Jerusalem: The Final Siege (2 Kings 25)

Scripture reading – 2 Kings 25 

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2 Kings 25

Today’s Scripture reading concludes our study of 2 Kings and parallels a similar study in 2 Chronicles 36. As a reminder, 2 Kings was written as a contemporary history of Israel and Judah, whereas 2 Chronicles is believed to have been written after the Babylonian captivity. 

The book of 2 Kings begins with Elijah prophesying and calling Israel to repent or face God’s judgment (2 Kings 1:4-16).  Our study of this historical book concludes with the prophet Jeremiah mourning the Temple’s destruction and the people being led away to Babylon.

The Fall of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1-21)

The siege of Jerusalem lasted nearly two years (2 Kings 25:1-2) until there was no bread left in the city and the people resorted to cannibalism (Jeremiah 38:2-9; 52:6; Lamentations 4:3-10; Ezekiel 5:10).

When King Zedekiah realized that all was lost, he fled Jerusalem with his guards; however, he made it only as far as Jericho before he was captured (2 Kings 25:4-6). He was then brought before Nebuchadnezzar to be judged. Found guilty of rebellion, Zedekiah witnessed the execution of his sons, after which his eyes were put out. Nebuchadnezzar then commanded that Zedekiah be bound in chains and carried to Babylon (2 Kings 25:7).

The prophecies of God’s judgment against Jerusalem were fulfilled when Nebuzaradan, captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard, “burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem” (2 Kings 25:9) and broke down the city’s walls (2 Kings 25:10). The Temple vessels were taken as spoils of war (2 Kings 25:13-17), and Judah’s leaders, who might have threatened an uprising, were either slain or taken captive to Babylon (2 Kings 25:11, 18-21). Left behind were the poorest people, who served Babylon as “vinedressers and husbandmen” of the land (2 Kings 25:12).

The Remnant Left Behind (2 Kings 25:22-26)

In the aftermath of Jerusalem’s overthrow and the exile of Judah’s leaders, Nebuchadnezzar appointed a man named Gedaliah to govern Judah as his proxy (2 Kings 25:22). As we noted in our study of Jeremiah 40-41, Ishmael, a distant relative of King David, led an uprising against Gedaliah, who was slain (2 Kings 25:23-25). Fearing the wrath of the Chaldeans (i.e., Babylon, 2 Kings 25:26), the people fled Judah “and came to Egypt” (2 Kings 25:26).

King Jehoiachin Restored to Favor by Nebuchadnezzar’s Successor (2 Kings 25:27-30)

Though all seemed lost, a glimmer of hope emerged in the final verses of 2 Kings 25, as Jehoiachin, the exiled and imprisoned king of Judah, found favor with Evilmerodach, king of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar’s successor). The king of Babylon elevated the former king of Judah “above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon” (2 Kings 25:28). He also gave Jehoiachin a change of clothes, fed him, and provided him an allowance, “a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life” (2 Kings 25:29-30).

In the darkest hour of Israel and Judah’s history, a king from David’s lineage found favor with the heathen king of Babylon. Why?

Closing thoughts –

Perhaps it was the influence of men like the prophet Daniel and others who brought copies of the Scriptures with them. Indeed, the wise men of Babylon took a great interest in Israel and Judah’s history and in the prophecies of the Scriptures. I believe the “wise men from the east” who came to Jerusalem seeking “he that is born King of the Jews” were influenced and educated by the Jewish diaspora of that time (Matthew 2:1-2). 

The last memories of the Jewish captives were the flames consuming Jerusalem and the Temple. Yet, as the LORD promised, God’s people were restored to their homeland when the seventy years of captivity were fulfilled (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10; Daniel 9:2).

Take comfort, my friend; God is sovereign, and His people are never alone!