1 Jesus told his disciples: "There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.' 3 "The manager said to himself, 'What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I'm not strong enough to dig, and I'm ashamed to beg-- 4 I know what I'll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.' 5 "So he called in each one of his master's debtors. He asked the first, 'How much do you owe my master?' 6 " 'Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,' he replied. "The manager told him, 'Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.' 7 "Then he asked the second, 'And how much do you owe?' " 'A thousand bushels of wheat,' he replied. "He told him, 'Take your bill and make it eight hundred.' 8 "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? 13 "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."
Commentators like to say that this is perhaps the most difficult parable in the Bible, as Jesus cites an unsavory fellow doing dishonest things, and then draws a positive application for his hearers. However, while this might challenge some of our presuppositions about Jesus, it most certainly fits with his tendency to use everyday/ordinary occurrences for the purpose of teaching about the kingdom of God. With most commentators that I consulted, I would say that the parable itself concludes in vs 8a, with the rest being commentary/application.
First, some notes on the story itself: This is called the Parable of the Unjust Steward, but truth be told, neither Jesus nor Luke say that it’s a parable—hence, technically, this COULD be a real account that Jesus had heard of (maybe it was even common knowledge to his hearers). The rich man in the story is VERY rich, as judged by the amounts owed him in the story. Indeed, more than one commentator observes that the debtors are, themselves, “well off.” A lot of people get hung up on exactly WHAT the unjust steward was doing in order to lose his job in the first place. He was, according to the TNIV “wasting the possessions” of the master. The Greek word is ‘diaskorpizown.’ It’s the same word that’s used in the parable of the Prodigal Son where, in Luke 15:13 it says the son “SQUANDERED his estate in loose living.” Hence, even though stewards such as the man in this story are expected to skim their own living off the business transactions of their masters, it appears that this steward went too far. Indeed, one commentator says that the steward in the story overstepped his bounds and acted as if HE were master.
Verse 4 is a critical verse. Here we are treated to the internal monolog of the guilty steward. He knows his goose is cooked, he knows that he will lose his job. We might say that he “sees the writing on the wall.” What follows is very decisive action on his part. One commentator actually views the stewards action as ‘revenge’ on the master for firing him—but this seems unduly complicated. From a straight reading of the text, it appears rather that the steward is hoping to ingratiate himself enough to other households that—for him—represent future employment opportunities.
Vss 5-7…much ink has been spilled on the sums of discount the steward suggests for each debtor. Some, wanting to make the unjust steward “less unjust” have suggested that the steward discounts the bill only by the amount that would’ve been his own commission. This, to me, seems like wishful reading on the part of the commentator. To me, a more fascinating issue is to compare the original charge against the steward—squandering the master’s goods—with his latter behavior…discounting the debt owed by the master’s debtors. It seems to me that many “masters” by today’s standards would consider THAT, also, to be a “squandering of resources.” Again, some commentators have gone too far by suggesting that the master’s commendation of this activity on the part of the steward illustrates that THIS ‘grace,’ is the activity The Master (God) wanted from the steward all along. Wishful reading. Let’s not forget that the purpose of the parable, as drawn from the “punchline” in vs 8 is the SHREWDNESS (prudence/wisdom) of the steward.
This shrewdness is seen in three ways: (1) the steward’s decisiveness. He wasted no time assessing his position and formulating his plan. (2) the plan itself: ingratiating himself with several moderately rich patrons was a very good idea—especially given the culture of the 1st century where so much was based on ‘tit-for-tat’ type thinking. In a very real way, these debtors were now in HIS DEBT for the huge favor he did for them. (3) the blowback affect. Even though the master intended to fire the steward, it is obvious in the story that he didn’t do this BEFORE the steward discounted these debts. As a consequence, the master is now known far and wide as a man of IMMENSE GENEROSITY, for everyone would naturally assume that the steward was acting under the master’s orders. True, the master is out some payment in the short run, but in the long run the master has achieved a windfall in standing and personal capital. One could even say that the master demonstrates his own shrewdness when he realizes this immediately.
What I love about this story is that it actually translates into the modern era pretty well. I could almost envision a similar story set among the financial elites of Wall Street brokerage houses, etc. And these are, often, the very people that society in general holds as being “extremely shrewd” when it comes to the intricacies of making money under ANY circumstance. In this sense, The Point of the parable is just as easy to see: Jesus is saying, isn’t it interesting that the people of This World have a shrewdness when it comes to seeing the writing on the wall; when it comes to assessing their own peril or finitude…especially regarding money. Why then, are children of The Light (who by very definition are *supposed to be enlightened) so dense? The steward KNEW he was a steward….the stuff he was working with wasn’t his own; The steward SAW that money/stuff was a TOOL intended to be USED, not intended to be its own end; and the steward CALCULATED that time was limited; decisions had to be made now.
Evidently Jesus seemed to think his hearers could apply this thinking to their lives. What do you think?
Cheers,
TM
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Thoughts going in, Sunday Sep 12th
Jer 4:11 At that time this people and Jerusalem will be told, "A scorching wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward my people, but not to winnow or cleanse; 12 a wind too strong for that comes from me. Now I pronounce my judgments against them." 22 "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good." 23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the LORD, before his fierce anger. 27 This is what the LORD says: "The whole land will be ruined, though I will not destroy it completely. 28 Therefore the earth will mourn and the heavens above grow dark, because I have spoken and will not relent, I have decided and will not turn back." (TNIV)
This week there’s a sentences that really stands out to me from the text. It’s from verse 22: "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” They are SKILLED in doing evil.
I’m reminded of a couple of my favorite tv shows: WHITE COLLAR, and LEVERAGE. Both of these shows have characters with incredible skillsets. WHITE COLLAR has Neal Caffrey, a skilled forger and world class art thief; and Mozzie, a jack of all trades expert at avoiding detection from the law. LEVERAGE has Hardison, an extraordinarily gifted computer hacker, Parker, a breaking & entering specialist/thief, and others. There was also, not long ago, a highly entertaining movie by the name of OCEANS 11 that had a complete cast of characters highly skilled at running a con, safe cracking, demolitions, and stealing. Whether or not we would go so far as to attach the word EVIL to these characters, there’s no doubt that we could say that they are “highly skilled” at…….bending and/or breaking the law.
Why do we admire such people? Oh, sure in the world of television or the movies, they’re usually “using their powers for good,” but ‘good’ is a pretty relative term. Laws are generally being broken, and sometimes the target of their ‘hit’ is just a darker shade of gray than the heroes.
Well, let’s get back to vs 22. Is this the sort of “evil” that God’s people are “skilled at” in the text? Are they the equivalents of Neal and Mozzie and Hardison and Parker? Very unlikely. We need to understand the PROPHETIC USE of the word EVIL. King Ahab, one of the kings of the northern nation of Israel, bears the distinction of being declared Israel’s most evil king. But this doesn’t mean that he was clubbing baby seals. The prophetic use of words like WICKED & EVIL has to do entirely with one’s SPIRITUAL CONDITION. Ahab was a fantastic ruler. He had a long and prosperous reign. He expanded his nation’s borders. The standard of living of his people rose during his reign. In all CIVIL matters, he was one of Israel’s most successful kings—but prophetically, he was the most wicked because he not only continued the false/syncretistic worship of Yahweh that the north was known for, but he also *imported Baal worship to the land. Wickedness/evil, prophetically speaking, is a SPIRITUAL CONDITION. God considered his people of Judah during Jeremiah’s day to be skilled in evil, because of their spiritual condition.
We cannot help but look into the mirror at our own condition. When are we—God’s people of today—skilled in the evil of a debased spiritual condition? We fall into the same category when our actions mirror the actions of God’s people of old. They routinely substituted false worship for the worship of the one true God. We routinely substitute almost ANYTHING for the worship of the one true God: sleeping in on Sunday mornings; prioritizing “family time” ahead of “family worship time,” succumbing to any and every temptation to choose ‘option B’ over gathering for worship together, as we should. This, in God’s sight, is EVIL. It’s evil because it offends against the first commandment not to have other gods; it’s evil because it fractures the worshiping community; it’s evil because it cheapens God’s grace—He called us and saved us by his grace, but we choose to ignore him at will. This, in God’s sight is EVIL.
Maybe we’ve never looked at it that way before, but these words of Jeremiah should be sobering for us. In our day & age we have a little myth we like to buy into. It goes something like this: “well, even if I am doing something wrong, I’m not hurting anyone else, I’m only hurting myself.” But the prophetic language of this passage says otherwise. Right after God says that his people are skilled in doing evil, he says: “23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins…” In other words, their actions AREN’T happening in a vacuum. In this very picturesque language, the prophet is reminding the people that when God’s people actively choose to walk away from him; when their spiritual condition becomes debased, they are hurting LOTS more than just themselves. When the light in a lighthouse goes out, there will be more problems than simply no light *inside the lighthouse. When our light, as Christians, goes out, our call and ability to shine in the lives of others also goes out. The evil of a debased spiritual condition hurts and effects LOTS more than just ourselves.
What’s the solution??
This week there’s a sentences that really stands out to me from the text. It’s from verse 22: "My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” They are SKILLED in doing evil.
I’m reminded of a couple of my favorite tv shows: WHITE COLLAR, and LEVERAGE. Both of these shows have characters with incredible skillsets. WHITE COLLAR has Neal Caffrey, a skilled forger and world class art thief; and Mozzie, a jack of all trades expert at avoiding detection from the law. LEVERAGE has Hardison, an extraordinarily gifted computer hacker, Parker, a breaking & entering specialist/thief, and others. There was also, not long ago, a highly entertaining movie by the name of OCEANS 11 that had a complete cast of characters highly skilled at running a con, safe cracking, demolitions, and stealing. Whether or not we would go so far as to attach the word EVIL to these characters, there’s no doubt that we could say that they are “highly skilled” at…….bending and/or breaking the law.
Why do we admire such people? Oh, sure in the world of television or the movies, they’re usually “using their powers for good,” but ‘good’ is a pretty relative term. Laws are generally being broken, and sometimes the target of their ‘hit’ is just a darker shade of gray than the heroes.
Well, let’s get back to vs 22. Is this the sort of “evil” that God’s people are “skilled at” in the text? Are they the equivalents of Neal and Mozzie and Hardison and Parker? Very unlikely. We need to understand the PROPHETIC USE of the word EVIL. King Ahab, one of the kings of the northern nation of Israel, bears the distinction of being declared Israel’s most evil king. But this doesn’t mean that he was clubbing baby seals. The prophetic use of words like WICKED & EVIL has to do entirely with one’s SPIRITUAL CONDITION. Ahab was a fantastic ruler. He had a long and prosperous reign. He expanded his nation’s borders. The standard of living of his people rose during his reign. In all CIVIL matters, he was one of Israel’s most successful kings—but prophetically, he was the most wicked because he not only continued the false/syncretistic worship of Yahweh that the north was known for, but he also *imported Baal worship to the land. Wickedness/evil, prophetically speaking, is a SPIRITUAL CONDITION. God considered his people of Judah during Jeremiah’s day to be skilled in evil, because of their spiritual condition.
We cannot help but look into the mirror at our own condition. When are we—God’s people of today—skilled in the evil of a debased spiritual condition? We fall into the same category when our actions mirror the actions of God’s people of old. They routinely substituted false worship for the worship of the one true God. We routinely substitute almost ANYTHING for the worship of the one true God: sleeping in on Sunday mornings; prioritizing “family time” ahead of “family worship time,” succumbing to any and every temptation to choose ‘option B’ over gathering for worship together, as we should. This, in God’s sight, is EVIL. It’s evil because it offends against the first commandment not to have other gods; it’s evil because it fractures the worshiping community; it’s evil because it cheapens God’s grace—He called us and saved us by his grace, but we choose to ignore him at will. This, in God’s sight is EVIL.
Maybe we’ve never looked at it that way before, but these words of Jeremiah should be sobering for us. In our day & age we have a little myth we like to buy into. It goes something like this: “well, even if I am doing something wrong, I’m not hurting anyone else, I’m only hurting myself.” But the prophetic language of this passage says otherwise. Right after God says that his people are skilled in doing evil, he says: “23 I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. 24 I looked at the mountains, and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. 25 I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. 26 I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins…” In other words, their actions AREN’T happening in a vacuum. In this very picturesque language, the prophet is reminding the people that when God’s people actively choose to walk away from him; when their spiritual condition becomes debased, they are hurting LOTS more than just themselves. When the light in a lighthouse goes out, there will be more problems than simply no light *inside the lighthouse. When our light, as Christians, goes out, our call and ability to shine in the lives of others also goes out. The evil of a debased spiritual condition hurts and effects LOTS more than just ourselves.
What’s the solution??
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Prophet Jeremiah....a running start...
In order to get a running start at the life, times, and ministry of the prophet Jeremiah, I’ve engaged in some random ‘cutting & pasting’ of various sources of biblical history concerning the nations of Israel and Judah. Most people remember that Moses led the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to the promised land. After many generations, a monarchy was established. This period was known as the “united kingdom” period, spanning roughly 120yrs and encompassing the reigns of Saul, David and Solomon. The united kingdom reached its zenith, or golden age, under the reign of Solomon.
After Solomon’s death in 931 BC, the ten northern tribes refused to accept Rehoboam (Solomon’s son and heir) as their king, and instead chose Jeroboam,
who was not of the Davidic line, as their king. The northern kingdom continued to be called Israel, whereas the southern kingdom was called the Kingdom of Judah, or Judah.This period is known as the “divided kingdom” period. During this time, something of a jostling for power took place in the region. Egypt was becoming more dominant, as was Assyria, soon to be followed by Babylon. Lesser states such as Israel, Judah, and Aram (modern day Syria) etc. constantly walked a tight-rope of alliances in order to maintain their existence.
DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL
In c. 732 BCE, King Pekah of Israel allied with King Rezin of Aram and threatened Jerusalem. King Ahaz of Judah appealed to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria for help and paid him ‘tribute’ (note: tribute is basically old world extortion money paid by a lesser state to a more powerful state). Tiglath-Pileser sacked Damascus and Israel, annexing Aram and large parts of Israel. According to 2 Kings 16:9 and 15:29, the population of Aram and the annexed part of Israel was deported to Assyria. Israel continued to exist within the reduced territory as an independent kingdom until around 720 BCE, when it was again invaded by Assyria and the rest of the population deported. The Bible relates that the population of Israel was exiled, becoming known as the Ten Lost Tribes. However, other writers estimate that only a fifth of the population (about 40,000) were actually resettled out of the area during the two deportation periods under Tiglath-Pileser and Sargon II. Many also fled south to Jerusalem, which appears to have expanded in size fivefold during this period.
CLASH OF EMPIRES
Besides witnessing the destruction of Israel and the deportation of its population, Ahaz and his co-regent son Hezekiah were vassals (aka client kings) to Assyria and forced to pay an annual tribute. After Hezekiah became sole ruler in c. 715 BC, he re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. (Isaiah 30-31; 36:6-9) In response, Sennacherib of Assyria attacked the fortified cities of Judah. (2 Kings 18:13) Hezekiah was forced to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold to Assyria — requiring him to empty the temple and royal treasury of silver and strip the gold from the doorposts of Solomon's Temple. Sennacherib went so far as to besiege Jerusalem itself (2 Kings 18:14-16) in 701 BC, though the city was divinely spared.
During the long reign of Hezekiah’s son Manasseh (c. 687/686 - 643/642 BC), Judah was a vassal state of Assyria. Manasseh’s reign was marked as a ‘low point’ in Judah’s history in terms of rejection of worship of the one true God and toleration of idolatry.
When Josiah became king of Judah in c. 641/640 BC, the international situation was in flux. To the east, the Assyrian Empire was beginning to disintegrate, the Babylonian Empire had not yet risen to replace it, and Egypt to the west was still recovering from Assyrian rule. In this power vacuum, Judah was able to govern itself for the time being without foreign intervention. Important religious reforms were able to take place under Josiah. Josiah is a king without peer in Judah’s history.
In the spring of 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho II personally led a sizable army up to the Euphrates River to aid the Assyrians against the upstart Babylonians. However, Necho found his way blocked by the Judean army led by Josiah. Presumably in an attempt to help the Babylonians, Josiah attempted to block the advance at Megiddo, where a fierce battle was fought and where Josiah was killed. Necho then joined forces with the Assyrians and together they crossed the Euphrates and lay siege to Harran. The combined forces failed to capture the city, and Necho retreated back to northern Syria. The event also marked the disintegration of the Assyrian Empire.
On his return march to Egypt in 608 BC, Necho found that Jehoahaz had been selected to succeed his father, Josiah. Necho deposed Jehoahaz, who had been king for only three months, and replaced him with his older brother, Jehoiakim. Necho imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver (about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons) and a talent of gold (about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms). Necho then took Jehoahaz back to Egypt as his prisoner, never to return.
Jehoiakim ruled originally as a vassal of the Egyptians, paying a heavy tribute. However, when the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemish in 605 BC, Jehoiakim changed allegiances, paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. In 601 BC, in the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure lead to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant which owed allegiance to Babylon. Jehoiakim also stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and took a pro-Egyptian position. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions.
DESTRUCTION OF JUDAH
According to the Babylonian Chronicles, after invading in 599 BC, Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to Jerusalem. Jehoiakim died in 598 BC during the siege, and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin at an age of either eight or eighteen. The city fell about three months later. Nebuchadnezzar pillaged both Jerusalem and the Temple, carting all his spoils to Babylon. Jehoiachin and his court and other prominent citizens and craftsmen, along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah, numbering about 10,000 were deported from the land and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire. (2 Kings 24:14) Among them was Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah, Jehoiakim's brother, king of the reduced kingdom, who was made a tributary of Babylon.
Despite the strong warnings of Jeremiah and others, Zedekiah revolted against Nebuchadnezzar, ceasing to pay tribute to him and entered into an alliance with Egypt. In 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II returned to Judah and again besieged Jerusalem.
During this period, many Jews fled to surrounding Moab, Egypt, Edom and other countries to seek refuge. The city fell after an eighteen month siege and Nebuchadnezzar again pillaged both Jerusalem and the Temple, after which he set fire to them both. After killing all of Zedekiah's sons, Nebuchadnezzar took Zedekiah to Babylon, putting an end to the independent Kingdom of Judah.
After the destruction of Judah, Babylon created Yehud Province for the remnant of the Jewish population in a part of the former kingdom, and appointed Gedaliah governor, supported by a Chaldean guard. The administrative centre of the province was Mizpah, and not Jerusalem. On hearing of the appointment, the Jews that had taken refuge in surrounding countries returned to Judah. (Jeremiah 40:11-12) However, before long Gedaliah was assassinated by a member of the royal house, and the Chaldean soldiers killed. The population that was left in the land and those that had returned fled to Egypt fearing a Babylonian reprisal, under the leadership of Johanan, son of Kareah, ignoring the urging of the prophet Jeremiah against the move. (2 Kings 25:26, Jeremiah 43:5-7) In Egypt, the refugees settled in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and Pathros, (Jeremiah 44:1) and Jeremiah went with them as moral guardian.
After Solomon’s death in 931 BC, the ten northern tribes refused to accept Rehoboam (Solomon’s son and heir) as their king, and instead chose Jeroboam,
who was not of the Davidic line, as their king. The northern kingdom continued to be called Israel, whereas the southern kingdom was called the Kingdom of Judah, or Judah.This period is known as the “divided kingdom” period. During this time, something of a jostling for power took place in the region. Egypt was becoming more dominant, as was Assyria, soon to be followed by Babylon. Lesser states such as Israel, Judah, and Aram (modern day Syria) etc. constantly walked a tight-rope of alliances in order to maintain their existence.DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL
In c. 732 BCE, King Pekah of Israel allied with King Rezin of Aram and threatened Jerusalem. King Ahaz of Judah appealed to Tiglath-Pileser III of Assyria for help and paid him ‘tribute’ (note: tribute is basically old world extortion money paid by a lesser state to a more powerful state). Tiglath-Pileser sacked Damascus and Israel, annexing Aram and large parts of Israel. According to 2 Kings 16:9 and 15:29, the population of Aram and the annexed part of Israel was deported to Assyria. Israel continued to exist within the reduced territory as an independent kingdom until around 720 BCE, when it was again invaded by Assyria and the rest of the population deported. The Bible relates that the population of Israel was exiled, becoming known as the Ten Lost Tribes. However, other writers estimate that only a fifth of the population (about 40,000) were actually resettled out of the area during the two deportation periods under Tiglath-Pileser and Sargon II. Many also fled south to Jerusalem, which appears to have expanded in size fivefold during this period.
CLASH OF EMPIRES
Besides witnessing the destruction of Israel and the deportation of its population, Ahaz and his co-regent son Hezekiah were vassals (aka client kings) to Assyria and forced to pay an annual tribute. After Hezekiah became sole ruler in c. 715 BC, he re-captured Philistine-occupied lands in the Negev desert, formed alliances with Ashkelon and Egypt, and made a stand against Assyria by refusing to pay tribute. (Isaiah 30-31; 36:6-9) In response, Sennacherib of Assyria attacked the fortified cities of Judah. (2 Kings 18:13) Hezekiah was forced to pay three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold to Assyria — requiring him to empty the temple and royal treasury of silver and strip the gold from the doorposts of Solomon's Temple. Sennacherib went so far as to besiege Jerusalem itself (2 Kings 18:14-16) in 701 BC, though the city was divinely spared.
During the long reign of Hezekiah’s son Manasseh (c. 687/686 - 643/642 BC), Judah was a vassal state of Assyria. Manasseh’s reign was marked as a ‘low point’ in Judah’s history in terms of rejection of worship of the one true God and toleration of idolatry.
When Josiah became king of Judah in c. 641/640 BC, the international situation was in flux. To the east, the Assyrian Empire was beginning to disintegrate, the Babylonian Empire had not yet risen to replace it, and Egypt to the west was still recovering from Assyrian rule. In this power vacuum, Judah was able to govern itself for the time being without foreign intervention. Important religious reforms were able to take place under Josiah. Josiah is a king without peer in Judah’s history.
In the spring of 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho II personally led a sizable army up to the Euphrates River to aid the Assyrians against the upstart Babylonians. However, Necho found his way blocked by the Judean army led by Josiah. Presumably in an attempt to help the Babylonians, Josiah attempted to block the advance at Megiddo, where a fierce battle was fought and where Josiah was killed. Necho then joined forces with the Assyrians and together they crossed the Euphrates and lay siege to Harran. The combined forces failed to capture the city, and Necho retreated back to northern Syria. The event also marked the disintegration of the Assyrian Empire.
On his return march to Egypt in 608 BC, Necho found that Jehoahaz had been selected to succeed his father, Josiah. Necho deposed Jehoahaz, who had been king for only three months, and replaced him with his older brother, Jehoiakim. Necho imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver (about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons) and a talent of gold (about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms). Necho then took Jehoahaz back to Egypt as his prisoner, never to return.
Jehoiakim ruled originally as a vassal of the Egyptians, paying a heavy tribute. However, when the Egyptians were defeated by the Babylonians at Carchemish in 605 BC, Jehoiakim changed allegiances, paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. In 601 BC, in the fourth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar unsuccessfully attempted to invade Egypt and was repulsed with heavy losses. This failure lead to numerous rebellions among the states of the Levant which owed allegiance to Babylon. Jehoiakim also stopped paying tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and took a pro-Egyptian position. Nebuchadnezzar soon dealt with these rebellions.
DESTRUCTION OF JUDAH
According to the Babylonian Chronicles, after invading in 599 BC, Nebuchadnezzar lay siege to Jerusalem. Jehoiakim died in 598 BC during the siege, and was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin at an age of either eight or eighteen. The city fell about three months later. Nebuchadnezzar pillaged both Jerusalem and the Temple, carting all his spoils to Babylon. Jehoiachin and his court and other prominent citizens and craftsmen, along with a sizable portion of the Jewish population of Judah, numbering about 10,000 were deported from the land and dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire. (2 Kings 24:14) Among them was Ezekiel. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah, Jehoiakim's brother, king of the reduced kingdom, who was made a tributary of Babylon.
Despite the strong warnings of Jeremiah and others, Zedekiah revolted against Nebuchadnezzar, ceasing to pay tribute to him and entered into an alliance with Egypt. In 589 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II returned to Judah and again besieged Jerusalem.
During this period, many Jews fled to surrounding Moab, Egypt, Edom and other countries to seek refuge. The city fell after an eighteen month siege and Nebuchadnezzar again pillaged both Jerusalem and the Temple, after which he set fire to them both. After killing all of Zedekiah's sons, Nebuchadnezzar took Zedekiah to Babylon, putting an end to the independent Kingdom of Judah. After the destruction of Judah, Babylon created Yehud Province for the remnant of the Jewish population in a part of the former kingdom, and appointed Gedaliah governor, supported by a Chaldean guard. The administrative centre of the province was Mizpah, and not Jerusalem. On hearing of the appointment, the Jews that had taken refuge in surrounding countries returned to Judah. (Jeremiah 40:11-12) However, before long Gedaliah was assassinated by a member of the royal house, and the Chaldean soldiers killed. The population that was left in the land and those that had returned fled to Egypt fearing a Babylonian reprisal, under the leadership of Johanan, son of Kareah, ignoring the urging of the prophet Jeremiah against the move. (2 Kings 25:26, Jeremiah 43:5-7) In Egypt, the refugees settled in Migdol, Tahpanhes, Noph, and Pathros, (Jeremiah 44:1) and Jeremiah went with them as moral guardian.
Simplified timeline, Jeremiah & the fall of Judah
Year BC:......Event:
636.....Josiah becomes king of Judah at age 8. He is remembered as one of Judah’s greatest kings; institutes religious reforms;
623.....Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry
606.....Death of Josiah. Jehoahaz reigns 3 months, removed from thrown by Egypt (in an attempt to continue being a power broker in the area).
606-598.....Reign of Jehoiakim (brother of Jehoahaz; placed on throne by Egypt)
605.....Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon
604.....Jehoiakim rebels against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, loots the temple and carries off some exiles, including Daniel. This is the first deportation to Babylon
598/7.....Jehoiakim taken captive to Babylon with 3,000 exiles (the prophet Ezekiel is in this group). His 18yr old son Jehoiachin succeeds him (3 months); Babylon invades Judah again, taking entire royal family exile. Jerusalem surrenders.
597.....Nebuchadnezzar places Zedekiah’s (Jehoiachin’s uncle) on the throne.
594.....Anti-Babylonian conspiracy in Judah
589-586.....Siege and fall of Jerusalem; death of Zedekiah. Solomon’s temple destroyed
586.....Gedaliah is appointed governor by Babylon, but he is soon assassinated. Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch are taken—possibly against their will—to Egypt where they live out the rest of their lives.
636.....Josiah becomes king of Judah at age 8. He is remembered as one of Judah’s greatest kings; institutes religious reforms;
623.....Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry
606.....Death of Josiah. Jehoahaz reigns 3 months, removed from thrown by Egypt (in an attempt to continue being a power broker in the area).
606-598.....Reign of Jehoiakim (brother of Jehoahaz; placed on throne by Egypt)
605.....Nebuchadnezzar becomes king of Babylon
604.....Jehoiakim rebels against Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar besieges Jerusalem, loots the temple and carries off some exiles, including Daniel. This is the first deportation to Babylon
598/7.....Jehoiakim taken captive to Babylon with 3,000 exiles (the prophet Ezekiel is in this group). His 18yr old son Jehoiachin succeeds him (3 months); Babylon invades Judah again, taking entire royal family exile. Jerusalem surrenders.
597.....Nebuchadnezzar places Zedekiah’s (Jehoiachin’s uncle) on the throne.
594.....Anti-Babylonian conspiracy in Judah
589-586.....Siege and fall of Jerusalem; death of Zedekiah. Solomon’s temple destroyed
586.....Gedaliah is appointed governor by Babylon, but he is soon assassinated. Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch are taken—possibly against their will—to Egypt where they live out the rest of their lives.
Biography of the Prophet Jeremiah
Jeremiah (lit “Yahweh exalts”), was one of the prophets of the Old Testament. His writings are put together in the Book of Jeremiah and traditionally, authorship of the Book of Lamentations is ascribed to him. God appointed Jeremiah to confront Judah and Jerusalem for the worship of idols and other violations of the covenant described in Deuteronomy. According to Jeremiah, the LORD declared that the covenant was broken and that God would bring upon Judah the curses of the covenant. Jeremiah’s job was to explain the reason for the impending disaster (destruction by the Babylonian army and captivity), “And when your people say, 'Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?' you shall say to them, 'As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you shall serve foreigners in a land that is not yours.'"
God’s personal prediction to Jeremiah, “Attack you they will, overcome you they can’t,” was fulfilled many times in the Biblical narrative as Jeremiah warned of destruction of those who continued to refuse repentance and its more moderate consequences. In return for his adherence to God’s disciplines and speaking God’s words, Jeremiah was attacked by his own brothers, beaten and put into the stocks by a priest and false prophet, imprisoned by the king, threatened with death, thrown into a cistern by Judah’s officials, and opposed by a false prophet. Yet God was faithful to rescue Jeremiah from his enemies. For example, when his prophecies regarding the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be freed from prison and treated well.
Jeremiah’s ministry spanned the time period from the thirteenth year of Josiah king of Judah (623 BC) until sometime after the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon’s Temple (587 BC). Consequently, Jeremiah’s prophetic work spanned the reigns of five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz,Jehoiakim, Jehoichin, and Zedekiah.
Background
Jeremiah was born into a priestly family, the son of Hilkiah, a priest at Anathoth, a village 2–3 miles north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah came from a landowning family, and refers to a joyful early life, ]although the words and difficulties recorded in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations result in him being known as “the weeping prophet.” Jeremiah was born in the second half of the 7th Century BC. At that time Josiah,was King of Judah, which was the southern kingdom.
Call, Training, and Early Ministry
The LORD called Jeremiah to prophetic ministry in about 623 BC, about one year after Josiah king of Judah had turned the nation toward repentance from the widespread idolatrous practices of his father and grandfather. Ultimately, Josiah’s reforms would not be enough to preserve Judah and Jerusalem from destruction, because the sins of Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, had gone too far. Such was the lust of the nation for false gods that after Josiah’s death, the nation would quickly return to the gods of the surrounding nations. Jeremiah was appointed to reveal the sins of the people and the coming consequences.
In his early ministry, Jeremiah was primarily a preaching prophet, going where the LORD sent him and preaching oracles in Jerusalem and Judah that supported the reform program of Josiah, predicting consequences for past sins, urging whole-hearted repentance from lusting after idols, and condemning the greed of priests and prophets in supporting false religion for monetary gain. Many years later, God instructed Jeremiah to write down these early oracles and other messages.
Conspiracy of men of Anathoth and brothers (11:18-12:6)
Jeremiah opposed the multitude of altars and false worship that appeared throughout the land. He opposed the widespread trend among priests and prophets to minimize the problem and declare peace when the false practices should be considered abominations. Jeremiah declared that these widespread altars were sufficiently serious abominations that they yielded a broken covenant, and that greed was the motive for the priests and prophets to proclaim peace and support worship of false gods in all the towns and on every street.
Unhappy with Jeremiah’s message, possibly for concern that it would shut down the Anathoth sanctuary, his priestly kin and the men of Anathoth conspired to take his life. However, the LORD revealed the conspiracy to Jeremiah, protected his life, and declared disaster for the men of Anathoth. When Jeremiah complains to the LORD about this persecution, the LORD explains that the attacks on him will become worse.
Conflicts with false prophets
At the same time while Jeremiah was prophesying coming destruction because of the sins of the nation, a number of other prophets were prophesying peace. The LORDhad Jeremiah speak against these false prophets
For example, during the reign of king Zedekiah, The LORD instructed Jeremiah to make a yoke out of straps and wooden crossbars as a visual confirmation of the message that the nation would be subject to the king of Babylon and that listening to the false prophets would bring a much worse disaster.
Into the stocks by priest Pashhur
After Jeremiah had prophesied disaster for Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, Pashhur the priest, chief officer in the temple, beat Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks overnight. After this, Jeremiah expresses lament over the difficulty that speaking God’s word has caused him and regrets becoming a laughingstock and the target of mockery. He recounts how if he tries to shut the word of the LORD inside and not mention God’s name, the word becomes like fire in his heart and he is unable to hold it in. The experiences are so troubling for Jeremiah, that he expresses regret at ever being born.
Threat of death and imprisonment by Zedekiah’s officials
The Biblical narrative portrays Jeremiah as being subject to additional persecutions. After Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be handed over to the Babylonian army, the king’s officials, including Pashhur the priest, tried to convince King Zedekiah that Jeremiah should be put to death because he is discouraging the soldiers as well as the people. Zedekiah answered that he would not oppose them. Consequently, the king’s officials took Jeremiah and put him down into a cistern, where he sank down into the mud. The intent seemed to be to kill Jeremiah by allowing him to starve to death in a manner designed to allow the officials to claim to be innocent of his blood. A Cushite rescued Jeremiah by pulling him out of the cistern, but Jeremiah remained imprisoned until Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army in 587 BC.
The Babylonians released Jeremiah, and showed him great kindness, allowing Jeremiah to choose the place of his residence, according to a Babylonian edict. Jeremiah accordingly went to Mizpah in Benjamin with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea.
Taken to Egypt
Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, who had been assassinated by an Israelite prince in the pay of Ammon "for working with the Babylonians." Refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, Johanan fled to Egypt, taking with him Jeremiah and Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful scribe and servant, and the king's daughters. There, the prophet probably spent the remainder of his life, still seeking in vain to turn the people to the LORD, from whom they had so long revolted. There is no authentic record of his death.
God’s personal prediction to Jeremiah, “Attack you they will, overcome you they can’t,” was fulfilled many times in the Biblical narrative as Jeremiah warned of destruction of those who continued to refuse repentance and its more moderate consequences. In return for his adherence to God’s disciplines and speaking God’s words, Jeremiah was attacked by his own brothers, beaten and put into the stocks by a priest and false prophet, imprisoned by the king, threatened with death, thrown into a cistern by Judah’s officials, and opposed by a false prophet. Yet God was faithful to rescue Jeremiah from his enemies. For example, when his prophecies regarding the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem were fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar’s army in 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Jeremiah be freed from prison and treated well.
Jeremiah’s ministry spanned the time period from the thirteenth year of Josiah king of Judah (623 BC) until sometime after the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of Solomon’s Temple (587 BC). Consequently, Jeremiah’s prophetic work spanned the reigns of five kings of Judah: Josiah, Jehoahaz,Jehoiakim, Jehoichin, and Zedekiah.
Background
Jeremiah was born into a priestly family, the son of Hilkiah, a priest at Anathoth, a village 2–3 miles north of Jerusalem. Jeremiah came from a landowning family, and refers to a joyful early life, ]although the words and difficulties recorded in the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations result in him being known as “the weeping prophet.” Jeremiah was born in the second half of the 7th Century BC. At that time Josiah,was King of Judah, which was the southern kingdom.
Call, Training, and Early Ministry
The LORD called Jeremiah to prophetic ministry in about 623 BC, about one year after Josiah king of Judah had turned the nation toward repentance from the widespread idolatrous practices of his father and grandfather. Ultimately, Josiah’s reforms would not be enough to preserve Judah and Jerusalem from destruction, because the sins of Manasseh, Josiah’s grandfather, had gone too far. Such was the lust of the nation for false gods that after Josiah’s death, the nation would quickly return to the gods of the surrounding nations. Jeremiah was appointed to reveal the sins of the people and the coming consequences.
In his early ministry, Jeremiah was primarily a preaching prophet, going where the LORD sent him and preaching oracles in Jerusalem and Judah that supported the reform program of Josiah, predicting consequences for past sins, urging whole-hearted repentance from lusting after idols, and condemning the greed of priests and prophets in supporting false religion for monetary gain. Many years later, God instructed Jeremiah to write down these early oracles and other messages.
Conspiracy of men of Anathoth and brothers (11:18-12:6)
Jeremiah opposed the multitude of altars and false worship that appeared throughout the land. He opposed the widespread trend among priests and prophets to minimize the problem and declare peace when the false practices should be considered abominations. Jeremiah declared that these widespread altars were sufficiently serious abominations that they yielded a broken covenant, and that greed was the motive for the priests and prophets to proclaim peace and support worship of false gods in all the towns and on every street.
Unhappy with Jeremiah’s message, possibly for concern that it would shut down the Anathoth sanctuary, his priestly kin and the men of Anathoth conspired to take his life. However, the LORD revealed the conspiracy to Jeremiah, protected his life, and declared disaster for the men of Anathoth. When Jeremiah complains to the LORD about this persecution, the LORD explains that the attacks on him will become worse.
Conflicts with false prophets
At the same time while Jeremiah was prophesying coming destruction because of the sins of the nation, a number of other prophets were prophesying peace. The LORDhad Jeremiah speak against these false prophets
For example, during the reign of king Zedekiah, The LORD instructed Jeremiah to make a yoke out of straps and wooden crossbars as a visual confirmation of the message that the nation would be subject to the king of Babylon and that listening to the false prophets would bring a much worse disaster.
Into the stocks by priest Pashhur
After Jeremiah had prophesied disaster for Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, Pashhur the priest, chief officer in the temple, beat Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks overnight. After this, Jeremiah expresses lament over the difficulty that speaking God’s word has caused him and regrets becoming a laughingstock and the target of mockery. He recounts how if he tries to shut the word of the LORD inside and not mention God’s name, the word becomes like fire in his heart and he is unable to hold it in. The experiences are so troubling for Jeremiah, that he expresses regret at ever being born.
Threat of death and imprisonment by Zedekiah’s officials
The Biblical narrative portrays Jeremiah as being subject to additional persecutions. After Jeremiah prophesied that Jerusalem would be handed over to the Babylonian army, the king’s officials, including Pashhur the priest, tried to convince King Zedekiah that Jeremiah should be put to death because he is discouraging the soldiers as well as the people. Zedekiah answered that he would not oppose them. Consequently, the king’s officials took Jeremiah and put him down into a cistern, where he sank down into the mud. The intent seemed to be to kill Jeremiah by allowing him to starve to death in a manner designed to allow the officials to claim to be innocent of his blood. A Cushite rescued Jeremiah by pulling him out of the cistern, but Jeremiah remained imprisoned until Jerusalem fell to the Babylonian army in 587 BC.
The Babylonians released Jeremiah, and showed him great kindness, allowing Jeremiah to choose the place of his residence, according to a Babylonian edict. Jeremiah accordingly went to Mizpah in Benjamin with Gedaliah, who had been made governor of Judea.
Taken to Egypt
Johanan succeeded Gedaliah, who had been assassinated by an Israelite prince in the pay of Ammon "for working with the Babylonians." Refusing to listen to Jeremiah's counsels, Johanan fled to Egypt, taking with him Jeremiah and Baruch, Jeremiah's faithful scribe and servant, and the king's daughters. There, the prophet probably spent the remainder of his life, still seeking in vain to turn the people to the LORD, from whom they had so long revolted. There is no authentic record of his death.
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