God’s Mercy Is Shown Even At The Fall of Jerusalem

Jeremiah 39:1-18                                  Kevin E. Jesmer

Key Verse: 39:18                                   3-30-18

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“I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’” (18)

Dear Lord Jesus, help me to understand this passage and apply it to my life. Mold me more into your image by your word and your spirit. I thankyou and I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: God’s Word will surely be fulfilled (1-10)

Verses 1-10, “In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah.

5 But the Babylonian army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. They captured him and took him to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced sentence on him. 6 There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. 7 Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.

8 The Babylonians set fire to the royal palace and the houses of the people and broke down the walls of Jerusalem. 9 Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard carried into exile to Babylon the people who remained in the city, along with those who had gone over to him, and the rest of the people. 10 But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.”

The Babylonian army’s brief retreat was like the eye of the hurricane in that there is fury at the edges of the hurricane and calm in the eye. But soon the fury returns as the hurricane passes over. That is what happened to the Babylonian army. They were briefly driven away when the Egyptian army was coming their way.  But the Egyptians returned to Egypt without ever engaging the Babylonians. The Babylonians returned to Jerusalem. Their going was just a lull in the storm.

When Nebuchadnezzar returned with his army, it was to lay siege to Jerusalem. There was no one to rescue them. The siege lasted for over a year, and the people suffered terribly. Finally, the Babylonians broke through the city wall and it was all over. The Babylonian officials set themselves up at the middle gate. They had taken over the city.

At this time, the king should have taken heed of Jeremiah’s words and submitted completely to the Babylonian army. But he continued in his rebellion. Zedekiah ignored God’s word which Jeremiah had given him. He tried to escape. Look at verse 4 again, “When Zedekiah king of Judah and all the soldiers saw them, they fled; they left the city at night by way of the king’s garden, through the gate between the two walls, and headed toward the Arabah.” He never made it too far. He was caught and brought back to Riblah, where Nebuchadnezzar was.  He witnessed the slaughter of his sons, and the officials of Judah. Then his eyes were put out. The death of those close to him was etched into his mind. That is such a cruel punishment.

I must say, that the king brought this suffering on himself. It was not like God was not speaking to him, God was literally trying to communicate to him every day of his life, for Jeremiah was preaching through the reigns of four kings. This king was not paying attention. He felt that he knew best, even though what he knew was leading him to utter desolation. Not only that, he was forcing his people to be led upon that same path of destruction. How foolish, destructive and evil.

There are people today who have heard the Gospel every day. Not only that, they have heard the Gospel from a friend or a close family member all the days of their lives and they still do not pay attention to the word of God. How it is this possible to remain in rebellion to the very bitter end? It is possible if we understand the fall condition of humanity.

It goes to show you that fallen mankind cannot redeem himself. We are just fallen too far because of sin. We cannot even hear the word of God when it is patiently fed to us for years. It is because we need God to open our eyes and our hearts to hear, understand and respond to his word.  Having a mind to listen to God’s word is part of God’s grace to us. I want to pray for those whom God has sent into my life, that they may be given eyes to see, ears to hear and minds to accept and act upon the word of God given to them.

People should never blame God. The suffering that the people, the king and the officials suffered is not God’s fault. They are the ones who refused God’s way of salvation. It is all because of the Fall from the Garden of Eden, which is all because of sin. God is on a rescue mission. He is here to save. He is here to redeem. No one can blame God for what happened in this passage.

I can also see that God’s word will surely be accomplished. The people were trusting and hoping in the Egyptian army to come and rescue them. When they heard that the Egyptians were coming their hearts swelled with anticipation. But then the Egyptians retreated and the Babylonians returned. The hearts of the people of Judah sank once again. It goes to show that we cannot trust anything in this world. We must stand on the Rock that is Christ. We need to trust in God’s way of salvation. We must trust in the strong arm of the Lord, who can deliver.

There were some people who seemed to be more blessed then the rest…. the poor people who owned nothing. Look at verse 10. “But Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard left behind in the land of Judah some of the poor people, who owned nothing; and at that time he gave them vineyards and fields.” These people were the downtrodden. They were the ones who were ignored and exploited. They had nothing. They worked for others who owned the land. Now they were given vineyards and fields to manage. Of course, they were tenants and managed them for the King of Babylon, but they would live a better life than begging on the streets of Jerusalem. They would be able to reap some of the fruits of the vineyard. God has a way of blessing the poor. He has a heart for the poor.

Part 2: Trust in God’s Deliverance (11-18)

Verses 11-18, “11 Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” 13 So Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard, Nebushazban a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officers of the king of Babylon 14 sent and had Jeremiah taken out of the courtyard of the guard. They turned him over to Gedaliah son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, to take him back to his home. So he remained among his own people.

15 While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16 “Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17 But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’”

Not only the poor were blessed, but also Jeremiah was blessed.  Jeremiah had gone against the popular consensus to proclaim the word of God, and he had been almost killed. God protected him. King Nebuchadnezzar had Jeremiah on his mind. Look at verses 11-12, “Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had given these orders about Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard: 12 “Take him and look after him; don’t harm him but do for him whatever he asks.” Jeremiah had, for decades, advocated surrendering to the Babylonians. The king of Babylon did not see him as a threat. He also was aware of how God was using his army to punish Judah for their sins. Either way, God was looking out for Jeremiah. He was protecting him for it was not time for Jeremiah to leave this world.

God was also going to bless Eded Melek, the one who rescued Jeremiah from the cistern. He would not fall by the sword. He would be saved. Why? It was because he trusted in God.

All those who trusted in God were in some way protected by God. We can see a principle at work here. Surely it is better to be an ordinary person who trusts God and lives by faith than a cowardly, proud and disobedient king.

How can we trust in God to this extent? It is because God is the all-powerful and all mighty God. He is the shepherd of his people Israel. He cares about his people. He was power to act according to his sovereign will. He can rescue and save people in the midst of a deadly siege.

I need to trust God and walk by faith in his word no matter what is happening around me. I need to repent of just trusting in my own human rationale thinking. God will bless in his way and in his time. We need to just wait on the Lord.

Prayer: “Lord, I want to trust you, trust in your word, your way of salvation, your promises, your love for your people and your power to accomplish all that you say.”

One Word: Trust and obey the Lord. There is no other way.