadnezzar, my servant.

I just don't know how you couldn't believe in the sovereignty of God. I don't know how anybody can escape the implication that God raised up a Nebuchadnezzar, calls him my servant, and uses him to judge his people, Judah.

The Last Kings of Judah

Third, let us look at the last kings of Judah. We have one who reigned for three months, one who reigned for eleven years, one who reigned for three months, and one who reigned for eleven years. There's a nice symmetry there. And all four of them were bumbling, sinful idiots.

Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim

Notice, first of all, Jehoahaz. Jehoahaz, chapter 23, verses 31 and following. He was the son of Josiah and he reigned for three months. This is in 609 BC.

Josiah's dead, his son Jehoahaz takes the throne. We don't get a lot about his career. There's not a lot to tell. He reigned for three months.

But notice the statement, and he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He was unlike his father. He was not like Josiah. It's an interesting study.

I mean, you've got an ungodly, ungodly, godly, ungodly, ungodly line there. And it indicates something about the depth to which the nation was reformed under Josiah. In fact, Merrill says the death of Josiah also revealed just how shallow the national commitment to the covenant was. For almost overnight, the nation plunged back in to evil.

So though Josiah reigned in a godly manner, it wasn't enough. It was too little, too late. We have lights out for Judah. Notice we have Jehoiakim.

Pharaoh Necho deposes him, puts him in prison at Ribla, and then he puts into power Jehoiakim. This is a son of Josiah. He was made king by a pagan king. That doesn't bode well.

He was another son of Josiah, but he did not share his father's godliness. He reigned eleven years, from 609 to 597. And what do we have there? And he did evil in the sight of the Lord.

You see that statement punctuate each of these four kings. Brethren, when God is bringing the heat and when he's bringing the judgment, the last thing we need is a leader who does evil in the sight of the Lord. God has shown his tendency or his ability to stay his hand of judgment. He did that in the days of Hezekiah, but it's not going to happen now.

Now, this man Jehoiakim was viciously wicked. He taxed the land in order to pay Pharaoh Necho of Egypt. You can see that right there in verses 35 and 36. He taxed the land severely to pay the Egyptians.

Jeremiah tells us in chapter 22 verses 13 and 19 that though Jehoiakim taxed his people and paid Egypt, he himself had a big swanky palace that he wouldn't pay for. When I read this, I get really scared because it sounds a lot like what goes on today. It sounds frighteningly like what goes on today. This isn't just all those barbaric Old Testament warring factions and tribes.

No, this is 21st century thuggery that goes on in our own DNA. Joachim, when he heard the prophet Jeremiah, burned the scroll of Jeremiah's prophecy. He's that guy. Jeremiah 36.

He pursued and killed prophets who spoke against him. Not what you want, brethren. In the day and age when the Lord God is bringing His judgment to bear, the last thing you want is a king that's saying, bring it on through his own wicked activity. Davis refers to him as being anti-Yahweh to the core.

He's also very foolish. Notice in chapter 24 verse 1, In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. That is foolishness.

Probably this refers to 601. Babylon had defeated Egypt in Carchemish, but in 601 they came together again for battle, and it wasn't such a decisive victory. Perhaps when Jehoiachin saw that Nebuchadnezzar didn't fare that well, you know, I'm not paying my ticket anymore. Wrong.

As a general rule, when Nebuchadnezzar is coming to your town, make sure you don't rebel against him. Ralph Davis refers to him, Zedekiah, and Ishmael. We didn't read about Ishmael. That's chapter 25, 22 and following as the three stooges of Judah.

The three stooges of Judah. And I think he's right on.

Jehoiachin and Zedekiah

So now we come to Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin. He was the son of Jehoiakim who reigned for three months in 597. Guess what?

And he did evil in the sight of the Lord. During his reign, the city was attacked by Nebuchadnezzar's servants, chapter 24, verse 10, then Nebuchadnezzar himself, chapter 24, verses 11 and 12. Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon along with treasures from the temple and many other people. Probably Ezekiel went at this particular time.

So a three-month reign punctuated by the fact that he did evil in the sight of the Lord. So now he has taken the king of Judah to Babylon. So what does Nebuchadnezzar do? He installs Zedekiah as the king over Judah.

And he has an eleven-year reign from 597 to the end in 586. He was another son of Josiah, but unlike his father, He did evil in the sight of the Lord. If Jehoiakim was vicious wickedness, Zedekiah was spineless wickedness. He would call upon the prophet Jeremiah, he would ask for counsel, he would say, what am I supposed to do?

Jeremiah would tell him, and then he'd do the opposite. He was affected by popular sway. Jeremiah wasn't favored in Judah at this time. The false prophets were a lot more popular because they basically said, don't worry about Babylon, it's not really going to happen.

Jeremiah was the one man who was speaking the truth saying, it's going to happen. In fact, he told Zedekiah in chapter 38 not to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah said, Surrender to Him, and the city will be spared. Surrender to Him, and the city will not be destroyed.

Just do this. God has purposed a 70-year exile. The best thing to do is to submit to the rod of God, to do what Nebuchadnezzar says, and to live, hopefully, happily ever after. Well, of course, he doesn't listen.

He also does evil in the sight of the Lord and notice the last verse or the last section of verse 20 in chapter 24. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Now it's on. You don't rebel against the king of Babylon.

You don't not do what he says. So then It came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, chapter 25, verse 1, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it." So this is it. This is January of 587. The siege ends in July of 586.

This is the end of Judah, as they knew it. What happened to Zedekiah? There's a breach in the city wall, and he makes a run for it. He gets about as far as the plains of Jericho, and he's captured.

He's brought to Riblah, which seems to be a place where they set up headquarters, brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, and not only do they have Zedekiah before him, but they bring all of his sons. And right before Zedekiah's eyes, the last thing he would ever see, by the way, they kill his sons. This makes a statement. There's no more successor to the throne of Judah.

You blew it. I mean, humanly speaking, we could say, if you would have only listened to Jeremiah. Jeremiah could have been standing there and said, I told you so. If you would have submitted, this wouldn't happen to you.

But because you rebelled against the Lord, they kill all of his sons right before his eyes to send home the message there would no longer be a king in Judah. And then they gouge out his own eyes. And if that isn't enough, they bind him in fetters and they haul him off to Babylon. It's interesting because Jeremiah had said that he would see Nebuchadnezzar.

He did, at Riblah. Ezekiel said he would not see Babylon. He didn't, because his eyes had been gouged out. Both these prophets told him exactly what would happen.

That's how the city fell. And

The Fall and Captivity of Judah

that brings us, fourthly, to consider the fallen captivity of Judah. The Babylonians, if they were anything, were systematic in their dismantling and in their destruction of the city. Notice in chapter 25, at verse 9, important buildings were burned with fire, including the temple. You know what they did?

They burned everything down. Raise it. Get rid of it. Destroy the infrastructure.

Secondly, the walls surrounding Jerusalem were torn down. Chapter 25, verse 10. Third, the final inhabitants, with the exception of some of the poor, were taken to Babylon. Chapter 25, verses 11 to 12.

Fourth, the precious metals were taken to Babylon. I mean, you're going to go into a war, you're going to fight, you're going to take the medal to the silver and gold. You're not going to leave it all there, you're going to haul it all back to your place. And then fifth, the remaining leaders are taken to Riblah and executed.

Chapter 25, verses 18 to 21a. And all of this history, all of this span, all of these kings, all of this time is summarized in chapter 25, verse 21b. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Life in Exile: Jeremiah 29

Now, during the exile, Jeremiah 29 records instructions that the people in exile were to follow. You can turn there for a moment, Jeremiah chapter 29, because we might ask the question, what did they do in exile? Was it like a concentration camp? No, it was not.

It was not a concentration camp. They had a great deal of liberty. In fact, after the captivity was over, the numbers suggest that a lot of people stayed right there in Babylon. When we get to Haggai and Zechariah and Malachi, and you compare Ezra and Nehemiah, the return from Babylon wasn't as many people as went in there.

They went there, did what the prophets said, they started making money and having a life, and that became home to them. Notice in Jeremiah chapter 29 verse 4, thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, to all who are carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon, build houses and dwell in them, plant gardens and eat their fruit, take wives and beget sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters, that you may be increased there and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, And pray to the Lord for it, for in its peace you will have peace." Huh? Isn't that our New Testament ethic in First Timothy Chapter 2?

Pray for kings and all who are in authority. Why? So that we may lead a peaceable and a quiet life. Don't go standing outside and say, oh, I messed up battle on this with your big son.

Pray for the peace of the city. This isn't God. We are way too humanistic and way too man-centered. And we look at all this with, oh, what an infringement upon my rights.

Not when it's the Lord God orchestrating this. You have no rights, except hell. The fact that he lets you live in Babylon and have a family? Praise be to God.

Pray for the peace of the city. Notice in verse 8, for thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel. Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, who are not listening to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed, for they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them, says the Lord." Anyone who would come along and say something opposite to Jeremiah, oh, you need to escape, you got to get out of here, you got to, no, you stay there.

There was a faction that wanted to go to Egypt, and Jeremiah says, don't go to Egypt. So what do they do? They grab Jeremiah and they take him to Egypt with them. More than likely, Jeremiah died in Egypt.

Notice in verse 10, for thus says the Lord, after 70 years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word towards you and cause you to return to this place. Add verse 11 to the top 10 texts that are misapplied in our day. Verse 11 is one of those passages that has been so wrenched out of its context, and it has been used as a vision text, as an inspirational text. Notice, "'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,' says the Lord, "'thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.'" What's the context?

You're going to leave Babylon and return to Judah. And it's from there that Jesus will come and save his people from their sins. That's the future and the hope here. This is not a text for you to take and say, after I graduate high school, I am going to be this.

Now, you may graduate high school and be that, but Jeremiah 29.11 doesn't promise you that. This is a misapplied, unfortunately misinterpreted text yanked out of its context. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.

I will be found by you, says the Lord, and will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord. And I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive." Now, ultimately, the captivity ended in 539. Cyrus, king of Persia, decimated the Babylonian Empire.

They rose and were gone quick. The Babylonian Empire had about 100 years on the scene. Like that, as you look at it. It was strong, it was fast, it was glorious, but it ended quick.

Remember, Cyrus is the one who issued a decree. You can read that in Ezra chapter 1. You can also see it in 2 Chronicles chapter 36. Cyrus was very benevolent.

Some say that he saw some similarities between Persian religion and Jewish religion. Some say it was probably because he wanted a buffer state between himself and Egypt. Others say it was probably because he wanted tribute. In other words, if I allow you religious freedom, you go back to your city, you build your temple, you build everything, just make sure you're cutting checks and sending them to us.

Probably a bit of all three of those. But nevertheless, under Cyrus, the people of Judah were freed now to leave Babylon and go back to Judah. And that brings us to our study in the books of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. That's why they are called exilic prophets, post or after the exile, the exile referring to this Babylonian captivity.

If you're interested, continue to read in the prophet Jeremiah, read in Ezekiel, read in Daniel, read those sections in 2 Chronicles, 2 Kings, for more information concerning that particular period in Israel's history.

Application

Well, from this short or brief survey, we've seen some sins leading to judgment in 2 Kings. The first was blood guiltiness in the land. Remember, that's what Manasseh did. Certainly, as we surveyed the minor prophets, we see all manner of sin and evil.

But as God highlights very specifically why he is bringing the heat to bear upon Judah, it is for blood guiltiness in the land. God actually values life. God is pro-life. The sanctity of life means something for the Lord God, Jehovah.

Blood guiltiness was rampant, and the Lord would have none of it. Secondly, the wickedness of rulers. This cannot be stressed enough. We often believe that they can do whatever they want.

Well, maybe in our eyes, but not in God's eyes. You see, if all authority is given by God, all authority ultimately is answerable to God. They are not to reign any way they want. They are to reign according to the will of God.

And then thirdly, a sin leading to judgment was refusal to heed the word of God as spoken by the prophets. Just look later on at chapter 38 of Jeremiah. see the indecision of Zedekiah. He listens to the prophet. The prophet tells him very specifically, and then he goes and does the opposite.

Each of these men, when they assumed control, or when they assumed the throne, were to write for themselves their own copy of the law of the Lord. They were all to imitate their father, Josiah, in being tender and humble before the Lord. They were to take the book of Deuteronomy, they were to internalize that, they were to operate accordingly, and yet they refused and they rejected the word of the living God. Now I ask you, do these three things exist today?

Bloodguiltiness in the land, wickedness of rulers, and a refusal to hear the word of God. I would submit we are far more ripe for judgment than what Judah was in the 7th century, in the 6th and 7th century. I'm not a prophet or the son of a prophet, but these things make me tremble. Not because I don't believe God's sovereign, but because I do believe God is sovereign.

Reflections on Divine Judgment

Secondly, we need to remember something about the judgment of God. This Day of the Lord. Remember the Minor Prophets we've been studying. They speak of the Day of the Lord, which ultimately is that final day when Jesus comes to judge the living and the dead.

But there were historical down payments. There were anticipations of that Day of the Lord in history. 722 B.C., 586 B.C. This was the Day of the Lord. We need to remember something about God's judgment.

It is God's judgment. It wasn't Abukimnazar. It wasn't the nations surrounding Israel. They were servants to the Lord God Most High.

O. Palmer Robertson says, Let all the nations of the world, both past and present, learn this lesson. It was not the power of the nations themselves that brought Israel into exile. The sovereign Lord of heaven and earth brought about this disastrous experience of His own people.

Should any nation of the world think that by its own power it could preserve itself from similar devastations? By no means. The cup of God's wrath eventually shall come around to them all." And then another thought on the judgment of God. It doesn't happen overnight.

It wasn't like Manasseh reigned for five days and was wicked and God just judged Judah. Manasseh reigned for 53 years, and then came Ammon, and then came Josiah, and then came this four king time. It wasn't overnight. And as well, God's judgment itself, unfortunately, not even God's judgment cures rebellion.

You would think, after all this, chapter 25, verses 22 and following wouldn't be there. Basically, a man named Gedoliah was made governor over Judah. Ishmael assassinated him. You would think, after the day of God's wrath, after your city has been decimated, after everything's gone, after everything's destroyed, the few remaining inhabitants could get along together?

No. There's only one thing that cares about it. It's the gospel of Jesus Christ. You know, interestingly enough, 2 Kings 25 ends with a note.

It's a small note, but a note of hope. Notice in 2 Kings 25 at verse 27. We jump ahead some 37 years into the captivity. 37 years. Notice in verse 27, Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that evil Meredoth, king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar is gone now, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison.

He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day all the days of his life." You say, well, what's the big deal there?

A Ray of Hope: The Davidic Line

It's a small ray, but it is a ray of hope. This is not just a comment on the survival of the people in the captivity. It is a comment on the survival of a son of David. Remember the Lord God made a promise in 2 Samuel chapter 7 that from the line of David there would come a king.

And later revelation tells us that that's Jesus Christ. God is relentless in carrying out his promise. This glimmer of hope that there is a son of David still alive, even though he's in Babylon, even though he's in exile, The line is still going. Ralph Davis says, I think the writer probably had a reason for twice dubbing Jehoiachin king of Judah in verse 27.

And even when Yahweh was ready to rip the Davidic kingdom apart, he clearly told Jeroboam, I will afflict the seed of David on account of this, only not all the days. 1 Kings 11.39. It seems to me a text like that stands behind a passage like this. Or one could simply say that Yahweh's 2 Samuel 7 word is not something either Babylon or apostate Judah can falsify. It seems to me, then, that biblical theology would lead us to see a ray of hope in this kindness done to the exiled Davidic king." The author could have ended after the report of Ishmael killing Galileo.

It would have been a negative statement. We have Jehoiachin 37 years in. We've got a son of David still alive. And as David says, not even Babylon.

Our apostate Judah can stop the relentless character of our God to carry out His promise of Second Samuel 7. That from David's line, one would ascend the throne, one would sit down on that throne, and one would reign over His kingdom, world without end. Amen. So the book of Second Kings ends with a note of hope, which ultimately points us to that greater sign of David, even Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Father, we thank you for the Word of God. We pray, Lord in Heaven, that you would help us to study your Word, to know the Scriptures, and to see your power and your glory displayed at every step of the way. Father, as we return, God willing, to the Minor Prophets, to the post-exile day, I pray that you would just give us understanding to see further the stage being set for the birth of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you for him, David's Son and David's Lord. the One who has all power, all authority, all glory, and all majesty in Him.

We just pray that You would go with each one of us now, that You would protect us in this coming week, and give us grace, Lord God, to serve You. And we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture References

• 2 Samuel 7
• 1 Kings 11:39
• 2 Kings 21:10; 21:12; 22:2; 22:19-20; 23:26-36; 24:1; 24:3; 24:7; 24:10-12; 25:1; 25:9-12; 25:18-21; 25:22; 25:27
• 2 Chronicles 36
• Ezra 1
• Jeremiah 22:13; 22:19; 29:4; 29:8; 29:10-11; 36; 38
• Daniel 1
• 1 Timothy 2