After the death of righteous King Josiah, the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem came slowly but surely. God ordained it to be brought about gradually, in order to show that He has no pleasure in the ruin of sinners. He would much rather have them turn and live; so He gives them much time and encouragement to repent, and He waits to be gracious.

The history of the last four kings of Judah was described more fully in the last three chapters of the Second Book of Kings. Josiah’s son Jehoahaz was set up by the people in 609 BC; but three months later, he was deposed by Pharaoh Necho. He himself was carried a prisoner to Egypt, and Necho placed his brother Eliakim on the throne – changing his name to Jehoiakim, in token of his authority over him. Jehoiakim was very wild and wicked, and his character deteriorated as time went on. Among his various crimes, the one that will perhaps live the longest in human memory is his audacious act of cutting to pieces, with a penknife, the scroll containing Jeremiah’s prophetic warnings; and then he burned the pieces to ashes (Jer. 36:23). This atrocious action only led to the re-inscription of all the words of the first scroll upon a second, and the adding thereto of “many like words” (Jer. 36:32). The king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim in 607 BC. He allowed him to reign in Judah as a vassal-prince, but a large number of the Jews were led away into captivity at this time – Mordecai, Daniel, and his three friends among them. King Jehoiakim died in 598 BC and was given the disgraceful burial of a donkey (Jer. 22:18-19). Jehoiakim’s son Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah) attempted to reign in his father’s place; but after a short reign of three months and ten days (597 BC), the king of Babylon fetched him away, with even more Hebrew captives (including the prophet Ezekiel).

A third son of Josiah, named Zedekiah, was made king by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (597 BC), after his uncle Jehoiachin had been taken into Babylonian captivity. In Zedekiah’s days, the final judgment came upon the nation of Judah, in 586 BC; and he brought it upon himself by his own folly, for he conducted himself very badly toward the Lord and the king of Babylon. If he had only made God his friend, that would have prevented the ruin. Jeremiah brought him messages from God, which – if he had given proper regard to them – might have secured a lengthening of his tranquility. Rather, he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar (although he had sworn to be his faithful tributary), and wickedly violated his promises to him; and this provoked the king of Babylon to deal severely with him. The thing that ruined Zedekiah was not only that he failed to turn to the Lord God of Israel, but also that he obstinately resolved to not return to Him.

God showed tender compassion toward His people by sending prophets to convince them of their sin and warn them of the ruin that they would bring upon themselves by it. The methods that the Lord takes to reclaim sinners by His Word, by ministers, by conscience, and by Providence – these are all instances of His compassion toward them, and of His unwillingness that any should perish. But these wicked people mocked and persecuted the messengers of God – which is the same as committing an affront to God Himself.

The desolation of the land of Judah itself is recorded here, even though it was described in more detail in 2 Kings 25. Multitudes of the people were put to the sword. The Babylonians showed no natural pity – not even to women or the elderly. The people of Judah forsook God, Who had compassion on them; and therefore, they were justly given up into the hands of cruel men, who had no compassion on anyone. All the remaining vessels of the Temple, and all the treasures of the king and his princes, were seized and brought to Babylon. The Temple itself was burned; the walls of Jerusalem were demolished; the rich and stately houses were laid in ashes. And the remainder of the people that escaped the sword were carried captives to Babylon (verse 20); they were impoverished, enslaved, and exposed to all the miseries of a barbarous enemy’s land, where those who hated them ruled over them.

The last two verses of this chapter skip forward in history to the time of King Cyrus of Persia. These verses have a double aspect. First, they look back to Jeremiah’s prophecy, and show how it was accomplished. By him, God had promised the restoring of the Hebrew captives and the rebuilding of Jerusalem, at the end of 70 years. And this time for the Lord to favor Zion had come at last! After a long and dark night, the Dayspring from on high visited them! God is faithful to every word that He has spoken. Second, these two verses look forward to the history of Ezra; indeed, they are the same as the opening verses of the Book that bears Ezra’s name. In that Book, they are the introduction to a pleasant narrative, although here they are the conclusion of a very melancholy one; and so we learn from these verses that God’s Church may be cast down, but it is not cast off. Although Christ’s people may be corrected, they are not abandoned; although they may be placed in the furnace, they are not lost there, nor are they left there any longer than until the dross is refined. The Hebrew captives were brought home from Babylon in the Lord’s appointed time, and even the dry bones were made to live. Although the fulfillment of the Lord’s Word may tarry for a long time, wait for it – for it shall surely be fulfilled!

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