THE “eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month” is a date of painful memory to the children of Israel, for on that day Judah ceased to be a kingdom; then there came off his throne the last son of David to hold dominion over God’s earthly people until that Son reigns Who is David’s Lord. The city which Jehovah had chosen to set His name there, now forsaken by Him, was entered by the princes of Nebuchadnezzar, representing the power of Babylon.
It is well known that Babylonia was devoted to idolatry; even their children were given names intended to honor national or local false gods. Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebuchadnezzar, as the name is spelled in Daniel and commonly) means in the Chaldean language, “Nebo protects the youth”, or perhaps “Nebo is the protector of landmarks’, Sanwar-Nebo is “One who is devoted to Nebo”, and Nergal-sharezar is “Nergal protects the king”. Except that God had given us to know (1 Cor. 10:19, 20) that the worship of idols is really the worship of demons, we should feel only pity for those who bow before images, Think, however, of these men whose lives were bound up with the service of the devil, sitting in the place of authority in the city of the great King!
In view of what we have learned in reading through Isaiah and Jeremiah, we shall not ask who was to blame for the calamity which had now become Jerusalem’s and Judah’s. The cause was the giving up of the true God for the false gods of the nations, on the part of the king of Judah, his princes, his prophets and his people. Had they been warned of the evils to come upon them if they persisted in their ways? Yes, not only had they the testimony of Jeremiah and Isaiah, but also that of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah on this very subject, and going further back in the Word of God, Moses in Deut. 28:36; Joshua in chapter 23:13 of the book which bears his name, and in 2 Chron. 7:19-22 God speaking in answer to king Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the temple; all these passages contain forewarnings of what took place at this time.
In verse 3 it may be of interest to note that two of the names are not personal but official; Rab-saris is “chief-eunuch” or chief chamberlain; Rab-mag is “chief priest”. 2 Kings 8:17 and Isaiah 36:2 give a third official title: Rab-shakeh, meaning “chief officer” or chief cup-bearer.
Verse 4: Zedekiah and his men of war did not get far in their effort to escape by night; how could they since they had no regard for God and had refused His counsel? The Holy Spirit has in the New Testament, spoken in words few and easily remembered by all: “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Zedekiah and his companions chose sin, and received the wages thereof.
Nebuchadnezzar, who had been with his besieging army around Jerusalem, was now at Riblah, about 70 miles north of Damascus on the way to the Euphrates, and to him was Zedekiah brought. Perhaps because of his broken promise of loyalty, given in Jehovah’s name, Nebuchadnezzar treated Zedekiah with marked cruelty, slaughtering his sons before his eyes, and blinding him before taking him in chains to Babylon. All the nobles of Judah were put to death; the king’s house and the houses of the people were burned, and Jerusalem’s walls were broken down; Nebuzar-adan (“Nebo has given offspring”), the captain of the bodyguard of Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive into Babylon the rest of the people, except “the poor who had nothing.”
Jeremiah was given his liberty under Nebuchadnezzar’s orders (verses 11-14), and Ebed-melech (“slave of the king”), because he had put his trust in Jehovah, was spared from the judgments that bell the wicked (verses 10-18). We find no further reference to this man of dark skin in the Scriptures, but we are assured that we shall meet him in the glory of God above.
ML-03/24/1935