Jeremiah 52:1-34

Repetition is the key to recollection.  Jeremiah closes this book of the Bible with the repetition of the fall of Jerusalem.  The last several chapters he has foretold the destruction of many nations as well as the future fall of Babylon, but he does not want his main message to be lost.  Jeremiah’s main audience was his own nation and he had spent his life and ministry warning them to turn from their sin and submit to the Lord.  Unfortunately, the people and the leaders of the nation refused to listen to Jeremiah or submit to the Lord so they suffered the consequences of their disobedience and idolatry.  Sin will always have consequences apart from faith in Christ and repentance.  It is vital that we learn from the consequences of others so we do not have to suffer under the consequences of our own sin.  Here is a reminder of what Israel suffered because she refused to listen to the voice of the Lord.

DEATH: When Nebuchadnezzar came out against Jerusalem the city was under siege for months.  There was no food available so many of the people simply starved to death.  When King Zedekiah and his depleted army saw an opportunity to escape they abandoned the city and ran for their lives.  They didn’t run very far.  The Babylonian army caught up with them, captured them and slaughtered almost all of them.  King Zedekiah watched on as his men and his sons were executed before his eyes and then they blinded him so the last thing he would ever see was the death of his men and his children.  Many men lost their lives in this judgment from God.  None of it would have been necessary if Israel had just listened to the Word of the Lord and obeyed His commands.  We must never forget that death is always a consequence of sin.  Jesus died in our place so we would not need to die for our sin.

DESTRUCTION: Once Nebuchadnezzar broke through the wall, the city of Jerusalem and all of its glory was at his disposal.  The glory of the temple, the palace of the king, the beautiful homes and the fortified wall were all destroyed and then set on fire.  The gold, silver and bronze that were used in worship in the temple were broken down, melted or carried away whole to the city of Babylon.  The wealth of the once great nation of Israel was plundered and all of the buildings the people had worked so hard to build were destroyed.  What had taken generations to build up was obliterated in a matter of a few days.  We take so much pride in our possessions and work so hard to provide for our own comfort.  All of these precious possessions are destined for destruction.  None of our things will make it into the new earth on which we will dwell for all of eternity.  The coming destruction of all things should change the way we live our lives and the way we look at all things.

DEPORTATION: After all the death and destruction, the vast majority of the survivors were deported to Babylon.  Only a few of the poorest and uneducated people were left on the land to be able to take care of the few agricultural products that would be of benefit to the conquering nation.  The king, the nobles and the general population were carried back to Babylon as captives and would die in captivity.  Bondage is the true result of living in sin.  Satan tries to trick us into thinking that liberty is found through sinfulness but nothing could be further from the truth.  Satan is a liar and wants to convince us that God is somehow limiting our freedom and that if we will rebel against God we will truly liberated from God’s “oppression.”  The truth is that sin always enslaves and will end up in bondage.  The chapter ends with the king of Judah being released from prison and given a place at the king of Babylon’s table.  God’s grace is evident even in times of chastisement but it is a rather pathetic picture of a king of a once great nation living in dependence on a foreign king because of rebellion against God.  Sin will always end in bondage.