In the previous reflection, we saw how Jerusalem was plundered and looted. The temple, palace, and houses, both great and small were set on fire and destroyed. Solomon’s temple which was so magnificently built was dismantled. The Babylonians took away much bronze smelted from the temple's pillars, and the bronze stands of the sea were taken back to Babylon. On top of that, they also took with them all the ecclesiastical accessories of bronze, silver, and gold.
Jeremiah 52:24-27 like 2 Kings
25:18-21 tells us that the captain of the guard Nebuchadnezzar’s army took with
him chief priest Seraiah, the deputy priest Zephaniah, three temple
officers, and some key officials of the city and brought them to King
Nebuchadnezzar. Besides the priests and the three temple officers, Nebuzaradan
also took some of Jerusalem’s key personnel of to the king of Babylon.
Verse 25 said that he also “…took
an officer who had been in command of the men of war, and seven men of the
king's council, who were found in the city; and the secretary of the commander
of the army, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people
of the land, who were found in the midst of the city.” All these
were brought to Nebuchadnezzar in Riblah who had them struck down and killed.
Fulfilling the word foretold of the nation, verse 21 said that Judah was
brought into exile.
In Jeremiah 52:23-30,
additional information was given. Here the number of people taken to Jerusalem into
captivity was enumerated. These three
verses expressly said “This is the number
of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive: in the seventh
year, 3,023 Judeans; in the
eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832
persons; in the twenty-third year of
Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of
the Judeans 745 persons; all the persons were 4,600.”
All that had happened to
Jerusalem was not without a cause or reason. God had warned in Deuteronomy that
if his people should break the covenant with Him, all these would overtake
them. This was clearly stipulated in Deuteronomy 4:27. His warning to them was:
"The Lord will scatter you
among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where
the LORD drives
you.” However, God did not do it for fun. He did it to straighten them.
Their experience was to get them to repent. In their exile, if they returned to
Him, He promised to restore them. Deuteronomy 4:29-31 reads, “But from there
you will seek the LORD your God, and you will
find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your
soul. When
you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the
latter days you will return to the LORD your God and listen to His voice. For the LORD your God is a compassionate
God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the
covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.”
What a glorious, merciful, and
faithful God! The tragedy that had happened
to Jerusalem was due to neglect. If every generation had made sure to pass down
the warning faithfully, the problem they faced could have been
avoided. Somewhere along the line, the communication broke.
And that led the subsequent generation to have a careless disregard for
God. Had every generation played their part responsibly, the rot could have
been averted. Herein is also a warning for us parents. If we fail to emphasize
the importance of being faithful to God, the guilt and blood of our children
will be on our hands. We need to teach our children to live responsibly and to
cultivate a life of faithfulness toward God.
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