2 Kings 25: 1 – 30
No place to hide
25 Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. 4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. 6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. 7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon. 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around. 11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. 12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. 13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon. 14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. 15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. 16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network. 18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. 19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. 20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus, Judah was carried away captive from its own land. 22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. 23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.” 25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. 26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans. 27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.
I got to thinking the other day as I read from the book of Revelation covering the Great Tribulation. In chapter 6 we are given information from our Precious Holy Spirit that speaks about the fifth seal being opened and it talks about the ‘Cry of the Martyrs’. 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
Many believers today are hoping for a ‘Rapture’ so we will not have to endure the horror that Revelation speaks about. But I want you to just suppose that you are not taken out in the beginning of the Great Tribulation and will have to do all that you can to save your family and yourself from the forces of evil. How would you go about hiding out for 7 years?
I first thought about getting out of this country that is incorporating the same evil that we have read about going on in the nation of Israel and then in the nation of Judah’s decline. Perhaps it would be nice to flee to a nice little village in South America. If you view the news you will find out that moving to South America would be a big mistake because the various dictators have ruined all the countries and people are fleeing hoping to get in here.
Where else in the world could you go? The influx of Islamic refugees has totally made the rest of Europe and the World a fearful place to migrate to. So what do you do being in America?
Before you go to ground (into hiding), destroy as much of the old you as possible. You want to go beyond making yourself disappear: You want to make it seem as if you never existed. This means that you should do as much of the following as possible before and after you disappear:
Do some research on some remote places that you and your family can go to. Remember reading in the Gospel of Mark chapter 13, “14 “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not” (let the reader understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. 16 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 17 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 And pray that your flight may not be in winter. 19 For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. 20 And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.”
So, as you can see in this verse you will not have much time to get away when you need to.
Destroy all photographs you have access to before you disappear. This includes family volumes of photographs that family members have. Your family members may or may not be supportive and hand over (to your opposition) all their photographs of you depending upon your situation. If you destroy all photographs of you, they can't be shown around gas stations and quick food stops.
Discard all your worldly possessions except cash. Most importantly destroy and discard all your credit cards! The instant you use a credit card or an ATM bank card while on the run is the instant the authorities or private investigators know where you are. Before you run you should empty all bank accounts anyway. Gas debit cards can also be used to find you. Telephone calling cards can be used to find you. In fact, any magnetic card with your name or the name of someone you know can and will be used to find your general area. Destroy them all. If the FBI, DEA, BATF, CIA, or any number of other agencies are involved in searching for you, they can pinpoint your location within minutes of you using a magnetic card.
Don't even think about hanging onto a credit card or other type of magnetic card for an emergency. You might think about maxing-out your cards then converting what you purchase to quick cash... but don't take cards with you! What you don't have can't tempt you to give your location away. When you're cold and hungry you will be tempted to use any card, you keep so destroy them before that happens.
Abandon your car in a place where you feel confident it will be stripped and sold or stolen by thieves is a good idea.
Don't use a taxi service any time you're fleeing. Taxi drivers and their dispatcher will take records of everyone picked up and dropped off and often taxi drivers will be able to recall your description to match you to your destination. If you look like you're running from something, their memory of you will be even sharper.
Purchase another car. In America one can slap down $300.00 and buy a pile of junk with no questions asked and no identification needed. If the seller has the pink slip and a key, you buy it if it's cheap and doesn't have anything a cop might consider stopping you for a safety violation.
Make sure that the back-license plate has a current registration and that the exhaust doesn't visibly smoke. Make sure the turn indicators are working and that you have headlights. Make sure the windshield has no cracks. Broken or missing break lights are often used as an excuse by police officers to pull over suspicious cars so make sure that the brake lights are working.
You might consider a street motorcycle if you do not have a large family, in fact, since they're as mobile as one can get without using a horse. Motorcycles, however, draw more police attention to them if they look chopped and fast. Your personal appearance on a motorcycle can help deduct from any suspicion that is a normal part of riding a motorcycle in America. Look like you are one of those cycle enthusiasts that like going up to the country.
Don't fill up your newly-acquired car with any of your personal belongings. If you get stopped by a cop or a cop drives by you, you don't want it to look like you're packed up to the ceiling with all your worldly possessions. You need to discard everything you own and don't let it show that you're doing anything other than commuting to or from work. Even if the cop doesn't stop you, if word gets around that you've gone missing, the cop is more likely to remember a stuffed car than all the countless cars simply commuting. They'll match your profile against your description and may recall the general -- if not the exact -- type of car you may be driving. If you want to escape notice of the cops, you need to blend in.
Cops work from profiles: They are trained to spot the unusual as well as how to spot individuals fitting a variety of profiles. Someone on the run fits several profiles. You want to "fall out of the net" and slip through the typical police profiles.
A cup of coffee on the dashboard in front of a guy or gal wearing work clothes arouses no suspicions. You're on your way to work, not running from someone.
Don't studiously avoid catching a cop's eye, by the way. Lean back in your seat, left arm on the window sill, right hand on the steering wheel at the 6:00 O’clock position. Take a sip of your coffee, water, or Diet Coke every now and then, and try to act like you're a mindless commuter getting from point A to point B with the rest of the lemmings.
You're not frightened that you'll get stopped. You're not anxious of what will happen when your wife or boyfriend discovers you've left. You'll need to adopt a carefree attitude and outward composure. Cops, immigration, and everyday people can smell your anxiety and fear so you'll want to focus on the positive aspects of why you're on the run.
Don't run from the cops in a car or motorcycle! If you're in a car or on a motorcycle, pull over, stop, turn the engine off and pray. If the Lord wants you to survive until His Second Coming, then He will provide the miracle to protect you.
Don't tell anyone where you're planning to go or what you're planning to do. For as long as possible, don't ask friends for help or shelter -- most of all never ask family members! Don't telephone anyone to say "good bye." Don't have any contact with friends or family! Police authorities will monitor their residential lines and private investigators can easily tap loop-start residential lines.
Leave town. Don't go to any place you've talked about or stated a desire to visit. Don't run to any place predictable. Don't hide in a city or town you've ever been to or contains known family members. Don't do something obviously stupid like running to Las Vegas or Hollywood.
Alter your buying habits. When you throw your old self away, you need to discard as many predictable patterns as possible. Patterns are predictable. Break them.
It's best to avoid going to fast food places if you have a habit of doing so. When spotted in a city the authorities will divide and eliminate sections of the city. If you like certain fast food places and they know this, they will keep an eye out for you in those areas. These places also have been installing cameras which watch over the counter and the eating areas -- cameras you can't see and cameras you can see. This is also true of many drive-through areas as well though the camera angle is usually covered up by a one-way concave mirrored surface.
Every place you go, you inadvertently leave pieces of yourself.
Wear a hat indoors. Wearing a hat makes it hard to identify you from a camera.
Wipe every surface in your motel before you leave. For good measure, wipe every surface in any bathroom you may use along the road. Keep in mind that you need to use soap and water when you wipe away your fingerprints and skin tissue otherwise you'll only leave a bunch of smudges which can be reconstructed using contemporary computer imaging technologies.
Before you leave your hotel room, hang the "please make-up this room as soon as possible" sign on the door handle, taking care not to leave your prints on the sign. You want the room vacuumed, cleaned, and touched by hotel employees as soon as possible.
Don't wear gloves where you can be seen yet do wear gloves when you won't be seen.
Don't look for the cameras; notice where they are not and then focus on that spot. Keep you face down and look at spots where you off-handedly know cameras are not mounted.
Running is the easiest part. Hiding is a bit harder. Staying hidden is the difficult part. The difficulties are determined by the resolve and resources of those hunting you. If the government wants to find you, they will unless you are willing to sacrifice everything.
If you run to the hills, satellites can see you and identify the type and color of the automobile you're driving. If you've hidden yourself in a cabin, your thermal signature will be seen from satellites. Even if you drive to a road and abandon your vehicle and walk to a cabin 30 miles away, a body heat source in a cabin in the desert or in the woods with no corresponding automobile heat source can signal where you are. It's suspicious.
Satellites can bounce LASER light off your windows and, by measuring the minute distance differences between a vibrating window and the satellite, reconstruct your speech -- from orbit!
The eyes track motion. If there are helicopters looking for you, it is always best to hide in a bush or up in a tree rather than running it out on foot. Your body heat will probably give you away any way. If you have a helicopter looking for you, bury yourself in mud and leaves and you stand a chance of not being detected by your body heat. A river, lake, or stream can mask your body heat, of course, yet those would be obvious places to look for you.
If you're walking or running through hills or wooded areas, the eyes of your opposition will track your motion. If you're motionless, picking you out of the visual clutter will be difficult. Even dogs have trouble picking up a stationary object.
Speaking of dogs, I've yet to see a human capable of outrunning a healthy dog. You can confuse them by running around objects a few times and -- always traditional -- running downstream a swiftly moving stream of water. Running upstream should be avoided. Your scent will be carried downstream and you wish to go with it otherwise you leave a long tail behind you.
They will expect you to: Seek the high ground. There is the idea that if one puts a mountain between you and your pursers, you're home free. From the top of a mountain or high hills you can better see possible avenues of escape. Your opposition will expect you to climb. Ravines and passes are going to be easier, allowing you to move faster though perhaps not as far away from the opposition as you would like. Going around a mountain could take more time than going over -- you decide how you want to do it. If you go over the top, you stand a chance of being seen and you also have more of a helicopter treat.
They will expect you to: Go to ground (or "hole up.") If you're hurt or just tired, hungry, and desperate, you will probably want to go to ground. It is expected that as your pursers get closer to you, you'll find a hole to climb into, a tree to climb, or something equally disastrous. In the cities, the criminals are often found under a bush, in a tree, under a car, in someone's shed on a roof. At some point it's expected that you'll stop running and try to hide. With today's technology, that's a bad idea. Keep going until you're unable to. You can catch up on your sleep when they catch you or when they put a few rounds into your back.
They will expect you to: Doubled back on yourself. If you can work your way around a hill free from the eyes of your opposition, and double back on yourself, you have increased the chances of escape. Your opposition will be looking for signs that you've double backed on yourself. You're leaving a scent trail for every dog in the area to follow so that should be of some consideration when you double back. You need to try to create a break in your trail at the point you change direction. This could mean walking backwards a bit, climbing a tree, working your way through the branches to other trees, climbing down, and then working your way back the way you came. Even if you don't suspect that you're being trailed, it is probably a good idea to break your trail from time to time if you can. You could start being followed hours later, after all.
Sound like fun to you? No, it sounds like a horror story. Today we will see all this come to reality for the king of Judah. In a last-ditch effort, he tried to make a break and flee the Babylonians. It didn’t work.
25 Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.
In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, came with all his army and encamped against Jerusalem, setting up siege forts around it. Nebuchadnezzar had once and for all lost patience with Jerusalem (.
2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
The siege continued over a period of nineteen months, although at one stage possibly suspended as a result of the arrival of an Egyptian army (Jeremiah 37.5). It was clear that the city was doomed.
3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.
Because of the siege, starvation became a problem in the city, for there was no food for ‘the people of the land’ who were now sheltering in Jerusalem. The city had been cut off from outside help for many months.
4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain.
A breach being made in the wall by the enemy a desperate attempt was made to escape by night by using a small gate (the main gates would be closely guarded) which would have been identifiable at the time, and all the men of war fled from Jerusalem, along with the king who was making for the Jordan Rift Valley.
5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.
However, the movement of such many men could hardly fail to be detected so when the Chaldeans realized that there had been an escape they pursued after the king, whose troops had scattered to find refuge where they could. It is possible that the hope was that this would aid the king’s escape as the Chaldeans would not know who to follow, but it failed, and he was captured in the plains of Jericho in the Arabah.
6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.
He was then taken to Riblah in the region of Hamath on the Orontes where Nebuchadnezzar was stationed, and there given a trial. But the result could hardly have been in doubt. He had broken his oath of allegiance and was worthy of death.
7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, putout the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar’s penalty was severe. All his sons were slain before his eyes and he was then blinded, leaving the last sight that he had experienced before becoming blind as that of his sons being killed. Then he was bound in fetters and carried off to Babylon. His rebellion, into which humanly speaking he had been forced by the anti-Assyrian party in Jerusalem, had cost him dear. From the divine point of view his evil behavior had brought its own reward.
The leading men of Jerusalem were brought to Riblah and there executed, while the remainder of the inhabitants of the city were taken to Babylon. Only the very poorest were left in the land to tend its vineyards and fields under the control of the newly appointed governor Gedaliah who took up his residence in Mizpah.
8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
One month later Nebuzaradan the captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard arrived in Jerusalem, no doubt with strict instructions as to what he was to do. The city had rebelled once too often, and both YHWH and Nebuchadnezzar were sick of it.
9 He burned the house of the LORD and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
The book of Kings began with a description of the building of the house of YHWH and the king’s house, in all their splendor (1 Kings 5.1-7.12). Now those same houses were burned with fire, along with all the other large houses in Jerusalem. The walls also of the city were broken down all around the city. Jerusalem was to be left a ruin, almost uninhabited and totally defenseless.
11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.
The whole of what remained of the repopulated Jerusalem was transported, even those who had surrendered to the Babylonians during the siege (those who ‘fell away to the king of Babylon’).
12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
The land was not, however, to be left totally deserted and the common and unimportant folk (and there would be many of them) were left in the land to maintain its agriculture. Thus, while Jerusalem itself was now almost deserted and in ruins, the land around remained populated and was tended, although hardly initially in good condition. What was left of Judah still survived in the land, and they would no doubt be supplemented by those who came out of hiding in the mountains once the Babylonian forces had withdrawn. Thus, it is wrong to think of Judah as totally deserted. Furthermore, as far as we know Lachish, and possibly other cities, had not been taken, and if so their inhabitants may have been treated more leniently. Gedaliah the new governor would come from Lachish.
13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the LORD, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon.
The pillars of bronze and the brazen sea which Solomon had made were broken in pieces and their bronze carried back to Babylon. The last remnants of their former glory were being removed. All that Judah had built up was being broken down. Such was the consequence of their disobedience.
14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.
Furthermore, all the means of worship were ‘taken away’ for the sake of their valuable metallic content.
15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.
The silver and gold items that remained were especially taken charge of by Nebuzaradan himself, no doubt in the king’s name.
16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. 17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.
Also torn down, and presumably broken up, were the two pillars of Solomon, together with the molten sea and what remained of the bases. The weight of the whole was such that it was not calculable. They had lasted throughout all Judah’s tribulations without being called on for tribute purposes. But now even this reminder of Solomon’s glory would be no more. Judah was being left with nothing.
18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.
The prominent people in Jerusalem were now to be called to account, and the first were the five ‘chief priests. They would be important supporters of the revolt.
19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.
Together with the chief priests, Zedekiah’s captain of the standing army was taken, and five of his chief officials who had had access into the king’s presence, who were found to be still in the city, and the scribe, and the commander who was set over the general host and another sixty important people of the land who were also in the city.
20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
Nebuzaradan took all these leading people and brought them to the king of Babylon, who was stationed at Riblah.
21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.
And there at Riblah Nebuchadnezzar smote them and put them to death as rebels and traitors.
The remainder of Judah as previously described were carried away captive out of the land. It was by no means the first exile. Every invasion of Israel and Judah by Assyria and Babylon had resulted in exiles, thus ‘Jews’ were scattered around the known world.
22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.
A good number of poorer people could remain in the land and over them Nebuchadnezzar set a governor. Judah was now a Babylonian province. The governor’s name was Gedaliah. He was the son of the Ahikam who had served Josiah (22.12) and had sought to protect Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26.24), and thus in good standing in the Jewish community.
Unfortunately Ishmael the son of Nethaniah (who was of the house of a David and was secretly in alliance with the Ammonites) wanted Gedaliah removed, and the result was that he came with ten men and murdered Gedaliah, along with certain Jews and Chaldeans who were with him. The Chaldeans would have been maintaining a watching brief. This terrified the remaining commandos, and the common people, who all feared that Nebuchadnezzar would seek revenge for the death of his governor, with the result that, despite Jeremiah’s protests, they fled to Egypt for refuge, leaving Judah even barer of inhabitants than before
23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.
The ‘captains of the forces’ were commando leaders, either of bands who had hidden in the mountains when Nebuchadnezzar first invaded, or of remnants of the army who had escaped from Jerusalem at the same time as Zedekiah had tried to make his escape and had taken to the mountains. When they heard that Gedaliah had been appointed governor they came to him in Mizpah, probably hoping for a new beginning.
24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”
Gedaliah then took an oath that if from now on they would faithfully serve the king of Babylon there would be no reprisals, and they would be able to dwell in the land and live safely and well.
25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.
Ishmael, one of the captains, who was of the house of David, collaborated with the king of Ammon and arrived with ten men and slew Gedaliah, and with him a number of prominent Jews and Chaldeans.
26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
The result of the assassinations was that the people no longer felt safe in Judah because of the repercussions that might follow the slaying of Gedaliah, Nebuchadnezzar’s appointed governor, and several Chaldeans. Consequently, they fled to Egypt for refuge. The land had truly ‘spewed out’ its inhabitants.
27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.
Awel Marduk (Ewil Merodach) succeeded his father Nebuchadnezzar in October 562 BC. He only reigned for two years. The ‘lifting up of the head’ indicated more than just release. He was raised to an honored position. This suggests that he benefited by more than just a coronation amnesty. It suggests a policy decision on behalf of Evil Merodach, which continued with his successor, Nergal-sarra-usur
28 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.
Jehoiachin had clearly won Evil Merodach’s favor, and Evil Merodach demonstrated this by setting Jehoiachin’s throne above the thrones of the kings who were in Babylon. In other words, he was given the highest status among captured kings. It was a reminder, in spite of the adverse circumstances, that YHWH was watching over the house of David as He had promised. It gave hope for the future.
29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. 30 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.
From this point on Jehoiachin ceased to be treated as a prisoner and was dressed in a way worthy of a king, partaking of ample provisions supplied by the king of Babylon, and provided with regular allowances of food. As this continued ‘all the days of his life’ it indicates that Evil Merodach’s successors carried on his policy.
As we end our time in ‘Kings’ we can take away the fact that there is in this restoration a wonderful picture of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us. If we are truly His, He too has changed our garments, clothing us in His righteousness and feeding us daily at His table. Amen.
