Welcome to BibleBum where we are exploring the entire Bible in one year to better learn how to follow God’s instructions and discover the purpose for our lives.  The BibleBum blog uses The One Year Chronological Bible, the New Living Translation version.  At the end of each day’s reading, Rob, a cultural history aficionado and seminary graduate, answers questions from Leigh An, the blogger host, about the daily scripture.  To start from the beginning, click on “Index” and select Day 1.

Jeremiah 39:11-18

Jeremiah 40:1-6

2 Kings 25:8-21

Jeremiah 52:12-27

2 Chronicles 36:15-21

Lamentations 1:1-22

Questions & Observations

Q. (Jeremiah 39:11-40:6): So, Nebuchadnezzar understands that Babylon’s taking of Jerusalem is all of God’s doing, just as Jeremiah had prophesied.  And, thus, he releases Jeremiah because he is God’s messenger.

A. It does appear that way, yes.  God has clearly intervened in the mind of the king on Jeremiah’s behalf.

Q. (39:16): We have seen Ebed-melech the Ethiopian a couple of times now.  Is this connection to him or Ethiopia of significance?

A. He was a palace official of some sort, and apparently not a Jew, but his loyalty to Jeremiah (he’s the man who rescued him from the cistern in chapter 38) caused God to spare his life.  We don’t really know anything else about him, as these are the only two references to the name (38 and 39).

Q. (2 Kings 25:8-21): Now what happened?  I thought King Nebuchadnezzar and his followers were now respecting God after His messages came true.  But here, they are ravishing Jerusalem.  Then, in v. 18, I thought Zedekiah and all of the leaders fled Jerusalem the night that the Babylonian soldiers stormed the city.  Maybe the priests stayed behind.  The priests that were taken were not godly, right?

A. Nope, bad priests, just like the bad fruit God said would be left behind.  Jerusalem was destroyed because of Zedekiah’s revolt, and Nebuchadnezzar showed no mercy, as God intended.  God, as the reading indicates, desired for the land of Judah to be “fallow” and renewed in time.

Q. (2 Kings 25:13-17): There is a lot of bronze here!

A. It was the most accessible material for making shapes and metallic objects.  Iron ore was very expensive, as were silver and gold, obviously.

O. I had an epiphany earlier today.  It’s one of those that I should have realized a long time ago.  Sometimes, I’m a little slow!  Here God raised up Israel to be His model nation, to show the world what God can do for His people.  I had always thought of the other nations as Israel’s enemy, but God loved them too.  He wanted them to look to Israel and learn and love.  But, Israel failed Him time and time again.  So, not only was Israel failing God and themselves, they were failing the whole world because they were not a good ambassador for God.  Also, a destruction ordered by His own authority, how hard it must have been for God to see the beautiful city that Solomon built and God blessed be destroyed.  I guess He did it to let the land lay fallow and heal from all of the wickedness.

Q. (Lamentations 1:1-2): How beautiful Jerusalem is personified here — literally, not spiritually.  Jeremiah writes this as if there is a female beholder of Jerusalem and now her wickedness is crushed and she no longer has anyone to partner with.

A. It is a powerful lament for the city — note that it is an acrostic with the Hebrew alphabet like several of the Psalms we read — by the man that has been known throughout the ages as the “weeping” prophet.

Q. There sure are a lot of Babylonian names that begin with an “N”.

A. The Babylonian deity of wisdom — and the son of one of their primary god Marduk — was known as Nabu or Nebo.  Nebuchadnezzar means, “god Nabu, defend my firstborn son,” and many of these other names also relate to the deity Nabu.  It is a similar reason to why many names in Hebrew (when translated into English) begin with “J” (Joshua, Joseph, Jabez, Jacob, Jeremiah etc.)- the Hebrew name from God is transliterated in Egnlish as Jehovah (Yahweh).