1-OT 31 Jeremiah

Lesson #31 - Jeremiah 2019 Before starting this lesson, read at least Jeremiah, chapters 1, 2, 6, 29, 36, 38, 43, 52. If possible read the whole book. You may find it helpful to read just the minimum chapters, go thru the lesson and then read the whole book. You will discover what works best for you. Jeremiah is one of the longer books, so it begins with a lot more information. In 1:1 Jeremiah tells us about himself. Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Jeremiah is from Anathoth, a small town 3 miles northeast of Jerusalem. In other words, he is from the southern nation of Judah His father is one of the priests in this town. This means Jeremiah is from the tribe of Levi and will also be a priest. . Jerusalem . Judah JEREMIAH In verse 5, God tells him, Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. This verse does not mean Jeremiah existed before his conception. With God, there is no past or future. He sees everything in the eternal present. He knows everything from beginning to end but sees it as present time. So knowing that one day Jeremiah would be conceived and born, God decided way back then, to use him as a prophet. But it is only now that He reveals it to Jeremiah. Jeremiah immediately gives excuses - I do not know how to speak; I am only a child or youth. 1:6 The Hebrew word in this context means not qualified because I’m too young. Jeremiah is qualified to eventually become a Jewish priest. But God’s laws said he had to be 25 years old to begin training. He had to be 30, before he could start serving. This law was only for priests. But the Jews had added this age requirement for prophets as well. When God calls Jeremiah to be a prophet, he replies, But I’m not even qualified to start training. In other words, he is in his early 20’s, but not yet 25. God replies, In regards to your qualification - I am giving you the authority. In regards to not being good at public speaking, I will put My words in your mouth. The problem is, most of the words will be words of judgment. After awhile, the people will turn against Jeremiah and try to kill him. This is why God guarantees his protection. He does this in picture language. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord. 1:18-19 Jeremiah does not experience this opposition the first 25 years of his ministry. But then it happens. His enemies threaten and beat him; one time they put him in prison; another time they put him in a dry cistern – a large hole in the ground. But God keeps His promise and preserves his life until his ministry is finished. Chapter 16 tells us more about Jeremiah's life. 16:2 Then the word of the Lord came to me, you must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place. God is not against marriage. But in this case, remaining single will emphasize the urgency of Jeremiah’s message. The coming judgment will be soon - in his lifetime. It will also be devastating. Those who are married will suffer more when they see their spouse and children tortured and killed. FACTS ABOUT JEREMIAH A Levite who was in line to be a priest Called to be a prophet Single – 20 – 24 years old Lived and worked in Jerusalem Chapter 1 gives us the TIME of Jeremiah's ministry The word of the Lord came to him in the 13th year of the reign of Josiah, son of Amon, king of Judah and thru the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah…, down to… the 11th year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah…. 1:2 700 BC 650 A Manasseh Josiah Ashur-banipal b 600 im d. J -k Ze Jeremiah’s ministry is during the time of kings Josiah, Jehoiakim, Zedekiah and then 5 years after that. 560 It covers a period of 47 years from 627 - 580 BC. Most of this time Jeremiah spends in Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar Zephaniah Nahum Growing up, he knew and listened to Nahum. As a prophet he was contemporary with Zephaniah, Habakkuk and Obadiah. Habakkuk b Jeremiah When he was 45, he knew Daniel and Ezekiel as teenagers. Jeremiah is the prophet that ties them all together. (The lines of the prophets represent only their years of ministry. The thin line is the time of growing up; “b” stands for “born”) OUTLINE Events before Jerusalem falls Events after Jerusalem falls Facts about Gentile nations Historical Supplement 1-38 39-45 46-51 52 Because this is a Jewish book, events are not in chronological order. To make them chronological, we will be skipping back and forth between the chapters. The previous lesson was about Habakkuk. Jeremiah, (627-580), begins his ministry 3 years before Habakkuk’s ministry, (624-605). He ends his ministry 25 years after Habakkuk. Jeremiah gives God’s message to the people and to the last 5 kings of Judah: Josiah, 3 of his sons and a grandson. The choices and actions of these kings determines what Jeremiah will say. As we focus on the kings and their choices, we will better understand the message Jeremiah gives them. King Josiah Politically, Assyria, in 640 BC, is still the superpower. The nation of Judah has become independent once again Josiah is named king of Judah when he is just 8 years old. His advisors rule the country for 11 years. But when Josiah turns 20, he begins to rule in 640 BC. ASSYRIA Nineveh Jerusalem JUDAH Babylon 650 BC THE ASSYRIAN EMPIRE Spiritually, Josiah is totally committed to God. He wants God’s people to also be committed. So at 20 years old, during his first year of ruling, he leads the nation in spiritual reform. He gets rid of all the pagan idols and commands everyone to worship only Yahweh God. Attendance at temple services is greater than ever. The Jews sing and say just the right things. Everyone is involved in the celebration of the holy days. After one year of spiritual reform, the king and a believing remnant, a minority, follow God because they want to. This includes some of the unnamed prophets and Jewish priests. However the majority of God’s people and spiritual leaders only follow God because they have to. Outwardly the people accept Josiah’s destruction of the public idols. But they keep their own and worship them in the privacy of their homes. Some idols have been put in secret rooms on the temple grounds. After temple worship, the people go to these rooms for another service to worship the idols. Outwardly everyone does what they are supposed to, but privately they do what they want to. God watches and waits during this year of reform and then uses Jeremiah to let the people know what He has seen. He begins with picture language to point out the foolishness of their thinking My people have committed 2 sins. They have forsaken Me, the spring of living water and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. 2:13 2 In those days, there were 2 major sources of water. On their property, some people had springs which gave them fresh, running water. Others had cisterns - large holes dug in the ground and lined with waterproof mortar. These holes collected and stored rain water. Water from the springs was always fresh and available. Water from cisterns would get stale and stagnant. If the cistern developed a crack, it would be empty and useless. No one who was thirsty would ever reject spring water and think water from a cistern would be more satisfying. But spiritually, that is what the people of Judah have done. They turned from God - the source of life and blessing - a spring of living water. They believed their own ways would be more satisfying and would give them more happiness. But in the end, they will discover they have nothing but a big hole of emptiness in their lives. God now gives His opinion of their spiritual reform. In chapter 3:10, He says the nation’s return is only in pretense. In chapter 5:30 He summarizes the situation A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and My people love it this way. But what will you do in the end, meaning, when judgment comes? In chapter 6:13-14, God says. From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. They dress the wound of My people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace. Verse 16 Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Verse 20 What do I care about incense from Sheba or sweet calamus from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable; your sacrifices do not please Me.” This has been Jeremiah’s message starting in the 2nd year of king Josiah’s rule and continuing for the next 20 years. In spite of all the temple worship and ceremonies, there is idolatry, pretense, refusal to listen and refusal to obey. The spiritual leaders have either changed God’s word or rejected God’s word. Because God’s people do not want to obey, God does not want their worship. He finds it unacceptable. King Josiah has used his political power and authority to bring the nation back to God. But it has not worked. Outward laws are never enough to change people’s hearts. It has to come from within. Josiah is the last godly king the Jews will have. During all 31 years of his rulership, he remains faithful to God. However, the majority of people have said no to God. Politically, in the last 3 years of Josiah’s life, from 612 to 609 BC, there are 2 major changes in his world. Assyria has become so weak, that Babylon attacks Nineveh in 612 BC and defeats her. It is the end of the formal Assyrian empire. Over the next 3 years, Babylon and Egypt begin Å Carchemish to develop their empires. When Josiah tries to stop Egypt, he is THE EMPIRES OF EGYPT & BABYLON killed in battle in 609 BC. His oldest son becomes king. As Egypt develops her empire, she takes control of Judah. The army takes Josiah’s son #1 as prisoner to Egypt, where he dies. She then names Josiah’s son #2 as king. He is pro-Egypt. His name is Jehoiakim. The time is 609 BC Babylon JUDAH King Jehoiakim 609 BC Politically, Judah is now under the complete control of Egypt. Four years go by. In 605 BC, Babylon decides to expand her empire to the west. Since the Babylonian king is getting older, his son now leads the army in battle. His name is Nebuchadnezzar. He and the army attack Carchemish, which has been under the control of the Egyptians. After Babylon captures it, they expect to head south. But Nebuchadnezzar suddenly gets word his father has died. It is August 605 BC. So leaving his army near Carchemish, he returns briefly to Babylon to be crowned king in the month of September. By October Nebuchadnezzar rejoins the troops at Carchemish and heads south. 3 Spiritually, Jehoiakim is not interested in God, so he tells the people they can do what they want. They can pick and choose which laws they want to obey. It is during this time Habakkuk writes his book. When the nation of Judah hears the Babylonian army is coming, king Jehoiakim and the people know it is a national crisis. The king proclaims a day of fasting and everyone goes to the temple grounds. Jeremiah is in hiding because the king had ordered his arrest. So Jeremiah writes down a message from God and sends it to be read to the people where they have gathered. The message tells them that because of their disobedience, Babylon will come and take them into exile. They need to turn to God and follow His ways. Within just a few weeks king Nebuchadnezzar arrives. Up to this point Jehoiakim has been pro-Egypt since they had made him king. But now with the Babylonian army at his palace, he tells Nebuchadnezzar he has changed his mind. He is now pro-Babylon. With his statement of allegiance, Babylon lets him remain as king. However, Nebuchadnezzar takes other members of the royal family to use them in the Babylonian government. While this may sound strange, it does make sense. THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE - 605 BC Babylon knows Judah will never fight against them if Jewish royalty is in Babylon as part of the government. The group being taken to Babylon includes Daniel and his 3 friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army leave. Altho Judah is now under Babylon’s control, JUDAH nothing bad has happened to them. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief. But instead of being grateful to God, the people become complacent and soon forget about God. Babylon DESERT One year goes by. It is now December 604 BC. Nebuchadnezzar returns to the area to collect taxes and secure his empire. He goes to the land of the Philistines and destroys all of them. This is now the end of the Philistines as a people and country. They become extinct. With the complete destruction of the Philistines and their cities, the Jews become afraid Nebuchadnezzar might do the same to them. After all, he’s just a few miles to their west. So once again, a day of fasting is proclaimed and all the people come to the temple. Again the words of God thru Jeremiah are read to them. This es Jerusalem in time the Jews take it seriously. In fact they are so concerned, they t s i il want their king to hear the message. Ph . . Judah So one of the king’s servants takes it to the palace and reads it to king Jehoiakim. It was the 9th month - December, according to the Jewish calendar and the king was sitting in the winter apartment with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him. Whenever Jehudi (the king’s servant) had read 3 or 4 columns of the scroll, Jeremiah’s message, the king cut them off with a scribe’s knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire. The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes. 36:22-24. In defiance of God, the king burns God’s word. He would rather destroy it than have to listen and obey it. Our culture expresses fear or shock with an audible gasp. In the days of the Old Testament, instead of a gasp, they would tear their outer coat. It would show their shock and fear of what God might do. When they did not tear their clothes, it meant there was no fear of God among the leaders of the nation. What is so amazing is that God does not punish Jehoiakim immediately. Two years earlier, Habakkuk had prayed, Lord, in Your judgment, remember to show mercy. God is now going to give Judah 7 years of mercy before He sends judgment. God gives Jehoiakim and the people 7 more years to repent. During this time Jeremiah continues to give God’s messages God causes Nebuchadnezzar to leave the area and let the king and nation of Judah continue. 4 Nebuchadnezzar returns to Babylon in 603 BC. Three years go by. King Jehoiakim continues in his rebellion against God. In addition, he decides to rebel against Babylon and make a treaty with Egypt. Surprisingly, Babylon does nothing for the next 4 years. God is still showing mercy and delaying His judgment. But the defiance of leaders and people continues. When God’s mercy is rejected over a long period of time, God has no choice but to respond in the judgment they have deserved. In 597 BC, Nebuchadnezzar come with his army. By the time he gets there, Jehoiakim has died a natural death and his son, (Josiah’s grandson), Jehoiachin - has been king for 3 months. Jeremiah has told him if he surrenders peacefully, it will go well with him. And so the king and his family surrender. Josiah’s son #1 had been king, (Jehoahaz), but was then taken to Egypt as prisoner. Son #2 – Jehoiakim - has just died. The grandson – Jehoiachin - has just surrendered to Babylon, so now another king is needed. rd Josiah has a 3 son, so Babylon appoints him to be king. His name is Zedekiah. Because the Babylonians make him king, he is pro- Babylon. Babylon leaves, taking with them Josiah’s grandson, (Jehoiachin) his mother and immediate family who have surrendered. In addition they take 10,000 Jewish people of the middle class - the business and professional people. THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE - 597 BC Included in this group is Ezekiel, a young man in his 20’s. These people will be settled in exile in Babylon. 10,000 deported Babylon JUDAH DESERT Everything Jeremiah has said, has happened. Surely now the new king and people will listen to God. But instead, we are told, Then the officials said to the king, Zedekiah, this man, Jeremiah, should be put to death. He is discouraging the soldiers who are left in this city, as well as all the people, by the things he is saying to them. This man is not seeking the good of these people, but their ruin. 38:4 Jehoiakim, his brother, had burned God’s word. Now Zedekiah wants to kill God’s prophet. He thinks if he can get rid of God’s messenger, he will be rid of God’s message. Jeremiah faces reality. After all these years of speaking, the people and king have fully understood God’s message. They have now chosen to deliberately reject it. So Jeremiah stops speaking to them. Personally I think Jeremiah sets the example for us. When people are confused, searching, or asking questions about God’s ways, we should talk and warn them as long as possible. But, once they understand what God wants and decide they will not do it, there is nothing more we can say or that we should say. At that point, we need to stop talking, pray even harder for them and leave them in God’s hands. The situation is now completely between them and God. This is what Jeremiah does. His thoughts now go to those who have been taken to Babylon. While in exile, they need encouragement. So Jeremiah writes them a letter. We have a copy of it in chapter 29. Verse 1 tell us this is the text of Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon. Verse 4-7 This is what the letter said: This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. Build houses and settle down; Plant gardens and eat what they produce; Marry and have sons and daughters; (only with other Jewish families Deuteronomy 7:3-4) Find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 5 Also seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. This is referring to the capital city of Babylon, not the cities in which they are living. The Jews in Babylon need this instruction. There are false prophets telling them they will return to Jerusalem in just a few months. The situation is temporary so they should not bother to unpack. Jeremiah tells them to settle down, adapt themselves and accept their new situation. In the past, this period of Jewish history was called the Babylonian captivity. But as you can see, the Jews are not living in prison camps – they are not prisoners. They are in exile. But they are free to live where ever they want within the large area assigned to them. They can build homes, plant gardens, marry and have their own businesses. The only restriction is they must stay in the area where they have been resettled. Jeremiah also tells them how long it will be. This is what the Lord says, when 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill My gracious promise to bring you back to this place, meaning Jerusalem. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you certainty and a future. 29:10-11 Notice. God’s purpose in sending them into exile was not to destroy them – His purpose was judgment and discipline for their extreme disobedience. Thru the judgment, would come repentance so He could once again bless them. He assures them, that as a people, His plans are to prosper them. Our Bibles use the word hope, which means “maybe” but the Hebrew word means certainty. God has a certainty and a future for them. But there is a condition. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. Notice that phrase - with all your heart. The Jews claimed to be seeking God in the days of Josiah, but it was only in pretense. God tells His people, When you start to obey, I will be found by you, declares the Lord and will bring you back from exile. 29:12-14 This letter is the most effective part in all of Jeremiah’s ministry. It encourages the people when they receive it. For the next 60 years they will use it for encouragement. God had promised their descendants would return. The people will make new copies and pass it on to each new generation. It will guide Daniel in his later years, to know what to do. After writing this letter, Jeremiah now only works with the believing remnant. The king and people continue to ignore God and do what they want. After some 9 years, king Zedekiah does what his brother had done - he rebels against Babylon and make a treaty with Egypt. Once again Nebuchadnezzar comes with the armies of Babylon. Rather than attack directly, they surround the capital for the next 2 years. With lack of food, water or any supplies, Jerusalem finally gives up. Babylon breaks down the walls and burns the city and Temple in 586 BC. Because Jeremiah has been supportive of Babylon and is now 65 years old, he is allowed to choose. He can go to Babylon with the others or stay in Jerusalem. Jeremiah chooses to stay in the land. Babylon picks a Jewish man who is pro-Babylon and puts him over the people who are left. (Gedeliah) Zedekiah the king is blinded and taken to a Babylonian prison. The other Jews are exiled to live in the Babylon communities with the Jews who are already there. Only the indigent Jews are left in the burned city of Jerusalem. 6 THE BABYLONIAN EMPIRE - 586 BC remaining Jews deported Babylon EGYPT nation of JUDAH off the map Within 3 months radical Jews kill the new leader in Jerusalem. The people are afraid Babylon will return to kill those who are still in Jerusalem. So Jewish leaders force all the remaining Jews to flee with them to Egypt. This includes Jeremiah and the scribe who does the writing for him, a man named Baruch. Jeremiah lived and worked in Jerusalem. He predicted and saw the Babylonian exile happen in 3 stages Nebuchadnezzar 1 2 3 deportations 605 597 586 BC Babylon JUDAH The 1st happened in 605 BC when only royalty was taken Daniel and his 3 friends were among them nd The 2 was 8 years later in 597 Business and professional people were taken including Ezekiel The 3rd exile was 11 years later in 586 Everyone but Jeremiah and the indigent Jews were taken If the kings had listened to Jeremiah and accepted Babylon’s control, many of the Jews would never have been killed or exiled. In mercy, God wanted to limit His judgment. But the people continued to rebel, insisting on doing things their way. So God had to bring even greater judgment. This is why Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army returned to burn their city and temple. Jeremiah’s book is about rejection of God. Chapters 1-38 are events and teaching before Jerusalem falls - a period of 42 years The more the people refused to listen, the more severe Jeremiah’s words became, until finally, the only thing he could tell them was, You made your choice - you refused God’s message. God has now made His choice - He will punish you with exile in Babylon. Nothing can change it, so accept it. If during the time you are in Babylon you, your children and grandchildren return to the Lord, then in 70 years God will restore you as a nation in Judah. As the Jewish people, you will always exist. Chapters 39-45 are events and teaching after Jerusalem falls. The Jews left in Jerusalem flee to northern and southern Egypt. Considering they have lost everything: homes, land, their king and nation, we would think they would turn back to God. But no, God’s people turn even more to the pagan gods they had worshipped in Judah. For the next 5 years Jeremiah reminds then of their sin and urges their repentance. This makes the Jews so mad, they stone him to death and he dies a martyr in Egypt when he is 70 years old. Once the Jews understood and made their choice, there was nothing more Jeremiah could say. His ministry was finished. So God allowed him to die. Chapters 46-51 are the judgments God will bring against 9 Gentile nations Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Babylon Damascus Philistia Ammon Moab H DA Hazor JU Edom Kedar Babylon During Jeremiah’s ministry, he condemned their Egypt RT sins because they rejected the knowledge God had ESE D given them. He described how God would punish them and nothing could stop His judgment. The GOD'S JUDGMENT ON NATIONS scribe helping Jeremiah wrote it down and later put it at the end of the book. Some of the judgments against these nations happened over the next 500 years. Part of them will happen sometime in our future. Chapter 52 is an historical supplement. Either the scribe helping Jeremiah or a later scribe wrote this chapter. It includes more details about Jerusalem’s fall. Plus it gives events that happened 20 years later in Babylon. It was written to prove Jeremiah was a prophet from God. 7 In 597 BC, Jeremiah told the king that if he and his family peacefully surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar it would go well with them. But then that king (Jehoiachin) had been taken to Babylon and put in prison. It appeared Jeremiah had been wrong. This would mean Jeremiah was a false prophet. Chapter 52 gives the full picture. After 37 years, the Jewish king was freed from prison and elevated to a position of honor. For the rest of his life, he and his family were completely provided for by the king of Babylon. Jeremiah’s words had been accurate. It was proof he was God’s true prophet. This book is hard to read. It is depressing and hard to follow. Most of all it is repetitious. For example, 76 times God says, You left Me; Me you denied Me You do not receive My words You rebelled against Me You will not obey/hear Me Me You forgot Me Because God’s judgment is going to be so severe, God wants it on the Jewish record – This was not His choice, but the choice of His people. It was not His fault; it was their fault. To prove how hard He had tried to get thru, 11 times God says, & again I spoke spokeagain again & again & again untiringly II spoke spokeagain persistently, I spoke rising up early God spoke; the people heard; the people chose. They chose to say no to God. Finally there was nothing that could stop God’s judgment on the nation. Jeremiah had trouble believing this. He thought if he prayed and warned enough, God’s judgment could be prevented, no matter how bad it got. But God told him, … do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them. Do not plead with Me, for I will not listen to you. 7:16 Then the Lord said to me, Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people, meaning the Jewish nation. Send them away from My presence. Let them go…15:1 Be assured, these verses are only talking about nations – never about individuals. God never would say this about individuals. But in the 500’s BC, God’s judgment could not be prevented on Jewish and Gentile nations. This is still true for nations in the 2000’s AD. God shows mercy and gives nations years and years of opportunity, blessing and warning. Sometimes He gives them hundreds of years. But deliberate and continued rejection requires God’s judgment on a nation. However, within that nation, there is always mercy for individuals who are seeking Him and obeying Him. The most effective prayer will be, Lord, in Your judgment on our nation, remember mercy to individuals. So often, the worse things get, the more we think we have to talk our faith God is showing us, the worse things get, the more we have to live our faith. It is the steps of obedience and focusing on God that will develop and deepen our faith. It will then show up in our life. Those who are searching; those filled with fear and questions will see the difference God has made in our life. They will want to know more. This is when we can give them the good news of Jesus. Before we can effectively share our faith, we must first learn to live our faith. 8 EXTRA INFORMATION FOR THE STUDIOUS AND INQUISITIVE Their Family Line Royalty - From the royal family of David Isaiah, Zephaniah, Daniel Priestly - Qualified to be priests Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah PROPHETS Their Dates (all are BC) Jeremiah - Born 650 His ministry 627 – 580 starts in the 13th year of Josiah th Habakkuk - His ministry 624 – 605 starts in the 16 year of Josiah Wrote his book in 606 Jeremiah is c. 23 - king Josiah is 21 Ezekiel - Born 622 His ministry 592 – 570 Daniel - Born 620 Taken to Babylon at 15 years old – in 605 KIN G S Josiah – king of Judah 640-609 Born in 648 Named king when he is 8 years old - in 640 He begins to rule when he is 20 - in 628 He dies when he is 39 - in 609 He has 3 sons – Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah – all of whom become kings He has a grandson – Jehoiachin, who also becomes king (for 3 months) Nebuchadnezzar – king of Babylon 605-562 9