Jeremiah 52 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
Jeremiah 52 Bible Study
INTRO AND TIMELINE:
Jeremiah was a priest who lived in Anathoth (3 miles from Jerusalem). His ministry was directed towards the people of Judah, immediately before and during their exile in Babylon. His work as a prophet dates from 627 BC through the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC.
Jeremiah is the longest book in the English Bible by word count. The book has 52 chapters.
Jeremiah prophesied under the following Kings of Judah:
Manasseh (687-642 BC)
Amos (642-640 BC)
Josiah (640-609 BC)
Jehoiakim (initially known as Eliakim, 609-598 BC)
Jehoiachin (also known as Jeconiah or Coniah, 598-597 BC)
Zedekiah (His reign ended when Babylon conquered Judah, (597-586 BC)
JEREMIAH’S FAITH
I think Jeremiah shows some of the greatest resolve and faithfulness of any person in the Bible.
Some of the great men of the Bible had great faith and endured difficulty, but many also had privileges of wealth, comfort, and power.
Men like Joseph, David, Job, Abraham, and others enjoyed certain blessings that helped to balance out the difficulties of their lives. They were kings, or rich men, or their trials were shorter lived.
From what we know, Jeremiah had none of those things. He served God for decades being hated by his countrymen, never having a position of honor, being beaten, escaping murder attempts, being thrown in the stocks, in cisterns, in prisons, starving in a besieged city, and ending his life in a place he never wanted to go, Egypt, where he was still hated by countrymen.
That is a tough life! And Jeremiah’s faith was incredible through it all!
OUTLINE:
A RECOUNTING OF THE FALL OF JERUSALEM AT THE HANDS OF THE BABYLONIANS (52:1-11):
The final chapter of Jeremiah is a record of the history surrounding the downfall of Jerusalem.
Due to verses 31-34 taking place after Jeremiah’s lifetime, it is thought that this account was written by someone else (perhaps Ezra) and added to Jeremiah’s words as historical context to his prophecies.
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king of Judah. He was unfortunately not a good king and he “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”
As punishment, God brought Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, who laid siege to the city from Zedekiah’s 9th year to his 11th year.
In the 11th year, the city was breached and Zedekiah tried to flee, but he was captured by the Babylonians near Jericho.
All the officials of Judah were executed, Zedekiah’s sons were killed in his sight, Zedekiah was blinded and taken to prison in exile for the rest of his life.
JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE BURNED AND THE CITIZENS EXILED TO BABYLON (52:12-30):
After the city was breached, the Babylonians entered, burned the Temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem.
The people of the upper class, the educated, the craftsmen, and the artisans were carried away captive to Babylon. Only some of the poorest people were left in the land to work the fields and vineyards.
All the treasures of gold, silver, and bronze were taken out of the Temple and carried to Babylon.
Nebuchadnezzar killed the chief priests, the commanders of the Judean army, and 7 men from the king’s council, along with many others.
JEHOIACHIN IN BABYLON (52:31-34):
The book closes with a note about the former king of Judah, Jehoiachin.
After being in prison for an extended period of time in Babylon, a new king rose to power, Evil-merodach, who granted Jehoiachin his freedom.
Jehoiachin lived out the rest of his days in Babylon eating at the kings table and living off an allowance from the king’s treasury.
APPLICATION:
Looking back over the Book of Jeremiah, one lesson came clearly to my mind.
When God promises He will judge, take Him seriously!
Egypt, Assyria, Moab, Israel, Judah, Ammon, Edom, Babylon, none of these nations took God’s threats seriously, and eventually every one of them came face to face with the anger of the Almighty.
God, through His prophets, has informed us that a day of judgement is coming.
A day is coming on which God will judge those who rebelled against Him, those who refused to live according to His moral laws, and those who devoted themselves to the things of this world (their idols) more than Him.
God will judge! He isn’t bluffing! And you do not want to be the instigator and the target of His anger!
