I Spy God

Fall of Jerusalem

“The end has finally come.  Plagued by famine, drought, and pestilence from within, and besieged by the Babylonian hordes from without, the City of David finally falls.  The historical record is mercifully brief in its account, as if the shame of it all forbids greater mention.  With the fall now an undeniable reality, the final chapter of the glorious era of Israel comes to a close, and the prophets of God are regrettably vindicated.”

Read:  2 Kings 25:2-21, Jeremiah 39:2-10, Jeremiah 52:5-30, 2 Chronicles 36:17-21

Gedaliah and Jeremiah

“God reassured Jeremiah that he would be saved.  Working through Nebuchadnezzar and his officers, God now fulfills his promise.  Jeremiah’s future is about to cross paths with a man named Gedaliah, whom Nebuchadnezzar appoints as governor over the people left behind.”

Read:  2 Kings 25:22, Jeremiah 39:11-18, Jeremiah 40:1-6

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Jehoiakim’s Last Years

“Jehoiakim must have a death wish.  He has callously burned God’s written Word, and now, with the strength of a mouse pursuing a lion, Jehoiakim has the audacity to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar.  Fortunately for Judah, Nebuchadnezzar does not react with immediate military force, at least not directly.  However, he may well be the motivating force behind the attacks against Judah by several of its neighbors over a four-year period of inconclusive war.”

Read:  2 Kings 24:1-4

“Perhaps it is during these years of conflict with old enemies of Judah that Jeremiah brings the following judgments against those enemies.”

Read: Jeremiah 48, 49

“But Jehoiakim will not live to see vengeance brought on his enemies.”

Read:  Jeremiah 22:18-23, 2 Kings 24:5-6, 2 Chronicles 36:8

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

First Deportation from Judah

“In one of the greatest battles of the ancient world, Nebuchadnezzar II, who has just succeeded his father, soundly defeats the Egyptians under Pharaoh Necho, just as Jeremiah has prophesied.  So Judah is left in its most vulnerable position ever, and as expected, Nebuchadnezzar seizes the opportunity to make Judah a tributary.  Many people of Judah, including a young man by the name of Daniel, are now taken captive to Babylon along with confiscated temple articles.

Noteworthy in the historical record is a brief reference to the fact that Egypt is unable to help Judah in its time of crisis, just as the prophets had foretold.”

Read:  2 Kings 24:1 & 7, 2 Chronicles 36:6-7

Jeremiah Tells Length of Captivity

“With the first captives already taken away to Babylonia, God sends word to Jeremiah to tell the people exactly how long the period of captivity will last and to let them know that this first strike by Babylonia is by no means the last.  Yet God reminds Judah that their oppressors will not escape their own punishment at the end of Judah’s captivity.  The cup of God’s wrath will be poured out against all wicked nations.”

Read:  Jeremiah 25

“To illustrate further the cause of his wrath, God calls attention to the clan of Rekabites, who for generations have obeyed their forefather’s command to live an ascetic and nomadic life.  The point is this: If there are those who will remain faithful for generations to a man’s commands, then there ought to be more people obeying the commands of God, their very Creator.”

Read:  Jeremiah 35

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.

Assyria Falls and Babylonia Emerges

“Already the prophecies about the nations are coming true.  There is foreign unrest everywhere.  Just as Jeremiah was beginning his ministry, Nabopolassar rebelled against Assyria and established the Babylonian Empire.  Now the time has come for the prophecies regarding Nineveh’s fall to be fulfilled. 

The incidental result for Judah is loss of its good king Josiah.  Here now is the record of Josiah’s untimely death and of the brief reign of his son Jehoahaz before being replaced by his brother Eliakim, whom the pharaoh Necho calls Jehoiakim.”

Read:  2 Kings 23:29-37, 2 Chronicles 35:20-25, 2 Chronicles 36:1-5, Jeremiah 22:10-17

Jeremiah Faces Charges

“Now that Josiah’s good influence is gone and his sons have once again let Judah become corrupt, Jeremiah is in more jeopardy than he might otherwise have been.  He is reminded of this by a confrontation in which he barely escapes with his life.”

Read:  Jeremiah 26

All quotations taken from The Daily Bible.