JEREMIAH 522010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Jeremiah 52

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

Jeremiah chapter 52. If you don't know where chapter 52 is in Jeremiah, just turn to the book of Lamentations and go one chapter back because 52 is the last chapter of the book of Jeremiah. And so it's very exciting we get to finish off the book of Jeremiah this evening. We started Jeremiah the second Wednesday of...

We are the children of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God.

so much that God has shown us over and over with the repetition of the theme of purity and holiness as God was calling His people back to Him. We received that same call over and over again to get right with God and to have the opportunity to repent and to turn to Him.

And so tonight as we finish off the book, we're looking at chapter 52 and it's kind of a review of the things that we saw in the book of Jeremiah. It's a very fitting chapter to end the book with because it summarizes really the results of most of the things that Jeremiah was prophesying about.

Remember his lifelong ministry pretty much was to call the nation of Judah back to God and to warn them that if they don't come back to God, that the nation of Babylon is going to come and conquer them and lead them away captive, leaving...

the nation of Judah and specifically the city of Jerusalem just in rubble, absolutely demolished and destroyed. And so in chapter 52, we have the summary of that which took place as Babylon came and conquered Jerusalem.

Chapter 52 of Jeremiah was probably not actually written by the prophet Jeremiah because some of the things that are referred to here actually take place far beyond the life of Jeremiah. And so it's believed that probably Ezra wrote this last chapter and added it on as a summary to the end of the book of Jeremiah.

But in chapter 52, verses 1 through 3, we started off this evening saying this. Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libna. He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

For because of the anger of the Lord, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, till he finally cast them out from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. Here as we start out chapter 52, we're reviewing the end of the nation of Judah and the end of the city of Jerusalem as they go into the Babylonian captivity.

And so in reviewing the end, they go to the very last king of the nation of Judah prior to captivity. And that was King Zedekiah. He starts out at somewhat of a young age. It says that he becomes king at 21 years old. And he reigns in Jerusalem for 11 years. At the end of his reign was the conquering of Jerusalem. And the people were led away captive at that point.

It tells us a little bit about his family history. And it also tells us there in verse 2 that he did evil in the sight of the Lord. The point here is that Jeremiah, like the kings before him, continued to rebel against God.

And the destruction that resulted was because of, it was the consequence of their rebellion against God. It was because God had given them warnings and God was calling them back to Himself, calling them to repentance, but they refused, they insisted on continuing to do evil in the sight of the Lord.

I kind of like the phrase, doing evil in the sight of the Lord. Not so much the evil part, but noticing the sight of the Lord that is significant there. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. If you were to ask his fellow countrymen at the time, they would not have described him as doing evil. In their sight, he was not doing evil. If you would have asked his parents,

How He was doing, if He was doing evil, they would have not agreed that He was doing evil. In their sights, the things that He did was not evil. It was acceptable to His society. It was acceptable to His heritage. It was acceptable to His peers. But He did evil in the sight of the Lord. And that really is the key. For two reasons. First of all, God sees everything. If we do evil...

God sees it. Even if nobody else sees it, God sees it. It doesn't matter if it's secret or hidden or covered in darkness or covered up very well. God sees it. God sees all things. And so anytime that we do evil, it is in the sight of the Lord. But not only that...

As we understand that Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord, we find that it's significant because in reality, God's opinion is the only one that really counts. God's opinion is the only one that really counts. If you would have asked his society, they would have said, no, he's fine, he's a good king. He's doing what he's supposed to be doing. But if you ask God, he says, no, he's doing evil. He's in rebellion. Now, whose opinion matters most? The society's?

Or the God, the Creator. Of course, it's God's opinion that matters. And so he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He rebelled against God. And as a result, Jerusalem is going to now be devastated. We'll come back to this thought at the end of the message. But I want to encourage you and exhort you to seek the Lord. Because it's His opinion that really matters in your life. In the way that you live.

Perform your work or spend your money or love your family or raise your children. What's God's estimation of your activities, of your life? Not what does society think about how you do things. Not what does your parents think or your family think or your friends think or your peers think. But what does God think about the way that you live? Because everything you do is in the sight of the Lord.

We start out here looking at Zedekiah, understanding that he did evil in the sight of God. He continued to rebel against God. And in doing so, he rebelled against the king of Babylon.

And so he's going to now reap the consequences for rebelling against the king of Babylon. He was to pay Babylon tribute, to pay them taxes and to recognize their authority, but he withheld. He said, no way, we're our own sovereign nation. We don't have to listen to you. And so now Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, is going to come and take care of this rebellious king. Look at verse 4.

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. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

By the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled, and went out of the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls, which was by the king's garden. Even though the Chaldeans were near the city all around, and they went out by way of the plain."

Here as we go on in the account, we find Nebuchadnezzar comes down to deal with this king that is in rebellion against him. The king of Babylon was an authority that God had placed over the nation of Judah, the city of Jerusalem. By rebelling against this authority that God had placed there, King Zedekiah rebels against God.

And so God allows and uses the king of Babylon to deal with Zedekiah's disobedience. The king of Babylon comes down and lays siege to Jerusalem in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. He tells us on the tenth day of the month, he came against the city and laid siege to it. He built a siege wall all around. What they would do is they would just basically set up camp

All around the city. And the nation of Babylon just hung out there on the outside waiting for all of the people within the city to starve to death, to be so weak that they could not fight, or to bring them to the point that they would finally surrender. And so the city was besieged, it says, until the 11th year of King Zedekiah. It gives us some specifics in verse 6. It was the fourth month of

On the ninth day of the month of the eleventh year of King Zedekiah, it's been a year and a half that the nation of Babylon has been encamped around Jerusalem. All the supplies have been cut off. They're out of resources. The food is gone. There's nothing left. They're broken. They're starving. And then it tells us in verse 7 that the city wall is broken through.

It's at this point when the people are weakest that the walls are broken through, that they begin to attack and to tear down the walls. And as they break through, the king, his warriors, they begin to flee. They begin to run. It says, all the men of war fled and went out of the city at night by way of the gate. They go down. They make their run for it, trying to get away, trying to escape the judgment that God had declared for them.

You can imagine at this point the state of the people after being basically imprisoned within the city for a year and a half, running out of resources, terrified. All the while, remember, Jeremiah is there. He's saying, guys, you still have an opportunity. God still wants to work in this situation. They had the opportunity. They could surrender to the Chaldeans at this point. They could surrender to Babylon. And anyone who surrendered to Babylon would be spared.

But they persisted in their pride. They persisted in their stubbornness. They refused to turn to God and to follow God's way. They did evil in the sight of the Lord and continued to rebel against Him. And as a result, they suffered greatly. And finally, the walls are broken through. But when the walls are broken through, they don't just say, okay, we're defeated. Now, Zedekiah and his men of war, now, even still, they persist.

in trying to force their own way, in trying to make it happen, in trying to escape the things which God had promised. So they flee, they run out. But they don't get very far. Look at verse 8. But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath. And he pronounced judgment on him.

Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. And he killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah. He also put out the eyes of Zedekiah. And the king of Babylon bound him in bronze fetters, took him to Babylon and put him in prison till the day of his death. The king of Jerusalem tries to escape. The walls are broken through. They say, alright guys, let's run for it. They're not going to catch us. But they...

pursue after and overtake them in the plains of Jericho. Jericho is about, I think, 17 miles to the east of Jerusalem. So they took off running. They made it a little bit of a ways, but not far enough. They couldn't outrun what God had said was going to take place. You see, what we have here in Jeremiah chapter 52 is the fulfillment of all of the things that God had promised us.

through the prophet Jeremiah, that if the people insisted on rebelling against him, all of these things would take place. So they capture King Zedekiah. They catch up with him, take him captive, and they take him back to Nebuchadnezzar. His headquarters is there in Riblah. It's about 200 miles north of Jerusalem, just above Syria.

And so they take him up there and there King Nebuchadnezzar deals very harshly with this King Zedekiah that has rebelled against him. He puts out his eyes, but before he puts out his eyes, he kills his sons before him. So the last thing that he saw, the last thing that he sees is his family, his sons being put to death.

Then he's blinded. His eyes are put out. And then they take him captive to Babylon. And he stays there in prison until his death. Harsh? Yes. Unjust? Not at all. Because he did evil in the sight of the Lord. Sometimes we look at the consequences and the judgment that takes place. And we forget what brought on that judgment and those consequences.

His treatment was severe, but his rebellion was severe as well. When we think that the judgment is too great, it's because we've forgotten the severity of sin and doing evil in the sight of the Lord. And so his eyes are put out. He's taken captive. He's led to Babylon and there he dies in prison. This is fulfilling a prophecy that actually Ezekiel proclaimed in Ezekiel 12, verse 13.

It tells us that King Zedekiah would be caught in God's snare. That God would bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans, but he will not see it, even though he will die there. So the prophecy that Ezekiel proclaims is that King Zedekiah is going to be brought to Babylon, but he will not see it, even though he dies there.

And you could read that prophecy by itself and think, how is that going to happen? But of course here as you read the account that his eyes were put out and then he was led captive to Babylon, you can see easily how this prophecy is fulfilled. He did not see Babylon because he was blinded. And he is led away there captive and there he dies. Verse 12. Now in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,

"Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 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. And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. Then Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, carried away captive some of the poor people.

As we go on in the accounts, we find now that not only is the leadership of Jerusalem conquered and captured, but now the city itself, the structures are conquered and destroyed.

The temple, the magnificent temple built by Solomon, a sight to behold, now is finally destroyed. In previous times when Jerusalem was conquered, elements were taken from the temple. The gold instruments and furnishings, they were taken. But the temple itself was left there until this time. Now this is a, in a sense, a final judgment.

So the temple is demolished completely. All of the houses for the city of Jerusalem are taken down. The walls that were all around the security and shelter for Jerusalem, they're broken down piece by piece. So that all that is left is just rubble. The walls, the houses, the temple, they're all completely demolished. Everything is broken down and burned with fire, it says.

Again, this is the fulfillment of what Jeremiah prophesied would happen. In Jeremiah chapter 38 verse 23, talking to King Zedekiah, Jeremiah says that all of their women and children will be surrendered to the Chaldeans. Jeremiah tells Zedekiah, you will not escape from them. That you will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon.

And Jeremiah also says to the king Zedekiah, you will cause this city to be burned with fire. Zedekiah, by rebelling against God, by rebelling against the king of Babylon, by insisting in his wickedness, causes this city to be burned with fire. He brings on this final destruction of Jerusalem.

The leading away captive of all of the rest of the inhabitants. It tells us that a few, in verse 16, some of the poor are left.

We dealt with that in Jeremiah chapter 40 and 41. You remember Gedaliah was left as governor there over the land and he was there for a short time but then there was an insurrection against him and he was assassinated and then everybody pretty much flees to Egypt at that point. King Nebuchadnezzar leaves some of the poor. He leaves a very small remnant but they don't stay very long. They flee to Egypt and

not long after Babylon leaves. And so at this point, Zedekiah is caught. The city is completely conquered. The temple is torn down. And as we go on, we find that the elements and the furnishings that were left for the temple are also taken to Babylon. Look at verse 17.

He says,

As I said in previous times that Jerusalem was conquered, much of the furnishings for the tabernacle, there was elaborate gold furnishings for the tabernacle, they were taken away.

They were carried away to Babylon. But Babylon left some things back, mostly the things that were bronze. It was a less valuable metal. The gold and the silver they had taken previously, but the bronze they had left. But this time, again, there's a finality to this last attack on Jerusalem. They don't leave anything behind. They take all of the bronze, and now they're going to carry it back to Babylon. The things that were left by Babylon left.

regarding the temple, now are broken apart, broken into pieces so that they can be taken back. Now, this is significant. And again, it's important because it's a fulfillment of something that Jeremiah prophesied to the people. And so they are seeing right before their eyes the fulfillment of all the things that God had been speaking through the prophet Jeremiah. Back in Jeremiah chapter 27,

Jeremiah foretold, he said that all of these things that were left were going to be taken to Babylon. You might remember that account if you were with us back in chapter 27 of Jeremiah. Because it was at that time that Hananiah, the false prophet, came and opposed Jeremiah. Remember, Jeremiah had built that yoke, God told him.

wear a yoke and let it be a symbol. And when people ask you what it's about, let them know they're going to be carried away captive like you are in this yoke. And so Hananiah opposed Jeremiah and went up to Jeremiah and broke the yoke that was around Jeremiah's neck and said, Jeremiah's prophesying lies. He said...

Not only is what Jeremiah said not going to come to pass, the prophet Hananiah, false prophet, said all of the rest of the furnishings that have already been taken to Babylon are going to be brought back to Jerusalem. But we can see here in the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy who is the true prophet and who is the false prophet. There are those who proclaim things that are contrary to the word of God.

They proclaim things contrary to what God has promised. But God's word is fulfilled. It is accomplished. And the people of Jerusalem are now seeing right before their eyes these things taking place. The people at that time, they chose to believe Hananiah. Of course, yes, believe the nicer, lovelier message. Oh yeah, these things are going to be taken to Babylon. All the things that were already taken, they're going to be returned back to us.

That's a nicer prophecy. We like that one better. But popularity is, well, it's not the key to determining what is of God and what is not of God. The Word of God is fulfilled. That's what chapter 52 is all about. Proving, showing, demonstrating. Just as God said it would happen, it has taken place. Going on in verse 24.

It says,

A capital of bronze was on it, and the height of one capital was five cubits, with a network of pomegranates all around the capital, all of bronze. The second pillar with pomegranates was the same. There were ninety-six pomegranates on all sides. All the pomegranates all around on the network were one hundred.

So it goes into further detail now about these bronze things that were taken back to Babylon. I think it goes into detail because what was quite impressive, what was there at the temple. These were just the things that were left, the things that were of bronze. But there's these two pillars and they're noteworthy because they're pretty substantial size and they would have been impressive as you came to worship God at the temple.

There were these two pillars. Now it describes them as being all bronze. And all of the things along with the labor, the carts and everything, the bronze was immeasurable. There was just a huge amount of bronze in these furnishings for the temple. As an example, he gives some insight into the pillars. The pillar, each of the pillars was 18 cubits high.

Now, a cubit is believed to be about a foot and a half, 18 inches. So, 18 cubits times 1.5 to convert it to feet brings it to 27 feet high. So, picture in your mind for a moment, 27 feet high. Can you imagine how high that is? Now, on top of that 27 foot pillar,

would be a capital or kind of a cap on top of it that was another seven and a half feet high. Altogether, it would be about 34 and a half feet high. Now, if you want to just get a little bit of a visual on that, these walls are right about 35 feet apart. So if you were to take this building and stand it on end, that's how tall this pillar would be. It was...

34 and a half feet high. And it says that the circumference, if I can find the spot here, verse 21, measuring line of 12 cubits could measure its circumference. So 12 cubits around these pillars were, it's about 18 feet around, all the way around. It makes it about almost 6 feet in diameter.

So, a little bit longer than my arm span would be the width of these. 35 feet high, solid bronze. It was impressive. It was magnificent. It was a part of what Solomon had built for the temple. You can read about that in 1 Kings 7, as he's putting together the temple and all the furnishings. And so you have these huge pillars, these things that, well, they looked at it too, and they said, look, we have the temple.

We have these impressive things that God is still with us. And that's why they insisted and said, no, Babylon's not going to conquer us. Jeremiah, you're wrong. And they insisted on continuing in their own ways. But these pillars, things that they were holding on to, things that they were trusting in, are broken. The temple is broken down. It's carried away to Babylon. Verse 24 says,

the captain of the guard took suriah the chief priest zephaniah the second priest and the three doorkeepers he also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war seven men of the king's close associates who were found in the city the principal scribe of the army who mustered the people of the land and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city

And Nebuchadnezzar, then the captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. 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.

Here as we continue on the account, you can see they're kind of cleaning house. They caught those who fled, then they come back, they break down the walls, they break down the houses, they break down the temple. Now they search out, they get all of the officers of the king, all of those who are in the areas of government, all of those who are in authority. And they round up all those guys in authority and now they bring them to Babylon.

Not to Babylon. To the king of Babylon at Rudla. To Nebuchadnezzar. And there, they're put to death. All of those in authority, all of those responsible for this rebellion against the king of Babylon are put to death. Again, this is the fulfillment of what God said would take place. In Jeremiah chapter 21 verse 7,

God says, I will deliver Zedekiah, king of Judah, his servants and the people and such as are left in this city from the pestilence and the sword and the famine into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, into the hand of their enemies and into the hand of those who seek their life. And he shall strike them with the edge of the sword. He shall not spare them or have pity or mercy. Exactly what God said was going to take place back in chapter 21, verse

is what we find has taken place here in chapter 52. Those who are with the king, those who are officers, those who had authority, they're taken to the king of Babylon and they're put to death. Verse 28. These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away captive. In the seventh year, 3,023 Jews. In the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar, he carried away captive from Jerusalem 832 persons.

In the 23rd year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar, the captain of the guard, carried away captive of the Jews 745 persons. All the persons were 4,600. So here we find some from the nation of Judah taken captive and carried off to Babylon. Now it's an interesting portion of scripture because

The numbers and the time frame doesn't match up with what we find in 2 Kings chapter 24. In 2 Kings chapter 24 and 25, we have a similar account of what we have here in Jeremiah chapter 52.

The final destruction of Jerusalem, the people being carried away captive, and there it lists the numbers of those who are carried away captive, and there's some differences. But there's also differences in the time period that's mentioned. So here it says in verse 28, the seventh year,

but it was actually in the eighth year that Babylon conquered Jerusalem for the first time. And so all of these dates seem to be a little bit prior to the actual conquering of the city of Jerusalem. And then the 23rd year, that's a couple of years after the final destruction of Jerusalem.

And so there's some discussion, there's some disputes about what these numbers mean, but I think the simple answer to this is that these are three accounts of people who are led captive to Babylon that are not described elsewhere, are not described in 2 Kings chapter 24. Rather than try to make them match, it seems to make more sense that...

They're just recording these other groups that were taken at other times aside from what we find in 2 Kings chapter 24.

An alternative viewpoint, and you can meditate on that if you want to, is that the numbers here just describe those who were from the tribe of Judah because it specifically says they're Jews and they weren't really called Jews until after they're in Babylon in captivity. And so they suggest that maybe it's just the numbers from the tribes of Judah. Whichever way you want to look at it or come up with an alternative opinion, that's fine as well. The point here is,

They're carried away captive. Just like God said they would be carried away captive, they're carried away captive. Just as God said there would be no inhabitants left in the land, there's no inhabitants left in the land. They're in Babylon for 70 years at this point. Because, well, they refused to honor God. You remember back when they were

going into the promised land as God was giving them the law, as God was giving them His requirements for them that they would have relationship with Him. And all the people said, yes, we hear what the law says. We think it's good. We're going to follow God. One of the commands that God gave was the Sabbath law. And the Sabbath law was not just on the seventh day you rest on the Sabbath, but that every seventh year you let the land rest.

That is that you don't plow, you don't seed, you don't harvest. You just, you let it lie. You let it produce whatever it may. You don't work the land. But the people disobeyed God. They disregarded the Sabbath law. They would not let the land lie on that seventh year. And so the 70 years in Babylon, God has already proclaimed through Jeremiah. He also foretold it in the giving of the law.

that this would be those 70 years that they were supposed to let the land lie dormant, not plow and not seed, so on and so forth. This 70 years is God's catching up those times, those 70 Sabbath years that they missed, that they refused to be obedient to God. This 70 years that they're in Babylon is the 70 years that the land is left dormant.

to enjoy its Sabbath. And so the people are taken. The nation is without inhabitants so that the land can rest, so that those Sabbath years can be recovered or repaid. Again, God's word is fulfilled just exactly as he said that it would be. Verse 31 says,

Now it came to pass in the 37th year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, in the 12th month, on the 25th day of the month, that evil Merodot, king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life. Here, as it concludes, we find...

This little account of Jehoiachin. Now again, this is why we understand that Jeremiah is not writing this portion because this happened after Jeremiah was gone off the scene. But it's the 37th year of Jehoiachin's captivity. He's been captive in Babylon for 37 years.

Not to get too technical, but Jehoiachin was taken captive prior to the destruction that we've just been reading about. Jerusalem was conquered three times. Jehoiachin was the first round. Jerusalem was conquered. He was taken away captive back to Babylon. And then Jehoiakim was set up as king in his place. Then Jehoiakim rebelled and Babylon comes, conquers Jerusalem.

takes Jehoiakim away and then Zedekiah is set up as king. And then Zedekiah rebels against Babylon. Babylon comes, conquers Jerusalem and takes him away captive. So Jehoiachin, he's kind of the start of the chain and he is there in Babylon. He's in captivity. He's been there for 37 years and suddenly this king of Babylon named Evil Merodach. Now Merodach

makes it sound very, you know, like, ooh, he's got a scary king, right? Well, he's not called evil because of the English word evil. It's like the way that you would pronounce what's written in the Hebrew. It's a transliteration of his name.

His name literally means son of Marduk or son of Marduk. He was the son of Nebuchadnezzar. And so it's not that he was evil. It's just that's what his name would sound like to us. And so his name is something I can't pronounce in Hebrew. And this king of Babylon, he's the son of Nebuchadnezzar.

He shows favor to this king, Jehoiachin, and he pulls him out of prison. He gives him some new clothes. He gives him provisions for him. And so he allows him to spend the rest of his life in a little bit more comfort than being there in prison and surviving off the little bit of food that was given to him.

And so he shows mercy to him. Now, there's lots of speculation as to why he would do this. Many believe that it was probably the influence of Daniel. You remember Daniel the prophet is in Babylon at this time. He was influential in the life of Nebuchadnezzar, but also the king's following. Daniel was high up in the government of Babylon, and he was very prominent and influential. And so many believe and speculate that perhaps it was Nebuchadnezzar

Because of Daniel's influence that he showed him this mercy and allowed him to have this position of honor within the kingdom. Whatever the case, we find that he was shown mercy, he was released out of prison and he gets to live the rest of his days in not necessarily luxury but not in prison any longer. He's provided for, his needs are met for the rest of his life. And that is the end of the book of Jeremiah.

That is the end of, again, the fulfillment of all the things that God had promised and prophesied through the prophet Jeremiah. And as we conclude this book, and as we conclude our time this evening in the Word, I want to go back to verse 2 of chapter 52, where it tells us that Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord.

As I mentioned at the beginning throughout this book, we've seen and we've understood that this has been a call to holiness. It's a call to purity. It's a call to get right with God. And we've seen it over and over again as that call is given to the nation of Judah. It's also given to us that God desires for us to have a right relationship with Him.

And even as Judah rebelled and rebelled and rebelled and hardened their hearts and didn't listen to God and didn't pay attention, even to the very end, God was offering them opportunities to turn and to get right with Him. To turn and to be delivered. To turn and to be set free. But they refused. I think it's so appropriate for us as we end this chapter, as we end the book, to again extend that opportunity.

To again have this chance, this moment, to surrender to God. To agree with Him about the things which He's speaking to our hearts. And to submit, to turn to holiness. To turn from our rebellion, to turn from our sin. The worship team is going to come up and lead us in a time of worship. And as they do, I want to exhort you. I want to encourage you to consider Jesus.

King Zedekiah did evil in the sight of the Lord. If you would have asked his society, they would not have said that he was doing evil. If you would have asked his friends, his co-workers, they would have not described his doings as evil. If you would have asked his family, they would have agreed with the things that he did and the choices that he made. They would not say that what he was doing was evil. But if you ask God...

God says, in my sight, he did evil. He refused to listen to me. He rebelled against me. You know, many times as Christians, we comfort ourselves with the counsel of society. We justify the way that we live, the decisions that we make, the things that we do by looking at what the world around us is doing or by listening to those who do not speak on behalf of God.

Perhaps the way that you're living your life right now is acceptable to society. Maybe your parents are excited about the decisions that you're making in the life that you're living. Maybe your family is all on board. They're in agreement. The things that you're doing, the job that you have, the place that you live, the way that you spend your time and energy and money, they're all on board. But none of those actually matter.

The real question is, what does God think about how you live? God has entrusted to you resources. He's entrusted to you spiritual gifts. He's laid before you good works. He's spoken to you His Word. He's giving you His commands, His correction. He's giving you opportunities to serve Him. What does God think about how you are doing with all of these things that He has given to you?

How do you look in His sight? Your buddies might say the way that you treat your wife is appropriate. But what does God say? Your friends and family might say, yeah, the way that you work and the things that you rip off from your work and the things that you get away with at work, yeah, that's okay, that's good. You deserve it. But what does God say?

Society might say, yeah, the way that you're raising your kids, the way that you're involved in their lives, you're fine, you're good, you're being a good parent. But what about God's sight? What does He think about the way that you live and the way that you involve yourself in His kingdom and use the gifts and the resources that He's given to you? What does God think about your life? How do you look in His sight? As the worship team leads us, I want to challenge you, I want to exhort you

as well as I exhort and challenge myself, let's take this time and let's ask God, Lord, how do I look in your sight? What do you think about my life? What do you want done differently for me? Let's allow God to speak to us. Not so that we can decide whether or not we want to listen to Him and obey, but let's let Him speak to us so that we can be obedient, that we can fulfill our role, that we can play our part in His plan, in His kingdom.

Let's worship the Lord together and ask Him, Lord, how do I look in Your sight?