Read Jeremiah 52.
All that God said concerning the downfall of Judah came true. In this closing chapter, Jeremiah summarized what took place. The king and the people refused to listen and trust what God said to them.
1. Jeremiah repeatedly warned Zedekiah not to rebel but to surrender in peace. He would not listen and he paid a severe price. His sons were slaughtered in front of him. His eyes were put out. The Babylonians imprisoned him for the rest of his life.
2. In chapter 27, Jeremiah warned that the rebellion would lead to the destruction of Solomon's beautiful Temple in Jerusalem. Further, the Babylonians would take all the precious vessels of the Temple. More to the king's liking, Hananiah, a false prophet, spoke the opposite message. Jeremiah was treated as a traitor. Here in chapter 52, the writer details the extensive work in tearing down the various parts of the Temple and hauling them off.
3. All the remaining city officials, including the Temple priests, were executed.
4. A few of the poorest in the area were allowed to stay in order to work the land. In a series of deportations, thousands were taken in exile to Babylon.
As bad as these fulfilled prophecies are, God had not forsaken His people. This earthly punishment of the nation was due to their sin and only for a time. Jeremiah had also delivered God's message that the exile would last 70 years. Even in exile, the LORD was gracious. He remained faithful to them in meeting their needs, as Jeremiah stated in Lamentations. His presence was there, as Ezekiel addressed. He demonstrated His power again and again, as Daniel recorded.
King David wrote Psalm 23, "The LORD is my shepherd." As a good shepherd, God cares for His own through the toughest of times. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
Listen to and trust the Shepherd.
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