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2 Kings 25 (Part 1) 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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Meet me in Second Kings chapter 25.
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As many of you know, maybe you don't know, tonight marks the
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final chapter of our study of the kings of Israel and of
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Judah. And as I was preparing a couple
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of days ago, meditating on these things, I thought, let me go
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back and see how many Fridays we spent together.
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When we combine our study in First and Second Kings, and it
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looks like we spent over 80 Fridays looking at these
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chapters carefully. And I hope that these sessions
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have been a blessing to you, just as they have been to me.
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But I don't want to make it sound like tonight is the
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finale. Yes, this is the concluding
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chapter we'll be examining. However, we'll only be covering
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part of it. And the reason for this is
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because as we look at the final ruler of Judah, whose name was
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Matanaya, but had his name later changed to what Zedekiah by King
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Babylon, there is much coverage about him.
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And you would only know the extent of what's mentioned about
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Zedekiah if you have read the book of Jeremiah.
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So tonight, we're going to rely heavily on Jeremiah.
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There's going to be different cross references presented here,
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and it might be scripture heavy, but my goal is in Bible study.
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One of the goals at least, is for you to see how the Bible
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complements itself, how these different books enrich your
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readings in a particular passage.
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And if we do take the time to visit those texts in Jeremiah, I
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assure you that it will deepen your understanding of the verses
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that we will cover here in chapter 25.
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But before we do that, let's begin.
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I asked you to go to chapter 25, but let's scroll back to verse
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18 of chapter 24 because this is where Zedekiah is introduced to
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us. And we will read down here in
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chapter 25 up to verse 2. And as we're going there, if if
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the sound team can help with the buzzing a little bit, you may
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not hear it, but I hear it. And it was gone for a long time,
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but it's come back to harass me again.
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Thank you for that. Second Kings 24 verse 18.
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Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned
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11 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamouta,
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the daughter of Jeremiah of Libna.
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And he did what was evil on the side of the Lord, according to
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all that Yahoo Akim had done. For because of the anger of the
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Lord, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast
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them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against
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the king of Babylon. And the ninth year of his reign
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in the 10th month, on the 10th day of the month,
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Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came with all his army against
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Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siege works all
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around it. So the city was besieged till
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the 11th year of King Zedekiah. Father, we ask as we've already
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prayed and as you've been faithful to us in our previous
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studies, Lord, that as we come to this last chapter that we
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would experience a greater measure of your grace and
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wisdom. We pray, Lord, that in your
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power you would apprehend every hint of distraction, that not
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one thing would be missed, that we would all emulate the
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attitude of Cornelius who said when Peter came into his home.
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We have all now gathered together in the presence of God
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to hear all that the Lord has commanded you to say.
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Lord, we want everything that you have to say and we trust
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that you will help us in your power to achieve it.
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We pray these things in the precious and matchless name of
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the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen and Amen.
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There are many ways that we can approach and explain the text
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that is before us tonight, but I want to take a different
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approach. I want to approach this with a
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different direction than we have in the past.
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Since Zedekiah is the final king of the Kingdom of Judah, and
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really his administration is defined by utter destruction
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unlike anything that we've seen in the history of kings, I want
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to use him as a case study. I want us to look at Zedekiah
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and learn what not to do if we seek to avoid heartache,
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spiritual ruin, and being the cause of collateral damage in
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the lives of others. This may not seem like the most
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uplifting Bible study, but it will be valuable nonetheless.
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And to provide a source of encouragement, I will let you
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know upfront that the way Second Kings ends actually ends may
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surprise us, especially with the lasting impression that it will
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leave us. But before we get there, we have
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to embrace this portion of Scripture the way the Spirit of
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God intended it to be received. So we will seek to answer this
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question. What did Hezekiah do to himself
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to set himself up for such a disastrous future?
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And the overarching answer is this.
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He possessed attitudes and made decisions that are easily
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imitatable by any of us, even if we're not.
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We're not kings and Queens. What is Zedekiah chose to do?
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What his outlook was, what his inlook was, is something any of
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us can follow, and we want to avoid that.
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And in my study, I saw at least three things that Zedekiah did
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to ensure avoidable turmoil. See, what is going to happen to
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this king did not have to happen, but it did because of
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three things. The first thing I wanted to
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understand about Zedekiah is that he was unconcerned with
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God's commands. He was unfazed.
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He did not tremble at God's Word.
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Look again at the last sentence of chapter 24, and Zedekiah
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rebelled against the king of Babylon.
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You'll remember hopefully that earlier in chapter 24 we learned
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that Babylon came and controlled Jerusalem.
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It's subjugated this city and this Kingdom to becoming a
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vassal nation. Jerusalem owed Babylon taxes,
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and essentially they were surrendered to its superiority
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and its authority. Whatever Babylon said they had
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to do. If Babylon wanted them to have a
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different king, they couldn't say anything about it.
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So there was a sense in which there was a level of autonomy in
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Jerusalem, but in reality, Babylon was controlling it.
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And this is what we have to understand.
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When we read that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of
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Babylon, we might be tempted to approve of this action, maybe
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even celebrate it. Yes, shake free, get your
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independence. Again, this is not the way God
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designed Jerusalem to function. God is supposed to be ruling
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over this place, not a foreign people group.
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But I'm afraid that if we're not familiar with Zedekiah's story
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and a wider scale, then we will take this at face value and fail
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to understand just how profound this action was.
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For Zedekiah to rebel is greater in significance than what we see
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in this one sentence. Now we learn here that he ruled
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for how many years? 11 years?
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That's how chapter 25 begins and we are fast forwarded to the 9th
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year of his reign at the opening of this chapter.
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However, when you go to Jeremiah's writings, he actually
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brings us to some events at the beginning of Zedekiah's reign.
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And this is where we need to turn right away.
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Go to Jeremiah with me, chapter 27, Jeremiah 27, and let's go to
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the verse one. This is very insightful.
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It says here in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah, the son
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of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the
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Lord. Thus the Lord said to me, Make
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yourself straps and yoke bars and put them on your neck.
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Send word to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of
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the sons of Amon, the king of Tyre, and the king of Saidon, by
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the hand of the envoys who who have come to Jerusalem, to
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Zedekiah king of Judah. So what do you have here?
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The word of the Lord comes to the weeping prophet and he
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informs him all these neighboring nations have visited
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Jerusalem to meet with King Zedekiah and I need you to say
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something to them. Now.
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We won't read it, but what's the summary of this chapter?
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It's essentially this. God is sovereign over all
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creation. God is sovereign over all
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nations. God has raised up Babylon to be
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the Dom dominating power in this region.
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Submit to him, all you nations, and you will live.
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Resist him and you will surely die.
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That's essentially this man's message.
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And what you have here is these nations with their
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representatives coming to Jerusalem because they all
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recognize that this Babylon is now rising with such dominance
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and force. So they're hopefully seeking to
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unite now and usurp this new authority.
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And before they can even devise a plan, Jeremiah receives word
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from God and he informs these nations, you're wasting your
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time. Nothing's going to change.
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In fact, to resist what's happening with Babylon in this
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region is to defy God himself. It's an amazing prophecy, and
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it's not just made to the nation's.
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Scroll down in Jeremiah 27. Look at verse 12 to Zedekiah,
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king of Judah, I spoke in like manner.
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Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and
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serve him and his people, and live.
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Why will you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by
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pestilence? As the Lord has spoken
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concerning any nation that will not serve the king of Babylon,
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so at the very beginning of Zedekiah's reign, Jeremiah's
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message was clear, right? We read that back in verse one
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in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah.
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Submit to Babylon, don't try to escape his rule, obey his
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demands, and as long as you do that, you will live along with
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your people. Can't get any more obvious than
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this. But what does he do?
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We read it back in Second Kings 24.
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Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon, failing to understand
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that God was the one behind it, failing to understand that
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Zedekiah had to yield to the discipline of the Lord
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manifested through Babylon. Did you know that we're actually
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told one major way that Zedekiah, how he rebelled
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against Babylon, We're told specifically it's not through
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Jeremiah's writings, though. Which prophet did we touch on in
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last week's study that's related to the story?
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Very good Ezekiel. God actually visits Ezekiel
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while he's in exile. Remember, when we're talking
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about the Babylonian exile, we have to understand it the way
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it's described here. In three major deportations.
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The first one, Daniel, was brought out.
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The second one, Ezekiel, was brought out, and now we're about
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to discover the 3rd and final one.
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Ezekiel was taken captive in the second one and while he's there
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in Babylon, he's receiving visions and prophecies for both
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the people who were brought into exile with him and even the
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people here back in Jerusalem. So there's a one place where God
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gives him a parable and then he gives them the interpretation of
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the parable. And it has to do with Zedekiah
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and how he rebelled against Babylon.
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Again, I, I told you this is going to be scripture heavy, but
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that's the point of Bible study. So when you come to Ezekiel 17
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and let's begin in verse 11, earlier in this chapter God gave
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the prophet a parable. Now he interprets it and this is
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the interpretation of this vision.
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Ezekiel 17, verse 11. Then the word of the Lord came
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to me, Say now to the rebellious house.
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Do you not know what these things mean?
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Tell them, Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and
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took her king and her Princess and brought them to him to
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Babylon. He's talking about the second
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deportation that's already happened, verse 13.
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And he took one of the royal offspring and made a covenant
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with him, putting him underoath the chief men of the land he had
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taken away, that the Kingdom might be humble and not lift
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itself up and keep his covenant, that it might stand.
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Pause. He's talking about Zedekiah
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here. He removed Jehoiah kin from
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before Zedekiah's reign. He sets up Zedekiah as the king,
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and he makes a covenant with Zedekiah.
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And Zedekiah apparently made a promise to the king of Babylon.
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But notice in verse 15 what happens?
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But he rebelled against them. By doing what?
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By sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him
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horses and a large army. Will he thrive?
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Can one escape who does such things?
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Can he break the covenant and yet escape?
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Do you see how the last sentence of chapter 24, Second Kings has
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so much to offer in other portions of the Scripture?
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How did he rebel? The major way is that he sent
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messengers to Egypt and he says, can you help us?
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Can you help us fight against Babylon?
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And God says you broke your covenant.
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You made a promise to Nebuchadnezzar and I saw how you
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are breaking this vow and you're not going to succeed.
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In fact, look at verse 16 as I live, declares the Lord God
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surely in the place where the king dwells, who made him king,
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whose oath he despised, and whose covenant with him he broke
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in Babylon, he shall die. In other words, Zedekiah, you
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think that you're going to regain your freedom and your
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independence. I'm here to tell you that you're
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actually going to be brought into Babylon and die there.
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Here's the most important part about the interpretation of this
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vision. Verse 19 of Ezekiel 17.
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Therefore, thus says the Lord God, as I live, surely it is my
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oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke.
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I will return it upon his head. Do you see how God views this
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covenant? It wasn't between two nations.
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It was ultimately between the king of Jerusalem and God
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himself, because God was working behind Babylon.
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It was God's will that Babylon would overtake Jerusalem, and
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Zedekiah broke a promise with God.
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I mentioned all this to show that Zedekiah is rebelling.
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He was not ultimately against Babylon, but against the Lord
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himself. And here's the main take away at
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this point. Often times, God's commands
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usually don't appease or make sense to our flesh.
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But if it's in His Word, it's always right, and it's always
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for our good. Always.
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Put yourself in Zedekiah's shoes for a moment.
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You can imagine how much he wrestled with this idea of
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submitting to Babylon. That's humiliating, that's
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uncomfortable, that's costly, and even terrifying to some
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degree. You're asking me to yield and to
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give myself to the leadership of a Pagan nation.
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And oftentimes even God's commands may feel like that at
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first. It jars us.
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It almost paralyzes us. It makes us reconsider.
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It makes alternative ways to approach a situation more
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attractive than what God presents or cause us to do.
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And if you and I struggle, maybe you're here even tonight and and
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you have been facing something that you know God says you have
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to do and you can't get yourself to do it.
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Remember Zedekiah's example? Don't forget it, because this
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man shows us that as much as he thought to protect and preserve
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himself and disobeying it would cost him way more.
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So listen, if you know that you've offended somebody and you
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have not taken Christ command seriously to approach them in
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humility and sincerity and to try to figure it out, obey Him,
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Obey the Lord. If you have not been taking the
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command of the Lord to assemble together with the Saints as a
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priority and you've been justifying your distance and
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you've been downplaying its importance, obey the Lord.
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If you know that you're you are being confronted with something
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and it requires honesty, even if that honesty is costly, obey
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God. Church leaders.
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If there is a situation that requires church discipline and
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it doesn't seem to be a favorable thing in the eyes of
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others who are not discerning whatever the case may be, you
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have to trust God's protocol. Obey Christ.
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How many more examples can I give many of God's instructions
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to us, like Zedekiah at 1st may not appease the flesh and that's
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that's to be expected and yet it still calls for our trust.
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Every act of obedience is an act of faith.
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Over the years I've heard Christians say strange things.
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One of the strange things that I've heard, I don't hear it as
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often lately. Thank God.
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I know the word of God says this, but but what?
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But what if it's clear and it's applicable to the situation?
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It's settled, but what? Like it's not up for
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negotiation? I I know but but, but, but what?
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Zedekiah, I'm sure thought similar things.
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To wilfully disobey what God had clearly made known is a
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dangerous precedent no matter what the command entails.
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And the final chapter of Second Chronicles actually summarizes
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Zedekiah's attitude towards God's Word in a much more clear
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fashion. Second Chronicles 36 is the last
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chapter of that book, which parallels what we find here in
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Second Kings 25. Look at verse 11 of Second
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Chronicles 36. Zedekiah was 21 years old when
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he began to reign, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.
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He did what was evil in the side of the Lord his God.
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He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet who spoke
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from the mouth of the Lord. How did he not humble himself?
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By not obeying, sure. But more than that, by not
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trusting, just trust me. I mean, if you read Jeremiah's
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prophecies over and over again, he he, he says it more than
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once. And although this is a
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convicting part of this study, I'm also comforted because
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Jeremiah started this message at the beginning of Zedekiah's
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reign, and he continues to say the same thing throughout the
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years. And this man stubbornly refused
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to give himself to obey it. So God is patient even when
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we're stubborn, but there is a limit.
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And this is really a summary of this man's attitude.
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He, he could not get himself to say God is right.
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I will trust him. I know that this doesn't make
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sense to me. I know that my flesh doesn't
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like it. And so he paid for it.
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One certain way of paving a path of avoidable hardship is by
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being unconcerned, unfazed, unmoved by God's commands.
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We learn in Isaiah that God looks upon the one who trembles
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at his word. And if I ever find myself no
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longer trembling at God's Word, inevitably I will find myself in
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trouble at one point or another. I don't know about you, but for
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me I think it's appropriate to be scared if I no longer tremble
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at God's Word. I have nothing to fear if I
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tremble at God's Word. I have so much to fear if I
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don't tremble. Imagine that to actually, every
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time you hear an exhortation, every time you hear some kind of
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command, it should cause your heart to to jolt to some degree,
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like the Lord is saying this to Christians.
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I'm a Christian, I'm a follower of Christ.
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This is what God Almighty asked of me.
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And when that sense of awe and majesty and weightiness
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dissipates, that's troubling. So this is where it all began.
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He was unconcerned with God's commands.
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But more specifically, and this is the second point of the
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study, Zedekiah was convinced that there are no consequences
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for sin. Let's come back down to our main
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chapter, Second Kings 25. Let's revisit the 1st 2 verses.
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And in the ninth year of his reign, in the 10th month, on the
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10th day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon
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came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it
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and they built siege work all around it.
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So the city was besieged till the 11th year of King Zedekiah.
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So what's happening here? Well the way second Kings 24
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ends tells us he rebels. Babylon finds out,
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Nebuchadnezzar says enough is enough.
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I was willing to oversee you. I was willing to give you some
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level of control, but now I have to bring about full control.
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I have to now bring you to total surrender.
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And this is not surprising. But you know what is shocking to
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me? Zedekiah's initial response to
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the news that the city now is surrounded by his enemy.
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It's like jarring, actually so jarring that we have to make it
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a point in in this Bible study. Jeremiah's book is not precisely
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chronological, though. There is an overarching theme
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where you see the beginning of his calling and then you see the
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end of really Jerusalem. The parts in between are more
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thematically organized. So in Jeremiah 27 we read about
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his prophecy at the beginning of Zedekiah's reign.
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But when you go to Jeremiah 21, it's actually a prophecy at this
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point of Zedekiah's reign. Notice what Zedekiah does when
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he learns that Babylon is ready to wage war against Jerusalem.
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Go there with me, Jeremiah 21. Look at verse one.
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This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord.
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When King Zedekiah is sent to him, Pashure the son of Messiah,
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and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Messiah, saying, Inquire
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of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,
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is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with
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us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make
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him withdraw from us. OK, if you read this in
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isolation without knowing the back story, you might think that
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Zedekiah is approaching the man of God in good faith and a clear
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conscience. As though this is like him
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stepping out because he believes that God can intervene.
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In the same way that Hezekiah believed God when he was
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surrounded by who? Assyria?
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When Assyria was at his front step.
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But that's not the case. Is that a guy here is operating
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with a self perceived faith and purity.
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So here's the man saying Jeremiah, inquire of the Lord
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for us. Maybe God will manifest his
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wonderful deeds and he'll intervene and save us.
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And here am I thinking while reading this, you don't deserve
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it. What are you talking about?
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Don't you understand that the reason why Babylon is
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surrounding you is because of your disobedience?
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But there's no sense of that. He's not broken, He's not
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contrite. He's not coming in repentance.
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He's coming as though he deserves that.
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He, he's owed this. That if he just comes with this
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supposed trust that God is going to say, you know what Zedekiah,
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I'm going to help you out here. When you read about Hezekiah's
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story in Second Chronicles, we studied this when we looked at
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his administration, it says that Assyria came to Jerusalem after
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these acts of faithfulness that Second Chronicles 32 verse one,
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after Hezekiah did his part to purge the land of all the
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idolatry. Then Assyria came teaching us
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what that many times tests of faith come while we obey the
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Lord. That does not apply to Zedekiah.
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He wasn't faithful, and now Babylon's coming so that he can
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grow and mature in his trust in God.
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No, he was faithless and God sent Babylon to punish him.
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Here's a man who has 0 awareness that the problems around him are
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the direct result of his own pride and stubbornness.
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And please, I don't want any of us to confuse this point with
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the reality that Christians can make genuine mistakes.
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Thank God for His grace and His abundant forgiveness.
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That's not the point here. I'm using this to address those
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who show little to no awareness that sin is destructive and
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carries real consequences. And they're out there.
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People like this are out there. What are some of the reasons why
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professing Christians think this way?
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That virtually any sin can be committed and it not be followed
27:58
with dire ramifications? I'll give you one reason, a
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false sense of security. For some reason there are many
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who really don't understand how God deals with mankind in their
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sin, especially with His own children, and I believe that was
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Zedekiah's problem along with his people.
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We didn't read it yet, but when you come down later in Second
28:30
Kings 25 from verse 13 down to verse 18, that chunk of
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Scripture gives us an elaborate description of the total
28:39
destruction of the temple, like details what happens to the
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House of worship. And one of the reasons why that
28:46
passage is so significant is because for the longest time the
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temple was some form of security net for the people of Judah that
28:57
in their minds, as long as the temple is here and intact, God
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will never allow a foreign power to overtake us.
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That's how they understood this. So most of the people in
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Jerusalem at this time were persuaded that because of the
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significance and the glory attached to the temple, the Lord
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will never allow Jerusalem to be taken over.
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In fact, that's what false prophets used to give false
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confidence in the hearts of sinners.
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And this was so paramount, so prevalent that God visits
29:38
Jeremiah and he says, I need you to challenge this misplaced
29:43
confidence that these people have.
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Jeremiah 7, You need to see it with me.
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Verse one, Jeremiah 7, Verse one, the word that came to
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Jeremiah from the Lord. Stand in the gate of the Lord's
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house and proclaim there this word and say, hear the word, the
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Lord. All you men of Judah who entered
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these gates to worship the Lord, pause here.
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Can you imagine being commissioned to do this?
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I want you. This is a poor example, but
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hopefully you'll help to some degree.
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I want you to stand at the front of Maranatha Bible Church on
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Sunday morning, and I want you to preach.
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This message as people are walking in the temple is much
30:34
more significant in terms of size and occupancy than what we
30:39
have here on a weekly basis. So you can just imagine what
30:42
this demanded of Jeremiah. You asked me to go to the gate
30:44
of the temple and preach. What?
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Welcome. No, not welcome.
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Look what he says, verse three that says the Lord of hosts, the
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God of Israel, amend your ways and your deeds and I will let
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you dwell in this place. Do not trust in these deceptive
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words. This is the temple of the Lord,
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the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.
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The people dismissed Jeremiah's warning because they believe
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that as long as the temple was among them, God would never
31:18
allow total takeover. They were trusting in those
31:23
deceptive words. And I want to say similarly,
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there are professing believers who make the same mistake and
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how they understand God's dealing with us in our sin.
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There are far too many stories of servants of Christ who think
31:41
that the success of their gift or the size of their ministry
31:48
can be a shield to divine discipline.
31:52
It's far too common. And I know that I'm speaking to
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a room filled with people who are serving Christ and long to
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serve Him at greater capacity. So I want to mention this to
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you. If you and I want to know
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longevity and you and I want to be strengthening our resistance
32:13
to the deception that we can be immune to the consequences of
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sin, you have to just apply this one thing.
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You ready for this? You and I must believe that we
32:24
are replaceable. I know self improving and self
32:29
improving gurus will tell you otherwise, right?
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But God's economy works differently.
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You and I are totally replaceable when it comes to
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serving God. It's extremely dangerous to
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believe that a church or ministry won't truly thrive or
32:50
survive without my presence, without my involvement, because
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Satan exploits that kind of mindset.
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And that is the foothold that breeds the false notion then,
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that I can behave how I want because I am needed.
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This temple can't be replaced. This temple isn't going to go
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anywhere. Surely God won't remove this
33:25
thing because of its value and its history and its
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significance. And you know what?
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God says I actually I can Scroll down quickly here.
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Look at verse 12 of Jeremiah 7. He tells the same group of
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people, go now to my place that was in Shiloh.
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Do you remember Shiloh? We studied this in First Samuel.
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Shiloh was where the Tabernacle resided and it was destroyed
33:58
especially after Eli and his sons disobeyed God.
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So what is the Lord saying here to the same group?
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Hey, hey, hey, do you guys remember Shiloh?
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Go visit it. It's been abandoned for
34:08
centuries. Let's continue where I made my
34:11
name dwell at 1st and see what I did to it.
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Because of the evil of my people, Israel.
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And now because you have done all these things, declares the
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Lord. And when I spoke to you
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persistently, you did not listen.
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And when I called you, you did not answer.
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Therefore, I will do to the house that is called by my name
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and which you trust, to the place that I gave to you and to
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your father's, as I did to Shiloh.
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Where did problems ensue for Zedekiah and his population?
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They thought that the temple was going nowhere.
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Let's apply it personally. When I begin to think that I am
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irreplaceable, that I'm somehow an anomaly in God's Kingdom, the
34:57
up and coming, the main threat that holds everything together
35:02
wherever I serve, Brother, sister, a dangerous game.
35:07
A dangerous game. Because Satan takes advantage of
35:11
that. He begins to whisper things in
35:12
your mind. You know how you and I should
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think, Lord, I don't deserve to do anything for you.
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Any opportunity I get to serve you is a complete gift.
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You don't need me. I need you always, Lord, I
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believe wholeheartedly, though you are immensely gracious, so
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forgiving, so patient, that you can also, in your wisdom, if I
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continue to sin or sin so grievously, to flick me off
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whatever platform, whatever presence, whatever influence,
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and easily raise up somebody else to bring you glory, that
35:59
will keep you and I on our faces.
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And unfortunately, Judah did not believe this about themselves,
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so God sent Jeremiah to remind them that the temple was
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replaceable. So when you and I nurture this
36:15
idea that sin doesn't have real lasting consequences, we open
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ourselves to greater danger in our future.
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But that's only the second point.
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We come down to the last one. Let's come back to Second Kings
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25, verse 3. On the 9th day of the fourth
36:40
month, the famine was so severe in the city that there was no
36:46
food for the people of the land. Then a breach was made in the
36:51
city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the
36:55
gate between the two walls, by the King's garden.
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And the Chaldeans were around the city, and they went in the
37:03
direction of the Araba. But the army of the Chaldeans
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pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho,
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and all his army was scattered from him.
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So there's an important phrase here in verse 4.
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There was a famine. That's the natural outcome of a
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siege. That's the strategy.
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Starve the people out, make them so weak so that they can't fight
37:27
back. And their intelligent agency
37:30
understood that this was the case within the walls of
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Jerusalem. So look at verse 4 again.
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Then a breach was made in the city, telling us what?
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That Babylon now came and entered into the very walls of
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Jerusalem. They no longer surrounded it.
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Now they're within it. And once this was learned by the
37:47
government, you would think naturally that if a Kingdom was
37:51
invaded in this way, that the army would what?
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Defend the city that a noble king would even fight on behalf
37:58
of the people. But what do we read instead?
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That the army fled. Why did they flee?
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To protect and surround the king as he tried to deliver himself
38:12
by turning his back on his people when they needed him the
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most. I find it interesting that
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within this theme of destruction in this passage, Zedekiah's
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selfishness is highlighted #3 this is just what the text I
38:32
believe is saying to us. If we're approaching in this
38:34
way, a guaranteed ingredient for you and I to pave the path of
38:39
hardship, collateral damage, spiritual ruin, avoidable
38:44
heartache, is to be self absorbed, to be selfish, to
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think of me and me alone as my priority.
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That's what we have with this king.
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Now, I'm not suggesting that Zedekiah should have stayed back
39:02
to fight Babylon because he wouldn't have succeeded.
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In fact, what he should have done is what Jeremiah told him
39:09
repeatedly to do. And what surrender again.
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You'll never read the book of Jeremiah the same way again.
39:16
So many places in that book, he tells Zedekiah, just surrender
39:19
and you will live and the people will live.
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And more than that, this city will be spared.
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All of this could have been dodged.
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So he he should have just dug his heeled in the earth and just
39:32
humbly come before the king of Babylon says, I, I surrender.
39:36
I was a fool. Instead he runs into the dark.
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Who knows where he's going, but he's trying to get as fast as
39:43
possible away from these new invaders.
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And as I meditated on this, I thought this man, in the final
39:52
moments of his life, added a final layer of disgrace to his
39:57
testimony. Be a man, Be noble.
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Do you have a shred of integrity?
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You're the leader of this people, and you abandoned them.
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And so I leaned back on my chair earlier today and my mind goes
40:15
to. What Paul told Timothy when he
40:18
gave him a list of features concerning the last days and he
40:25
presents in a span of four verses there in Second Timothy
40:29
3, all these ugly traits that will surface and intensify as we
40:35
approach the return of Christ. Before you turn there and we
40:39
don't even have to turn there, does anyone remember the first
40:44
thing that Paul puts in that catalog after he says?
40:50
But understand this, in the last days there will come times of
40:53
difficulty. What's the first thing that Paul
40:55
mentioned to Timothy? People will be lovers of South
41:02
Second Timothy 3/2. That's not accidental, That's
41:07
not random. That is strategic.
41:10
Self love is the swamp in which all these other sins love to
41:17
swim in. People will love themselves.
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And we're living in a culture that promotes self love more
41:26
than any other time. People are addicted to
41:29
themselves, right? This is not just a cultural
41:33
phenomenon, this is a manifestation.
41:36
This is a symptom of a deeper problem, self love, and the
41:43
reason why it's mentioned first is because it's the foundation
41:46
by which all these other iniquities are built on.
41:50
Everything flows from this, and we even know this since Christ
41:54
attacks that very thing. When he lays out the basic
41:59
conditions for discipleship, what does he tell us?
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What do we need to deny if we're going to be followers of Him?
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Deny who? Yourself.
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Totally antithetical to what Paul listed in Second Timothy 3.
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In the last days everybody will be lovers of self.
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And Jesus says if you want to follow me, you got to deny
42:18
yourself. You got to deny yourself.
42:23
So think about it this way. If self denial is the basis for
42:30
practical holiness and righteousness to flourish and
42:35
honor God and bless others, then self love surely breeds the
42:40
opposite. It dishonors God and it will
42:44
surely injure others in more than one way.
42:49
And that's exemplified by Zedekiah.
42:52
It's just all about him. He's not concerned about the
42:55
people, the families, the children, the reputation of the
42:58
temple. No, no, no, it's about myself.
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Preservation. And it invited so much trouble.
43:06
That will be true for your marriage, husband.
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That'll be true in your relationship with your children,
43:12
mother. That'll be true for you, Elder.
43:15
That'll be true for you, leader of that Bible study.
43:17
That'll be true for you and your friend group.
43:19
You, you won't have many friends, at least healthy ones.
43:22
You have a toxic group of friends if you are possessed
43:26
with self love. But oh, if everybody apprehends
43:30
this attitude of Christ, then we'll have the scent of heaven
43:34
in every atmosphere that we step foot in.
43:38
This is such an ugly picture. I was actually so disgusted with
43:42
Zedekiah here. You find this principle
43:46
throughout the scriptures. My mind even went to Jesus's
43:50
description of a false shepherd. John 10 is that well known
43:55
passage about the Good Shepherd. But in it you get insight of
43:59
what a false leader, spiritual leader looks like.
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We remember this right, he says in John 1012 to 13, as I
44:06
paraphrase, that when a hireling, A hired hand, meaning
44:11
not somebody who owns the sheep, but someone who the owner of the
44:15
sheep hires to supervise the sheep, when that hired hand sees
44:20
a wolf coming, what does he do? Grab his staff and fight.
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What does he do? He flees.
44:27
He flees. And Jesus says, not caring for
44:32
the sheep, what did he care for His paycheck?
44:37
What did he sign up for, for, to, to to benefit himself.
44:45
And when real danger comes or when real, real problems arise,
44:49
Jesus mentions you will know a shepherd, a spiritual shepherd
44:53
is a false one when he abandons people in a time where they're
44:59
in need of the most concerning their leadership, their insight,
45:02
and their courage. Fascinating example after
45:08
example. We see it in the Old Testament.
45:10
We see it in the New Testament that self love erodes and
45:15
destroys so much, including Zedekiah's own life.
45:22
Let's come to the concluding verses of this.
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We're going to end in verse 7 tonight.
45:27
So the king flees, right? Look at verse 6 now Then they
45:34
captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at
45:37
Ribla and they passed sentence on him.
45:41
They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and put
45:46
out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him
45:49
to Babylon. This is very graphic and very
45:52
gruesome. I don't want to be too
45:54
descriptive here. I think it's plain.
45:58
Zedekiah tries to escape. He's captured and a sentence is
46:04
placed on him. Here's the punishment.
46:06
I'm going to take out your eyes, but I want the last thing you
46:10
see is me killing your sons. So they slaughter his sons, they
46:16
gouge out his eyes, they take him to Babylon, and he dies a
46:19
blind man. You're saying, I appreciate the
46:24
honesty of Scripture, but how does that benefit me to know
46:27
this? I'll tell you how it benefits
46:29
us. Long before Zedekiah lost his
46:32
physical eyes, he was blinded in the eyes of his heart.
46:37
This blindness came way later on.
46:40
He was plagued with a different darkness way before.
46:44
If only Zedekiah had truly perceived and recognized that
46:49
God's commands are to be taken seriously.
46:52
If only he had registered that there are real consequences to
46:56
sin, if only he had really believed that selfishness is
47:01
spiritual suicide, He might have been able to keep his eyes, but
47:07
he lost them. So sad.
47:12
Always ask God to keep your eyes open and true, and He will never
47:19
fail to do that. Always ask Him for discernment
47:22
concerning His will. Always ask Him to open your eyes
47:25
in the scriptures. Always ask Him to see people the
47:28
way He sees people, to see ministry the way He sees
47:30
ministry, to see sin the way He sees sin.
47:33
And He will faithfully refine you and clean your lenses and
47:39
help you and inspire you and warn you.
47:42
He is so good. I'm one of those who firmly
47:45
believe that whoever starts out as a follower of Christ, whoever
47:48
even starts out in ministry, can actually finish well without any
47:51
scandal. I believe that.
47:57
And God has given us examples like Zedekiah to keep us in that
48:01
place, to keep us dependent on Him.
48:04
Let me highlight one more thing here.
48:05
Did you notice where he was arrested while he was in flight?
48:09
Look back at verse 5. But the army of the Chaldeans
48:13
pursued the king and overtook him.
48:14
Where? In the plains of Jericho?
48:20
The Bible is so poetic. Jericho was the very first place
48:29
that the Israelites experienced victory when they step into the
48:32
Promised land. It's right at the border of the
48:36
Jordan, and how interesting is it that with the Last King of
48:41
Israel showcasing the ultimate defeat of this very same people,
48:48
it all happened in the very same place with a new victory.
48:55
It's amazing to see how the Scriptures pull these things
48:57
together. Jericho is where it all started,
49:02
where faith brought about wonderful fruit.
49:05
And now Zedekiah is arrested in the plains of Jericho, and
49:11
following that will lead to the final deportation of the very
49:15
same people who entered into that land.
49:18
The place where it all started is now where all ends, and they
49:21
will be removed from what was their inheritance.
49:26
I can assure you that as we come closer to the end of Second
49:29
Kings 25, it will be more encouraging, but I believe it's
49:34
appropriate to receive the weightiness of a text when it is
49:39
designed to be weighty. And so I want us to just sit
49:43
here and deal with what we heard and ask God to make it.
49:49
Make it true for us, make it helpful for us, and make it
49:53
changes. Lord, we thank you that although
49:58
this was indeed a difficult text, we are thankful for it.
50:14
We are not of those who change the meaning of your words or
50:21
seek to massage or manipulate your message so that it suits
50:27
the flesh. We trust that in your infinite
50:32
wisdom, you've given us Zedekiah's example to help us
50:38
avoid the same mistakes. So though we think about your
50:43
commands, refresh in us a sense of awe of every word you've
50:50
given us to obey. May we be urgent when we know
50:57
that we're supposed to do something, even though it's
50:59
challenging. May we have fresh faith when
51:03
when we know You're asking us to go somewhere or approach a
51:06
situation or surrender a certain right that may not feel good in
51:12
the moment. Help us believe that such a
51:16
decision will lead to life. Lord, may we always understand
51:20
that there are consequences to sin while we rest in your
51:22
forgiveness. Lord, may we never fall into the
51:24
trap of thinking that we are invincible, or that we are stars
51:30
in Your Kingdom, or that we are irreplaceable in our service to
51:35
You. And we always recognize that you
51:38
were after humility, and with humility there is great reward.
51:43
And lastly, Lord, expel from our hearts all selfishness, any
51:48
tendency to be self absorbed, self pitying.
51:54
Help us remember that self love is not equal to self respect or
51:58
self-care, but that it speaks of one who elevates one's own
52:06
desires above everybody else, even at the cost of everybody
52:09
else's. Oh Lord, destroy that in our
52:11
hearts. And Lord, we believe that if we
52:15
apply these truths, we will know nothing but victory ahead,
52:19
light, joy and blessing to others.
52:23
So Lord, give us the ambition and the empowerment to follow in
52:28
the opposite direction of this poor example of a king.
52:32
We ask these things in Jesus name, Amen and Amen.
52:37
Let's stand and worship the Lord together.