The Fall of Jerusalem

Introduction: Have you ever been in an argument with someone and found yourself desperate to be proven right? Even if it is a silly argument, there is something about us (pride) that just wants to be correct.

Show slides of people winning petty arguments.

However, in Jeremiah's case, it was not a matter of pride or pettiness that demanded that he be proven right, but it was a matter of truth and the glory of God. Jeremiah's declarations of judgment on unrepentant Judah had been ignored by the people. They thought there was no way they would fall to Babylon. They were God's chosen people. They could nod their head to the Lord on the Sabbath and live like the pagan Canaanite nations the rest of the time. Or so they thought. They even went to great lengths to shut Jeremiah up by throwing him into prison. But like God's faithful servants of any age, Jeremiah was eventually vindicated when God brought to pass the destruction of Jerusalem just as Jeremiah had predicted it.

Read Jeremiah 39:1-10

Transition: According to the Hebrew method for reckoning dates, the time frame given in verses 1-2 was just over 30 months. So, after 30 months of enduring Babylon's siege, looking to Egypt (instead of the Lord) to come to their aid, Jerusalem finally fell.

A New Government Established (v. 3)

The princes of Babylon took their seats in the middle gate to establish their control over the city and rule over their new captives.

The Old Government on the Run (Vv. 4-5)

When Zedekiah and his soldiers saw that the city had fallen, they knew it was only a matter of time before they were captured. Desperate to escape, they fled from the city at night. Zedekiah's last-ditch effort to escape being made into an example of Babylonian might was to leave by way of the king's garden and flee towards the Arabah.

However, after waiting so long for this victory, the Babylonians were not about to let them escape. The Babylonians captured Zedekiah and his soldiers on the plains of Jericho and took them to Nebuchadnezzar.

The Fate of Zedekiah (Vv. 6-7)

For his rebellion against Babylon, Zedekiah was sentenced to watch his sons and nobles slaughtered before his very eyes. And to make sure that that image stayed with Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar then had Zedekiah's eyes plucked out so that it was the last thing he ever saw. Finally, Zedekiah was bound and taken to Babylon to be humiliated. In the end, Zedekiah faced the humiliation that he feared because he had ignored the voice of the Lord.

The Fate of Jerusalem (Vv. 8-10)

Finally, Jerusalem itself suffered the fate predicted by Jeremiah. The Babylonians set fire to the palace, the temple, and the houses of the people. They then broke down the walls of Jerusalem so that those Judeans left behind would be without defense.

For their refusal to repent, the people of Judah were then taken away to Babylon as slaves. The only people left behind were the extremely poor who owned nothing. The new Babylonian government gave them vineyards and fields to secure their loyalty and to preserve productivity in the land.

Conclusion: Judah faced destruction because they refused to believe the voice of the Lord. Our society faces a similar situation today. 2 Peter 3:9 states, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."

God desired for the people of Judah to repent just as He wants our society today to repent. God has promised judgment on all those who do not repent and turn to Him, but the fact that that has not happened yet shows us how merciful and gracious He truly is. Once again, as believers, we are reminded that this world is not our home. One day Babylon will be brought to its knees when Christ returns. In the meantime, let us not be like the people of Judah who disregarded the Word of the Lord, but let us watch for him and faithfully live for Him.