Daily Bible Readings
Today’s Devotion by Jeremy Martin (TN)
Today we’ll be finishing up the book of Jeremiah in our reading, and we’ll take a look at some of the historical information and alternative sources which confirm the events recorded here. It is very difficult to read the blow by blow description of the looting and destruction of the Temple that is recorded here, for both Christian and Jew. This event (@586 BC) signaled what most consider to be the beginning of the Exile*: both literally and symbolically (from God).
The Babylonians recorded their histories on clay tablets, and while the fall of Jerusalem (and the Temple) is well documented in scripture (2 Ki 25, 2 Chron 36, Jer 52), it’s also very well documented in the Babylonian records, specifically: “The Jerusalem Chronicle” (ABC 05), and tablets VAT4956 and BM21946. A separate Babylonian document, the Weidner’s Ration List, records that Jehoiachin received royal rations in Babylon for over 30 years, and a tablet from 561 BC notes his release from custody. All of these directly support the biblical narrative given here, although usually more as a dry administrative note than a profound theological narrative such as is found in scripture.
During these last days before the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Jeremiah had been adamantly warning the leaders that surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar’s forces was the only way for the city to survive, warning that those who stayed would die by sword, famine, or pestilence. This wasn’t a popular stance: the people believed that they were untouchable since the Temple was in their midst, and as a result Jeremiah was branded a traitor despite just relaying the word of God as it had been given to him.
It’s interesting to me that during Zedekiah’s reign he often privately sent for Jeremiah, asking for “the word of the LORD” (Jer 37:17, 38:14). Each time, Jeremiah delivered the same message: surrender to Babylon and live. In private, Zedekiah swore secret oaths to protect him but then publicly refused to act, fearing his own officials and the pro-Egyptian faction in the court. Here in the last chapter of Jeremiah, we see recorded both the fates of King Zedekiah, and also King Jehoiachin.
I was a little curious about this, because according to the scriptures (and the Babylonian historical accounts) Jehoiachin surrendered around 597 BC. So how was it that Zedekiah was king after him, until the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple in 586 BC?
Well, on digging a little, after Jehoiachin surrendered, Nebuchadnezzar installed Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah as the new ruler. Nebuchadnezzar changed Mattaniah’s name to Zedekiah and made him a vassal king, requiring him to swear an oath of allegiance to Babylon (2 Ki 24:17). This is because as a political strategy, Babylon preferred a compliant native monarch over direct occupation both to ensure short-term stability and to signal its dominance.
Zedekiah was the last king of Judah; his reign ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 BC. While Nebuchadnezzar had put him in power (@597 BC), Zedekiah eventually rebelled against Babylon due to internal political pressure, fear of his own court, and the promise of Egyptian military support** (see Eze 17:15).
Jeremiah spent years warning his people of God’s judgment, telling them that if they would just surrender they would live. This was not a popular stance: the Jewish people considered themselves as “divinely elect”, chosen by God, and (despite rampant idolatry) it was inconceivable to the Jewish people of the day that they would be harmed: after all, wasn’t the Temple right there in Jerusalem? That’s where God lived! This “divinely elect” mentality, despite not electing to exclusively worship the divine God who had chosen them, led to their downfall. Pride, in other words, despite rebellion and idolatry.
As a result of his rebellion and disobedience, Zedekiah’s fate is well detailed here in this last chapter of Jeremiah (Jer 52:10-11): his sons were murdered in front of him, after which his eyes were gouged out, and then he was taken as a prisoner to Babylon (where he later died a prisoner). Ouch. Imagine the last thing you (ever) see being the slaughter of your children. That’s harsh.
As a result of his listening to Jeremiah and his obedience (despite it being an extremely unpopular stance with the people), Jehoiachin surrendered and lived. This isn’t to say he had a great time, he was a Babylonian prisoner for 37 years. He did his time, in modern parlance. After that 37 years though, he was not only freed but given a position of honor and a daily allotment from the king. Even more, he was of the line of David, and if you flip over to Matt 1:11 he’s actually listed (as Jeconiah***) in the ancestry of Jesus.
I can’t help but make some correlations between this and modern Christian life. Sometimes, we are so secure in the bastion of our own selves that we become prideful. We forget that we are required to listen to the word of God, to obey, even when that isn’t comfortable or popular. Even when we might have to go through some stuff, to do our time, to comply. We are told that we are the temple of God, and like the ancient Jews, think ourselves unassailable because…this is where God lives! Does he though? Are you allowing the God who made you to sit on the throne of your heart, or are you insisting on occupying that seat yourself? Think about it. We all have our own plans. We all have our own desires. Sometimes though, God just calls us to surrender, and live.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- What are you being told by God to surrender, right now in your life?
- Are you going to? Why, or why not?
- How could you be more obedient and surrender: what could you give up that you cling to that is dividing you from God, right now?
PRAYER
Father God, You are my Creator. Please forgive me when I am prideful, help me to be humble, and to submit to your will and the word of the King you’ve anointed, the Christ. Help me to not just say the words, but to surrender all to your authority. Come, sit on the throne of my heart, rule my life. In Jesus name, Amen.
* TECHNICALLY, The Babylonian Exile (or Captivity) occurred in multiple waves, going from 597 BC to 582 BC. 1st wave (@597): King Jehoiachin and approximately 7,000–10,000 prominent citizens, including the prophet Ezekiel. 2nd wave (@586): after the destruction of the temple, exiling the remaining population. 3rd wave (@582): A smaller group was exiled following the assassination of the Babylonian-appointed governor Gedaliah. The Return happened in waves as well, starting in @538 with Zerubbabel and Joshua, and ending @445 with Nehemiah.
** The Lachish Ostraca (archaeological letters from the period) corroborate Judah’s expectation of Egyptian relief, mentioning watching for signal fires from Lachish and Azekah.
*** Jeconiah and Jehoiachin are the same person: they are different Hebrew transliterations of the same royal name, with the components “Yahweh” and “establish” simply swapped or abbreviated. Jehoiachin (Yəhōyāḵin) is the longer throne name meaning “Yahweh establishes,” while Jeconiah (Yəḵonəyā) is a variant form meaning “Yahweh has established”. Coniah is an abbreviation of Jeconiah (1 Chronicles 3:16), which is another form of the name Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:6). You’re welcome, history nerds. Many (most) of the names you’re familiar with in the English translation of the scripture bear very little resemblance to the actual, original, names: they’re “anglicized” for your reading convenience (and textual inaccuracy/confusion). That includes Yeshua/Yehoshua/Jesus, by the way.
