Jeremiah 39

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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Jeremiah Chapter 39

Written By: God through Inspiration

Penned By: Jeremiah

Date Penned: (627-586 BC)

Overview: To Urge God's People to Turn from Sin to God (c 1-52)

Theme: God's Judgement on Judah (c 1-45)

Message: Nebuchadnezzar Captures Jerusalem (v 1-18)

Jeremiah 39 Commentary

(39:1) Zedekiah - Zedekiah, son of Josiah, was the last king of Judah; he ruled 11 years, from 597 to 586 BC. Zedekiah's two older brothers, Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim, and his nephew Coniah (also called Jehoiachin) ruled before him. When Jehoiachin was exiled to Babylon, Nebuchadrezzar made 21-year-old Mattaniah the king, changing his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadrezzar, who captured him, killed his sons in front of him, and then blinded him and took him back to Babylon, where he later died (see 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 52).

(39:5) Riblah - Riblah was 200 miles north of Jerusalem. This was the Babylonian headquarters for ruling the region. 39:10 Babylon had a shrewd foreign policy toward conquered lands. They deported the rich and powerful, leaving only the very poor in charge, thus making them grateful to their conquerors. This policy assured that conquered populations would be too loyal and too weak to revolt.

(39:11-12) Promises Fulfilled - God had promised to rescue Jeremiah from his trouble (1:8). The superstitious Babylonians, who highly respected magicians and fortune-tellers, treated Jeremiah as a seer. Because he had been imprisoned by his own people, they assumed he was a traitor and on their side. They undoubtedly knew he had counseled cooperation with Babylon and predicted a Babylonian victory, so the Babylonians freed Jeremiah and protected him. God works in amazing and unpredictable ways.

(39:13-14) Different Outcomes - What a difference we see between Zedekiah's fate and Jeremiah's! Zedekiah was imprisoned; Jeremiah was freed. Zedekiah was destroyed because of his fear; Jeremiah was saved because of his faith. Zedekiah was treated with contempt; Jeremiah was treated here with respect. Zedekiah saw his sons and friends murdered; Jeremiah lived out his days among his own people. Zedekiah was concerned for himself; Jeremiah was concerned for the people.

(39:17-18) God Protects His Servants - Ebed-melech had risked his life to save God's prophet Jeremiah (38:7-13). When Babylon conquered Jerusalem, God protected Ebed-melech from the Babylonians. God has special rewards for his faithful people, though not everyone will receive them in this life (see the second note on 38:6).

Dave Burnette's Life Application

A True Gift

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the Book of Jeremiah 39. In our text today we see Nebuchadnezzar captures Jerusalem and Jeremiah was imprisoned yet saved by His faith in the Lord while the King Zedekiah was consumed by his fear. In making application we see how we are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus. Today many are like Zedekiah, consumed by themselves and their fear they miss the opportunity to be saved. How about You? Have you received Jesus as your savior? Let us learn from our text today and the life of Jeremiah to be reminded that we are saved by grace through faith, it is not of ourselves, it is a true gift of our Lord.

Jeremiah 39

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Jeremiah 39

¹In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, came Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon and all his army against Jerusalem, and they besieged it.

²And in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, the ninth day of the month, the city was broken up.

³And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, even Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon.

⁴And it came to pass, that when Zedekiah the king of Judah saw them, and all the men of war, then they fled, and went forth out of the city by night, by the way of the king's garden, by the gate betwixt the two walls: and he went out the way of the plain.

⁵But the Chaldeans' army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.

⁶Then the king of Babylon slew the sons of Zedekiah in Riblah before his eyes: also the king of Babylon slew all the nobles of Judah.

⁷Moreover he put out Zedekiah's eyes, and bound him with chains, to carry him to Babylon.

⁸And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.

⁹Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive into Babylon the remnant of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to him, with the rest of the people that remained.

¹⁰But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poor of the people, which had nothing, in the land of Judah, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.

¹¹Now Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying,

¹²Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee.

¹³So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent, and Nebushasban, Rabsaris, and Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon's princes;

¹⁴Even they sent, and took Jeremiah out of the court of the prison, and committed him unto Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, that he should carry him home: so he dwelt among the people.

¹⁵Now the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying,

¹⁶Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee.

¹⁷But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the LORD: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid.

¹⁸For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the LORD.

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