Daily Devotions
Jeremiah
"And the Chaldeans burned the king's house"
Text: Jeremiah 39:8
FURTHER DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM
The Chaldeans were angry that king Zedekiah had been so stubborn and foolish. They vented their anger in a number of ways.
“And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire,
and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.
Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon
the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him,
with the rest of the people who remained.
But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people,
who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.”
Jeremiah 39:8-10
1. “And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire,
and broke down the walls of Jerusalem”
a) Burning spree:
i) The house of King Zedekiah.
ii) The houses of many people in Jerusalem.
b) The walls of Jerusalem:
i) These walls were meant to protect Jerusalem.
ii) They offered no protection against the Babylonians.
iii) These walls were destroyed.
2. “Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon
the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him,
with the rest of the people who remained”
a) The Babylonian captain of the guard was a man called Nebuzaradan.
b) Bringing captives to Babylon:
i) A remnant of the people who survived the war.
ii) Those who had already defected to the Chaldeans earlier.
3. “But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people,
who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time”
a) There were some who were spared from being taken captives to Babylon.
b) These were “the poor people”.
i) They literally had nothing.
ii) They would be of little value in the slave market.
iii) They had nothing of themselves to offer.
c) They were given a special gift by Nebuzaradan.
i) The land of Judah now belonged to the Babylonians.
ii) This was by right of conquest.
iii) Nebuzaradan gave to the poor people vineyards and fields.
This was an unexpected turn of events for the poor people!