Mon.’s Devo - Jeremiah’s Last Words

Read: Jeremiah 51:54-52:34; Titus 3:1-15; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 26:18-19 The end of Chapter 51 is the continuation of yesterday. It is the prophecy given against Babylon. It tells of her doom and destruction. Jeremiah gave the message written on a scroll to Neriah, the grandson of a staff officer who was being taken to Babylon with King Zedekiah. He told him when he got to Babylon that he was to read this aloud to the people. He was to tell them that neither people or animals would survive what was coming to Babylon Then he was to tie the scroll to a stone and throw it into the Euphrates River and say, “In this same way, Babylon and her people will sink, never again to rise, because of the disasters I will bring upon her.” *** Chapter 52 tells of Zedekiah’s reign. He was 21 when he became king and reigned in Jerusalem 11 years. He was an evil king who worshipped idols and refused to repent or listen to the prophets. *** Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon and stopped paying him tribute so in his ninth year as king, Nebuchadnezzar sent his army against Jerusalem. They besieged the city for two years before they broke through the wall. The people inside were starving and all the soldiers fled. The king and his officers tried to escape through the gate behind the kings’ garden but the Babylonians overtook them. They made Zedekiah watch as his son’s eyes were killed, then gouged his eyes out, so that was the last thing he saw. He was taken to Babylon where he remained in prison till his death. *** That fall, the captain of the Babylonian army came back to Jerusalem and burned down the Temple of the Lord and the royal palace and all the houses in Jerusalem. He destroyed all the buildings in the city and tore down the walls of Jerusalem on every side. He took most of the people into exile but left some of the poorest people to stay and care for the vineyards and fields. *** They dismantled everything of value in the Temple and carried it to Babylon. The priests were taken to Babylon as well as all the political officers. They took a total of 4,600 people captive. *** After they had been in exile for 37 years, Evil-merodach ascended to the throne of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin who was now 45 years old. He released him from prison and gave him a place of honor. He gave him new clothes and allowed him to eat in his presence the rest of his life. Jehoiachin had been 8 years old when he was taken to Babylon so he had grown up more Babylonian than Jewish. *** In the New Testament, Paul continues his advise to Titus. They should be obedient and always ready to do good, not given to lusts and pleasure and not with envy or hate. *** Jesus washed away our sins and gave us a brand new life and gave us his Holy Spirit to give us power to be his witnesses. We now have confidence that we have eternal life through Christ. *** Paul warns leaders over and over not to get into discussions with people in the world that don’t understand our way of living and are not interested in changing their lives. It is useless to spend time quarreling with them. *** Lord, may we learn from the mistakes of the past and not allow ourselves to come under the bondage of deception and idolatry. May our hearts remain pure and may you be first in all we do.