King's Business - 1947-05

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JUNE 22, 1947 THE TRAGIC END OF A NATION 2 K in g s 25:1-12

Outline and Exposition T h e S ie g e o f J e r u s a l e m (25:1-3)

tragedy in the end. Zedekiah, bereft of his sons, cruelly blinded, bound with fetters of brass and carried into servitude, becomes a symbol of all of the people who rebelled against God in the nation of Israel. Moreover, his experience is a picture o f what hap­ pens to any man who turns his back upon God and disobeys Him. "But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vine­ dressers and husbandmen” (v. 12). This was the climax in Judah’s hu­ miliation. All of the people of wealth and position were carried away into captivity. Only the poor who, no doubt, in times of prosperity were oppressed by the rich, were left to occupy the land and they remained for the benefit' of the Chaldeans. In all of this it is vividly seen how the pride of Judah and Jerusalem was brought low. This was a perfect illustration of the Scripture: “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 36:18). A Seven-fold Result of Sin—verses 1 to 12: (1) Famine, v. 3 (phy­ sical and spiritual); (2) destruc­ tion, v. 4; (3) separation, v. 4b; (4) judgment, w . 5-7; (5) desecration, v. 9; (6) bondage, v. 11; and (7) humiliation, v. 12. One only needs to add up all these things to see what an awful monster sin is. It works these evil effects at all times and among all peoples. For the Children J e r e m ia h S t a n d s b y H is P e o p l e ( J e r e m ia h 39:1, 9-14; 40:1-6) M e m o r y V e rse : “The Lord will give strength unto his people” (Psa. 29:11). Because God’s people, the Jews, had sinned, God allowed an enemy to enter their land and to take most of them captive into a strange coun­ try. Those who were poor were left in Palestine to care for the fields and the vineyards. Jeremiah, God’s faithful servant, might have held an important position in the land of the enemy, but he chose to stay with the poor Jews in their homeland, and to help them build again their homes that had been destroyed by the en­ emy. How unselfish was this servant of the Lord! Rather than thinking of himself only, he thought of his friends. He chose to work with them rather than to gain fame and wealth for himself. The enemies had burned the temple, the house of the king, and all the houses of the rulers of

The city was besieged lor nearly two years until at last there was no more food, and famine prevailed. The final downfall was not by the strength of the Chaldean army, but by the action of God in fulfilling His word spoken by the prophets. In connection with this lesson, Sec­ ond Chronicles 36 and Jeremiah 39- 52 should be read in order to under­ stand the hidden causes of Judah’s destruction. For about one hundred years, Judah had the example of Israel’s captivity, but instead of this drawing her toward God, she turned farther and farther away from Him, persisting in her rejection of His commands, her rebellion against His word, and her refusal of His author­ ity. T h e F l ig h t F r o m J e r u s a l e m (25:4-7) The army fled one way and King Zedekiah fled by another. But nei­ ther the army nor the king could escape and the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah was fulfilled. There is no possible escape from the consequences of sin (Num. 32:23; Rom. 6:23). The captured Zedekiah was brought to the king of Babylon and judged, his sons slain before him, his eyes put out, and himself de­ ported to Babylon. Thus all that God had warned by His prophet Jere­ miah was literally fulfilled. T h e D e s t r u c t io n o f J e r u s a l e m (25:8-12) The houses of all the leading men, together with the house of the Lord, were burnt with fire, and the very walls of the city were broken down. Everything was gone. Only the poor of the land were left, to become slave laborers for the Chaldeans. What a tragedy! It could have been, and would have been, wholly averted, had the people been willing to hearken to the word of the Lord. This is a lesson for our own day. Points and Problems "And they slew the sons of Zede­ kiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon” (v. 7). A tragic picture! All the result of sin. We read in the previous chapter, verse 19, that Zedekiah did evil as did Jehoiakim before him. How slow men are to learn that sin is a hard taskmaster! It always pays o ff in MAY, 1947

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