SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 7/22/2014
8:00 AM
My Worship Time Focus: God’s Word
Fulfilled PT-1
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Jeremiah 39:1-7; 52:1-11
Message of the
verses: In today’s SD we will be beginning
the last of the four main points from Warren Wiersbe’s outline on his 10th
chapter of his commentary on the book of Jeremiah which he has entitled “Be
Decisive.” We will begin with the first
sub-point that covers the first seven verses and then there will be two more
sub-points that we will cover before we begin the next section or chapter from
his book which covers chapters 40-45 of the book of Jeremiah. I have not completely decided as to whether
or not I will take the entire month of August to look at the fifth chapter of 1
Thessalonians, but that be what I want to do and then move back into Jeremiah
in September.
Chapters 39 and 52 along with 2 Kings 25 and 2 Chronicles
36 tell the tragic story of the fall of Jerusalem and the deportation of the
Jews to Babylon where earlier there had been two other deportations of the
people to Babylon, that is in 605 and also 597, and this one takes place in 586
when Jerusalem is burnt along with the temple of the Lord.
God’s Judgment on Zedekiah (Jeremiah 39:1-7; 52:1-11): “1 Now when Jerusalem was captured in the
ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; 2 in the
eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month,
the city wall was breached. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon
came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu,
Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the
officials of the king of Babylon. 4 When Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the
men of war saw them, they fled and went out of the city at night by way of the
king’s garden through the gate between the two walls; and he went out toward
the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued them and overtook Zedekiah
in the plains of Jericho; and they seized him and brought him up to
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed
sentence on him. 6 Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah before
his eyes at Riblah; the king of Babylon also slew all the nobles of Judah. 7 He
then blinded Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters of bronze to bring him to
Babylon.”
“1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king,
and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He did evil in the sight of the LORD like all
that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For through the anger of the LORD this came about in
Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah
rebelled against the king of Babylon. 4 Now it came about in the ninth year of
his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and
built a siege wall all around it. 5 So the city was under siege until the
eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 6 On the ninth day of the fourth month the
famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the
land. 7 Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went
forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was
by the king’s garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they
went by way of the Arabah. 8 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and
overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from
him. 9 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at
Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. 10 The king of
Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also
slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah. 11 Then he blinded the eyes of
Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him
to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.”
Warren Wiersbe begins this section with the date from our
calendar of when this even happened according to the fourth verse of chapter
52: “Now it came about in the ninth year
of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and
built a siege wall all around it.” This
was “January 15 of 588 and two and a half years later, on July 18, 686, the
Babylonian army penetrated the city walls.”
This even began the “times of the Gentiles” according to Luke 21:24 and
it will end with the coming of the Messiah at the end of the tribulation period
when our Lord Jesus Christ comes back to planet earth to set up His kingdom as
He will rule from Jerusalem on David’s throne for 1000 years as this will be
the promised kingdom for the Jewish people.
The Lord through His prophet had told Zedekiah to surrender
to the Babylonians on many different occasions but he refused and now we see
the results of his refusal as he tried to escape, but was caught and sentence
was pronounced upon him and the last thing that he would see was all his son’s
slain and then his eyes were blinded and he headed off to Babylon where he
would die. Let us look at Ezekiel 12:13 “"I
will also spread My net over him, and he will be caught in My snare. And I will
bring him to Babylon in the land of the Chaldeans; yet he will not see it,
though he will die there.” This verse is
talking about Zedekiah and prophecies that he will die in Babylon but will not
see the land and he did not for he was blinded.
I want to take the time to mention about how King Zedekiah
is mentioned in Jeremiah 52 where it says “1 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old
when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s
name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 He did evil in the sight
of the LORD like all that Jehoiakim had done (Jeremiah 52:1-3).” This is the way that we see a summary of all
of the kings as we have looked at them in the books of 1st and 2nd
Kings, as the author gives a brief summary of the lives of the kings of Israel
and Judah. On many occasions as we read
about these kings it would not be something that we would want to be remembered
by as was the case of Zedekiah.
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I don’t have a prophet
to speak to me like Zedekiah did in the person of Jeremiah, but I do have the
complete Word of God and also I have the Holy Spirit living in me and I also
have a Church to attend where I can be taught the Word of God. With all of this said I need to follow what I
learn from these resources so that I can be remembered as one who followed the
Lord and not like Zedekiah.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to calm our hearts as we have
a rather stressful event going on at our house today.
Memory verses for the
week: Colossians 3:1-2.
1 Therefore if you have
been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Dust” (Genesis 2:7).
Today’s Bible
question: “When are people usually
drunk?”
Answer in our next SD.
7/22/2014 8:41 AM
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