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2 Kings 25 (Part 2) Bible Study (Fall and Captivity of Judah) | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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I'm excited for what God has in store for us this Bible study,
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and I hope that you have a copy of God's Word with you.
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There's something about physical Bibles that that is much more
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helpful than any other medium, Not against any other medium.
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I use them, but I hope you have a physical copy of the Bible
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with you. Let's turn out together the
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Second Kings chapter 25. Second Kings chapter 25.
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What we have before us is a historical record of the final
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deportation of the people of Judah and the ultimate
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destruction of their Kingdom. To say that this is an important
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section of Scripture would be a massive understatement, because
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in actuality, this is a watershed moment for the history
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of God's people and the overarching narrative of
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redemption. And before we read any verse,
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I'd like for us to briefly think back to some of the greatest
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highlights of our study in the Old Testament so far.
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The miraculous exodus from Egypt.
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The incredible patience of God in the wilderness journey.
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The conquest of the Promised Land in the book of Joshua, the
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variety of challenges in the days of the Judges, the amazing
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covenant that Almighty God makes with David and his descendants.
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And who can forget the establishment and the
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construction of the temple, which would be the earthly
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dwelling place of the glory of God in a more permanent way than
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the Tabernacle? What great investment God made
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for this people. What tremendous long-suffering
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and steadfast love throughout their failures.
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What amazing hope is attached to this nation.
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And throughout our study of the Hebrew Scriptures, we have
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consistently recognized the Lord's pardon and protection and
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preservation, preservation of his people, namely, and
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especially towards Judah and Jerusalem.
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It's almost left us now to be expected, expecting that God's
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going to continue to do that. But what we're about to discover
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is that this time is different. This time is different.
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The northern Kingdom of Israel has already been exiled by this
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Syrian empire, and now we're about to discover that Judah is
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going to share in their faith, but it's going to be more
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devastating. Devastating because of their
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connection to the Davidic dynasty.
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And so I want us to look at Second Kings 25, verse 8 down to
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verse 10. And we'll continue at that pace
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for the rest of the evening. In the 5th month, on the 7th day
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of the month, that was the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar,
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king of Babylon, Nebu Zeridan, the captain of the bodyguard, a
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servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
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And he burned the House of the Lord and the King's house, and
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all the houses of Jerusalem. Every great house he burned
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down, and all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the
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captain of the guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem.
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Father, you are the teacher, and we are your desperate, hungry
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students. We are your disciples, and we
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ask that you would illumine our minds.
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We ask, Lord, that you would fortify our faith and that Lord,
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you would cause us to fall deeper in love with You as you
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showcase the sophistication, the majesty, the brilliance, the
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wisdom, the glory of Your word. So, Lord, we pray that there
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would be nothing that would interfere with the transmission
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of truth and that we would only hear your voice.
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This is our longing. That is why we have gathered and
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we trust that You, O God, see us here as we've come to receive
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from You. In Jesus name we pray.
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Amen. If we consider the date that is
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given back in verse 3 of this chapter, then we we realize here
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that it's been about a month since Zedekiah attempted to
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escape the Babylonians who were surrounding Jerusalem only to be
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captured, blinded and then taken to Babylon to be killed.
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And what's highlighted here is that the death of the king was
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clearly not enough for Nebuchadnezzar.
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He was determined now to bring total destruction to the holy
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city and to take away anybody that is remaining in the city.
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And what's so significant is that the destruction was so
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severe that every edifice, every meaningful structure has been
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burned down to ash. This was a massive blow.
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This was unthinkable, inconceivable.
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And yet it's true. It finally happened.
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Everything that was known, that was held together by God's grace
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has now been brought down to rubble.
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And there's so many things we can comment about that.
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But what caught my eye is what we find in verse 10.
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We see here that the Babylonians are identified as the Chaldeans.
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Now, why would that be important?
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It may not seem like anything worth underlying, but Chaldeans
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here don't just appear in this verse, but a total of seven
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times in the single chapter. And it seems as though this
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repeated identification of the Babylonians as the Chaldeans is
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a strong reminder of how far the people of God have fallen from
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their original calling. What do I mean by that?
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Well, do you recall what God said to Abram, Abraham before he
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was ready to make a covenant with him in Genesis 15?
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Here's an important verse, Genesis 15, verse 7.
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It says here the Lord spoke to him.
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I am the Lord who brought you out from ur of the Chaldeans to
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give you this land to possess. And so the Lord is reminding
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Abraham in this text that I revealed myself to you.
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I called you from a specific location.
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And for us reading this, we are reminded where Israel's story
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began. It began in this place, God
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calling the Father of this nation from the UR of the
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Chaldeans to this new promised land.
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And here's what's so striking. Centuries go by, and now we find
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the same God who is calling the Chaldeans to come to this
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promised land and to remove Abraham's descendants and to
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bring them back to where it all began.
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It's as though in an indirect way, it's as though the Spirit
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of God is giving us hints to recognize how massive this exile
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is, how significant. And I began to meditate when
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looking at this, thinking, what was it that brought Abraham out
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of Ur of the Chaldeans to begin with?
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Why would he leave his home, his idols, his family to follow God
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into the unknown? And the Bible actually gives us
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an answer. It's actually found in the New
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Testament. So turn with me to Acts 7
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because this is worth seeing with our own eyes.
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And looking at Stephen's speech, his sermon really, he gives us
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an insight as he recalls the history of the people of Israel.
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Look here in Acts 7 verse 2, and Stephen said, Brothers and
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fathers, hear me, the God of glory appeared to our father
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Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia before he lived in
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Haran, and said to him, Go out from your land and from your
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kindred and go into the land that I will show you.
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Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in
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Haran, and after his father died, God removed them from
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there into this land in which you are now living.
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Stephen was so specific. He was clearly led by the
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Spirit. Out of all the ways that he
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could have referenced God, he chose the God of glory.
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The God of glory appeared to Abraham and Mesopotamia and the
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land of the Chaldeans. So what happened, though not
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explicitly explained to us, is that at some point in Abraham's
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older age, God manifested his glory to him.
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Was it 1 encounter? Was it repeated encounters?
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We're not told, but it served as a catalyst for this man to pick
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up everything and to head into the horizon of the unknown, to
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follow the true God and to worship him alone.
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And here's what I want to argue that Abraham's descendants,
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after so many failures, so many offenses, have clearly proven
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that they have lost sight of the glory of God.
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And This is why they are where they are now.
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This is why they are collapsing. This is why they are paying a
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very high price for their disobedience.
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As Romans one tells us, they exchanged the glory of the
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immortal God for idols, for created things.
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Here's the lesson for you and I. If you and I want to avoid
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regressing spiritually, you must be determined to be fixated on
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the glory of God always. His Holiness, His love, His
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goodness, His justice, His purity, His faithfulness.
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Keep that ever before you. Keep discovering it, keep
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tasting it. Keep asking the Lord to make it
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real to you, because the moment your vision of His glory
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diminishes, the more temptation will become alluring and will
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convince you that there is something greater then savouring
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His glory. Abraham came out of the land of
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the Chaldeans because he got a glimpse of God's glory, and now
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his descendants are going back to that land because they have
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lost sight of that very same glory.
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This is remarkable. But then we come back here to
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our main texts, and we read in verse 11 Babylon not only
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destroyed the temple, the homes, and the city walls, we read how
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they dealt with the people who survived the previous
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deportations. He reads here in verse 11.
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And the rest of the people who are left in the city and the
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deserters who are deserted to the king of Babylon, together
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with the rest of the multitude. Nebu Zerodan, the captain of the
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guard, carried into exile, but the captain of the guard left
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some of the poorest of the land to be vine dressers and plowmen.
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So the king of Babylon says enough is enough.
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We're going to take every single person out and bring him to our
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land. Now, what's interesting is that
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he chooses to leave behind a certain demographic, the poorest
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of the land, those who had nothing to offer, those who had
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no noble standing in society. And we're left to wonder, why
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would he do this? And I don't think there's some
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deep, mysterious truth to it. I think it's political.
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It's economic. Babylon, who was already in
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control of Jerusalem, might have wanted this place to remain as a
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agricultural asset. And so he chooses the
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unfortunate to remain in the land and to tend the land and to
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maintain it so that there would be produce and things that they
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can benefit from. So that's what it's been reduced
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to. Now.
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Most of the people are taken out, a small population stays
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back. They're just managing the
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property really, to the benefit of the Babylonians.
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And yet there's one person I'm thinking about wondering what
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happened to him, a person that we have referenced many times,
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at least his writings. Jeremiah, remember him?
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If we read here that everybody was taken, you might be
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wondering, did Jeremiah follow in the same direction of Daniel
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in the first deportation, Ezekiel in the second
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deportation? Is it Jeremiah's turn now?
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Is he now going to Babylon to join the other prophets with a
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new chapter in his ministry? Well, the Scriptures again give
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us an answer, and the answer actually might surprise you.
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But the only way you'll discover it is if you go to Jeremiah 40.
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Look what happens here in Jeremiah 40, beginning in verse
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one. Jeremiah 40 verse one, the word
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that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebu Zaradan the
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captain of the guard, had let him go from Rama when he took
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him bound in chains along with all the captives of Jerusalem
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and Judah who are being exiled to Babylon.
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Pause. So what happens here?
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Well, Jeremiah was mixed in the crowd.
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He was included among the captives and after some distance
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the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
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And this is something significant because God is
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obviously superintending this. He's obviously working
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providentially, but the captain of the guard now singles out
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Jeremiah and he says something quite remarkable.
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Look at verse 2. The captain of the guard took
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Jeremiah and said to him, The Lord your God pronounce this
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disaster against this place. The Lord has brought it about
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and has done as he said, because you sinned against the Lord and
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did not obey his voice. This thing has come upon you.
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Now we can keep reading on because he's about to give
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Jeremiah an offer, but it's worth pausing here and examining
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some of these comments. Notice that this leader, a Pagan
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leader, looks at Jeremiah and he admits that he acknowledges
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God's hand behind Judah's defeat.
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How did he arrive to this conclusion?
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I think the most logical answer is that both he and the other
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leaders in Babylon were very well acquainted with Jeremiah's
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prophecies, and you can make that case from chapter 39, which
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we won't turn to because Nebuchadnezzar himself heard
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about Jeremiah. He in fact gave instruction that
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he would be left alone. So Nebuchadnezzar himself knew
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about this prophet, and surely he and the others understood
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what he proclaimed against his own city.
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Here's why this is so striking, because the people of God here
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are humbled by this. They should be.
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At least these Babylonians demonstrated more faith in the
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word of the Lord than those who claim to be in covenant with
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God. Hey, Jeremiah, you know what you
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said? You know what God said
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ultimately about this place? It happened.
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It happened. God kept his word.
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This this is humbling. Why?
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Because the crowd in Jerusalem were mocking Jeremiah.
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They were lining up to the prophets who were saying,
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there's no way Babylon is going to take over this place.
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And yet in contrast, you have these unbelievers who say, yeah,
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God's word said it, and he did it.
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What a strange sight to see the word of God making a deeper
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impression on those outside of covenant with God than those who
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claim to be in relationship with him.
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This is startling. But moreover, what's even more
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shocking is how this unbeliever who worship false God, false
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gods, and maybe he recognized that every land has their own
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deity or deities, sure, but he looks at Jeremiah and he speaks
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him as a representative of this people, and he calls them
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sinners. Looking into verse 3, the Lord
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has brought it about and has done as he said, because you
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sinned against the Lord and did not obey His voice, this thing
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has come upon you. If the destruction of the holy
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city weren't humbling enough, how much more humiliating is it
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for a Pagan to call out the disobedience of those who claim
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to follow the true God? You sinned.
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We recognize that this is the consequence of your
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disobedience. Who's speaking?
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You're a prophet? No, an unbelieving ruler of a
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different nation. And this is yet another example
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of how the Scriptures in various places cause believers to live
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in such a way that the world cannot accuse us of
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contradiction or hypocrisy. If the world is going to
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confront us about anything, let it be because of our
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consecration to Christ, not our clear inconsistencies.
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Let it be because we take holiness seriously, not because
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we say one thing and live another.
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I wonder what the faces of these captives look like when this man
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said in their presence, You're here because you sinned.
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This is coming from the mouth of a person who does not worship
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the true God, who does not fear him, who does not submit to his
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decrees, and he says, you send, oh, May God protect us from ever
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receiving a comment from an unbeliever that says, wait,
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wait, aren't you a Christian? Oh wait, wait, didn't you?
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Didn't you just invite me to church like a couple of months
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ago? Is this what you guys do at your
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church? The embarrassing contrast
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between the Babylonians and the people of God only grows more
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striking as we continue to read. Are you still there in Jeremiah
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40? Look at verse 4.
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He continued to speaks to the prophet.
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Now behold, I release you today from the chains on your hands.
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If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I
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will look after you well. But if it seems wrong to you to
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come with me to Babylon, do not come.
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See, the whole land is before you.
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Go wherever you think it good and right to go.
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If you remain, then return to Gadalia, the son of Ahikam, son
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of Shafan, whom the king of Babylon appointed governor of
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the cities of Judah and dwelt with him among the people.
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Or go wherever you think it right to go.
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So the captain of the guard gave him an allowance of food and a
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present, and let him go. What's the captain of the guard
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essentially saying? We recognize that you're a
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prophet. We recognize that you speak on
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behalf of Yahweh. So we want to make you an offer.
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If you'd like to come with us to Babylon, you'll be taken care
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of, you'll be honored, you'll be provided for.
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But if we're out of whatever reason you want to stay back
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here with your people, you're free to do that as well.
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It's your choice. You know what shook me when I
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read this? How the Babylonians treated
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Jeremiah better than his own kinsmen.
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How are we to make sense of this?
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From a divine standpoint, it's clearly an act of God's mercy
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granted to one of his servants who suffered throughout his
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ministry. But from a human standpoint,
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this shows how the Babylonians held more respect for this
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prophet than the people of God. Read Jeremiah if you haven't
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read that book, and you'll find one despicable act of
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mistreatment after another towards this precious servant of
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the Lord. Coming from who?
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His own, Even from those from his own hometown.
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And yet once the Babylonians meet him, they show such honor
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and respect. Hey, you come with us.
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We'll take care of you. You want to stay back here?
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Here's an allowance and here's a gift.
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Far be it from us that the world could out give, out serve, out
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respect, out love out honour. Those who've been forgiven by
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God and sealed with His Holy Spirit may never be that one
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Christian from this place or any other place of faith would
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wrestle with his experience, because he receives kindness and
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respect and pardon and grace from those who are not connected
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to the truth than those who are. The Babylonians here are
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respecting this man of God. What a refreshing thing it must
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have been for this prophet who had received so many bruises and
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scars from his own. So he's given a choice.
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You want to stay or do you want to go?
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What choice is he going to make? Look at verse 6.
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Then Jeremiah went to Gaddalia, the son of Aikam at Mizpah, and
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lived with him among the people who were left in the land.
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What? You chose to stay?
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I mean, what did that look like? As they're having this
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conversation and behind Jeremiah as he's facing Babylon, smoke is
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rising up to the atmosphere. Flames and embers are still
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burning. Everything has been reduced to
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nothing. And the other option is a new
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life, a promise, inheritance, wonderful favor, comfort, maybe
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even luxury. And Jeremiah determines I'm
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going to stay. I'm going to stay.
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What choice would you make? I wonder whether you think
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Jeremiah did the right thing or not.
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I can't help but compare him to Zedekiah in this moment.
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Remember 2 weeks ago we looked at King Zedekiah?
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When Jerusalem was surrounded and finally the Babylonians made
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a breach, what did he do? He packed his bags, he got the
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army to surround him, and he evades the scene, leaving behind
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his people, the very same people he was called to shepherd, to
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watch over and to protect. A clear example of a coward, a
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failure of a leader. And yet, when Jeremiah was given
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an opportunity to move on ahead, imagine how tempting that is.
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You guys didn't listen to me. After years of preaching, this
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is what you get. I'm moving on.
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Instead, he chooses to remain with the remnant.
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He chooses to stay back. Why?
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Because he's a true shepherd. He's a true leader.
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Here's what I want to remind us about.
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A mature and genuine servant of Christ does not walk away from
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their ministry when it becomes difficult or unattractive.
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He or she will remain at their post until they receive marching
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orders from heaven. Too many people give up easily.
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I've seen it. And if you know that you have
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the tendency to just abort the call, Move on from the mission.
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Hop from church to church to church to church.
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Let me encourage you with this truth.
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God honors and rewards loyalty. He does.
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And as I was thinking about this text and this truth, my mind
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went to what Jesus said about his own disciples before he was
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arrested after instituting the Lord's Supper.
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Let me read to you this one verse in Luke 2228.
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Jesus says You are those who have stayed with me in my
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trials. You are those in Luke 2228 who
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have stayed with me in my trials.
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When I read that, I said, Lord, I want you to be able to say the
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same about me. I don't want to be faithful to
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Your word, faithful to the calling you have given me,
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faithful to the gifts that you have deposited in my life when
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things are easy or when they are celebrated.
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I want to stay close to you when it's hard, when it doesn't make
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sense, when it doesn't really benefit me.
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I want to stay close to you. Even in trials.
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Jeremiah made that decision. He didn't take the easy Rd. out.
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He said, you know, thank you, but I'm going to stay back and
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we're going to hear maybe another reason why he did that.
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But let's come back to our main text and see what happens next.
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Look here at verse 13 and the pillars of bronze that were in
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the House of the Lord, and the stands in the bronze sea that
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were in the House of the Lord. The Chaldeans broke in pieces
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and carried the bronze to Babylon.
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And they took away the pots and the shovels and the snuffers,
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and the dishes for incense, and all the vessels of bronze used
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in the temple service, the fire pans also, and the bowls.
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What was of gold, the captain of the guard took away as gold, and
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what was of silver as silver. As for the two pillars, the 1C
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and the stands that Solomon had made for the House of the Lord,
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the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight.
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The height of the one pillar was 18 cubits, and on it was a
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capital of bronze. The height of the capital was 3
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cubits. A latticework and pomegranates
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all of bronze were all around the capital, and the second
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pillar had the same with the lattice work.
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So now the writer goes into greater detail about the
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desecration of the temple. It's almost like he wants the
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reader to feel not just speaking in general, but looking at
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significant things in the House of God being stripped down,
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being confiscated. But what's in focus here more
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than anything else, are the pillars.
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The two pillars that Solomon built and planted at the
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entrance of the House of worship.
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Here's a question for you. Does anybody remember the name
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of those two pillars? If you do, you can lift your
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hand. Who remembers the names of the
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two pillars that Solomon built? Anybody know?
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Boaz is one of them. What's the other one?
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Say that again, close. I'm not going to give you the
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answer right away. I want you to turn to see with
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your own eyes in First Kings Chapter 7.
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Obviously, these pillars are important for them to be
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mentioned even at the final part here of Second Kings.
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Look at verse 21 of First Kings 7.
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He set up the pillars at the Festival of the Temple.
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He set up the pillar on the South and called its name Jakin.
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And he set up the pillar on the north and called its name Boaz.
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So those are the two names. Now I understand that these are
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important pieces to the structure, but why name them?
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Why were they named? Well, the first one, Jakin,
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means he will establish, Boaz means in him is strength.
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That's widely accepted as the interpretation.
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He will establish in him his strength.
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And clearly the Lord wanted to convey that this truth was as
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reliable and stable as the pillar themselves.
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And so anytime someone entered into the courtyards of the
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temple, they would stand in the shadow of those wonderful
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realities God has established the people of Judah and the
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temple and God alone can sustain the people of God and this
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sacred place of worship. And the irony, right?
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You come to 2nd Kings of what? Do you realize that the
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Babylonians come and pull it apart, They throw it in a cart
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and they transport it to a new land?
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Did God betray his people? No, the people betrayed their
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God. Big difference.
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And the next question is this has God forsaken his people by
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allowing this? And the answer is yes or no.
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Clearly He has. He has removed himself, His
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protective mercy, His guiding grace.
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He didn't allow for any miraculous intervention to take
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place to shoo away the enemies of Israel and Judah.
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But is this permanent? Is this a permanent defeat?
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And we should know our Bibles well enough to say absolutely
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not. You know, as much as Jeremiah
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proclaimed judgement and exile, interwoven in those warnings
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were promises of return and restoration.
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And God's desire to communicate that hopeful future was so
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important to him that he no longer had Jeremiah just say it.
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As important as his word was, he actually had Jeremiah
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demonstrated in one of the most unique passages in the book of
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Jeremiah. He actually has Jeremiah act out
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a sermon to actually display with an act, an act of faith,
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ultimately to show just how dependable this word is of
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return. It's going to happen.
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This is disciplinary. This is not total annihilation.
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And so here's the scene, Jeremiah in the 10th year of the
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the king at the time, Zedekiah, there's a siege.
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They're surrounded and he's imprisoned.
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Like they're so sick and tired of this guy that they just put
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him behind bars. And while he is in prison, God
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speaks to him. A very strange word.
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It's in Jeremiah 32. Look at this with me in verse 6.
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So remember the setting, remember where Jeremiah is, and
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it says here in Jeremiah 32, verse 6, Jeremiah said the word
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of the Lord came to me. Behold, Hannamel, the son of
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Shalom, your uncle will come to you and say by my field that is
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at Anathong, for the right of the redemption by purchase is
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yours. Then Hannah Mel, my cousin, came
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to me in the court of the guard in accordance with the word of
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the Lord, and said to me by my field that is in Anathoth in the
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land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is
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yours. Buy it for yourself.
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Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
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Why is this a strange offer? Any idea?
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He's in prison, that's one thing.
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But think of the, the wider reality.
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Well, you can sell it if it's in your family.
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If there is the necessity of transferring it within your
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tribe, that is permitted. But think about the wider
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context. What's going on in Jerusalem and
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around Jerusalem? A siege.
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They're at war. They're surrounded by an enemy.
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This is not the time to to do real estate.
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More than that, Anna thought, geographically speaking, was a
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few miles outside of Jerusalem, so it's likely that Babylon had
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already taken it over. So you're offering me a piece of
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land that has been already conquered?
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It's not very helpful. So you can imagine how troubling
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this was for Jeremiah. In fact, he even says it here at
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the at the end of verse 8. Then I knew that it was the word
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of the Lord. It's like this word was so
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unbelievable. I don't know if it was me or God
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until my cousin showed up to my jail cell.
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Can now I know this is God and his cousin obviously probably
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wanted to make some kind of money in the dire situation that
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the city was in. So he chooses to honor God's
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word as much as possible and give that right of redemption to
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a family member. So he offers it to the prophet,
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and the Lord says buy it. That's foolish.
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Humanly speaking, it makes zero sense.
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The thing that makes most sense is to keep as much money to
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yourself as possible, not to give it for something that you
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can't even enjoy, that might not ever be yours.
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Especially for Jeremiah. He knows that the people are
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going to go to exile for decades.
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There is no sense in this whole thing.
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But he's trusting God. So Scroll down to verse 12 and
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notice what happens. And I gave the deed of purchase
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to Baruch the son of Nariah, son of Massia, in the presence of
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Hanamel, my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who
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signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the
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Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard.
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I charge Baruch in their presence, saying, Thus says the
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Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, take these deeds, both
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the sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in
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an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.
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For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, houses and
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fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.
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Do you see what he's saying here, Jeremiah?
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I want there to be witnesses of this truth.
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You're buying a piece of property because you believe
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what I have told you to say to everyone, that although they are
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going to be removed from this land, they will one day return.
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That's how much God wanted to drill into the hearts of these
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people, even in their discipline, that He still has a
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hope for them, a future for them.
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It's not going to remain this way.
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There are too many covenants made, promises made over and
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over again for God to to break them.
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God is trying to say here in another sense, I have not
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forgotten, and I want to put a down payment on my promise now.
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Even in a text like this, there are wonderful practical,
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personal lessons. Here's the first thing that we
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can take from this in order for our message to the skeptic, to
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the compromising, to the unbeliever to be more
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persuasive, we must be willing to practice what we preach.
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Up to this point, Jeremiah has been saying God is going to
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bring you back. God is going to take you away,
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but he will in his grace bring you back.
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And that's, it's as though the Lord says, I, I want you now,
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Jeremiah, to actually live out that message.
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You've been preaching it. Now I want you to prove it.
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I want you to show your audience that you believe what you're
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saying from the pulpit. So buy the land.
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Buy it. And he did.
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If you were not allowed to say a word for a few weeks, maybe
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months, your family, your friends, people who know you,
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watching you, will they be able to conclude this person serves
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God? Would they be able to even say
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this person lives for eternity? The proclaimed word is vital.
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God uses it to win souls. God uses it to transmit His
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truth. But what is necessary is that
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whatever is proclaimed is backed up with practice, is performed.
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And so Jeremiah, prove it. Let people see where your money
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goes. Let people see that you actually
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trust in the word that I give to you to give to them.
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And there were witnesses there. This was a public act.
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But the second thing here to be reminded of is that the
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Christian life is very much about making events invest
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investments that don't make sense to the world around us.
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You got to remember the context this looks.
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Foolish. Why are you purchasing land?
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You're never going to know it. In fact, whenever an exile like
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this would take place, the revival of a nation was
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miraculous if it ever happened. Unlikely.
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And yet Jeremiah is showing something here by way of
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principle, though it may not look like this is the best way
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to utilize your time, your energy, and your resources.
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God said it. So I'm going to show that it's
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worth it. And that's what you and I do as
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believers, day in and day out. The people that know you may
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look at you and say, what are you doing?
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You only have one life, Use it well, live it up.
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Why are you spending your Friday nights like that?
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Why are you spending your money like that?
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Why do you even waste your mornings like that?
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There's much more that you can do with that hour or 20 minutes
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or 30 minutes that you spend in your room talking to God and
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knowing His Word. And this is a miniature
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illustration found. Whatever we are called to invest
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in, it's in alignment with God's Word is never in vain.
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God always vindicates us. Those who watch us may mock us,
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they may never understand, but Jeremiah shows here that it's
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always worth it. And this also may give us
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insight to why he decided to stay back instead of going into
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Babylon. I believe Jeremiah's heart was
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so much for the people that he chose to remain as a physical
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demonstration and message of hope.
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I'm, I'm going to choose to plant my feet here, even though
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there's nothing left for me really, so that the Exiles and
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even the remnant here would be constantly reminded that there
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is a future. I'm not going to, I'm not going
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to go on and indirectly communicate that this place is
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over with. I'm going to stay here.
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Now, what I love about this too, is that Jeremiah had the choice
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to say Daniel didn't, right? Did Ezekiel have a choice?
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No, they didn't. You know, how God works in each
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of His servants is so amazing. And God didn't love Daniel or
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Ezekiel less than Jeremiah because He gave Jeremiah the
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ability to remain and the others no choice.
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Be careful of comparing God's dealings in your life, what He
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gives to others and what He doesn't give to you, what He
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gives to you and what He doesn't give to others as a sign of the
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measure of His love or affection.
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God is incredibly wise and He knows what is beneficial for you
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in terms of openings and Closings.
43:29
As much as you might want that gift that you see somebody else
43:32
operating in, God may know you way better than you know
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yourself. He does know you way better than
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you know yourself, and He knows how that gift can actually crush
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you instead of bless you. He just knows.
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And I was thinking about that, you know, what would it have
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been like for Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah to be all in one
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place? But the Lord knows how to
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distribute His resources. He knows how to position His
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servants well, and He doesn't owe us an explanation.
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Let's read the last verses of our study here.
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Second Kings 25. Let's look at verse 18.
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And the captain of the guard took Soraya, the chief priest,
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and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the
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threshold. And from the city he took an
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officer who had been in command of the men of war, and five men
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of the King's council who were found in the city, and the
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secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people
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of the land, and 60 men of the people of the land who were
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found in the city. So here are the notable leaders
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that remain. They're collected.
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And notice what happens in verse 20.
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And Nebu Zeradan, the captain of the guard, took them and brought
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them to the king of Babylon at Ribla.
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And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death
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at Ribla in the land of Hamas. And here's the most sobering
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part of this section of Scripture.
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So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.
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You would think that this is where Second Kings would end,
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but you are well aware that there are still a few verses
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that remain. We will touch on these verses in
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next week's final study of this book, But for now, I want us to
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just step back and to really take in some of these truths
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that were explained to ask God to make them real in our lives.
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Can we do that? Lord, we thank you for this
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study. And we ask, oh God, that these
45:59
truths would come alive in each of us in a way that actually
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changes things. Lord, for every person here who
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desires to serve you wholeheartedly in these very
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turbulent moments in our culture, even for the church,
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may we always remember you're watching.
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I and Lord, what you said of the disciples, we wish you would say
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to us, You are those who have stayed with me in my trials.
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And Lord, give each of us the wisdom to know when to remain
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and stay and when to pick up and go.
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But Lord, would you please inspire loyalty in each of us
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tonight? Give up so quickly to not be
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frustrated to the point of quitting.
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Oh, Lord, we even see here a great contrast between the
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Babylonians and their treatment of Jeremiah and the truth and
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the people of God who should have known better.
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Thank you for the reminder that it's possible even for those who
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are walking with Christ to have a dimmed light.
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Lord, we pray that you would add more fuel to the flame in our
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hearts and that what we do and how we act and respond would
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burn brighter and would back up what we say.
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Thank you for these practical realities.
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Thank you for the wisdom of this text.
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Thank you, O God, for the glory of your word.
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Captivate us again lest we reverse and go back to a place
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that you brought us out of. Keep your glory before our face
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every day and every night in Jesus name, Amen.
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Amen. If you want to stay seated and
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pray and speak to the Lord, confess, rejoice, you can do
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that. If you want to stand and you
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want to sing, you're free to do that as well.
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But let's just take our time in worshipping Him.