Jeremiah 39

So once again, we read about the fate that befell poor old Zedekiah. If only he had listened to God—perhaps he would have lived out the rest of his years with his sons in relative Babylonian comfort. Alas, the last thing he ever saw (before his eyes were gouged out) was his sons being killed by those Babylonians: “There at Riblah the king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes and also killed all the nobles of Judah. Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.” (vs 6-7)

As I’ve noted before, it seems incredible that Zedekiah didn’t respond to the warning messages God kept sending him through Jeremiah. But at least some Bible commentators theorize that one of the reasons for this might have been a certain prophecy given by the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel and Jeremiah, though separated by a fair amount of distance, both lived and prophesied at the same time. (While Ezekiel was carried away into Babylonian captivity, however, Jeremiah remained at home.) No doubt, King Zedekiah had also heard some of what Ezekiel had to say regarding the imminent fall of Jerusalem.

Photo © Unsplash/Franco Antonio Giovanella

Here was one of his prophecies: “Even Zedekiah will leave Jerusalem at night through a hole in the wall, taking only what he can carry with him. He will cover his face, and his eyes will not see the land he is leaving. Then I will throw my net over him and capture him in my snare. I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Babylonians, though he will never see it, and he will die there. I will scatter his servants and warriors to the four winds and send the sword after them.” (Ezek 12:12-14)

Some Bible commentators suggest that Zedekiah was confused by what appeared to be competing prophecies from the two prophets. Although Ezekiel clearly communicates that the Lord would bring Zedekiah to Babylon, perhaps he got hung up on that next phrase—though he will never see it. Some scholars suggest that this prompted Zedekiah to hold out hope that he could rebel against Nebuchadnezzar and gain the upper hand.

I think there is a very important lesson hidden in this story for us, because when we study the Bible, we often find things that seem to contradict each other. And when that happens, it’s good to remember that God’s word is true! God said Zedekiah would never see the land of Babylon—and Zedekiah never did see the land of Babylon. By the time he got there, his eyes were gone!

But Zedekiah had apparently interpreted that statement to mean that he wouldn’t really be taken into captivity—even though that was a central tenet of the rest of Jeremiah’s and Ezekiel’s prophecies about him. In his mind, I guess he just couldn’t reconcile those two things.

Maybe it’s the same for us sometimes. Even when we see things clearly in God’s word, there are often opportunities for doubt to creep in—sometimes because our own preconceived assumptions cloud our thinking and prevent us from reconciling things that seem to contradict one another.

That’s why, when it comes to God, it’s always best to keep an open mind. As we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our understanding of God’s word, we will find that His word is always true—even when we can’t initially see how it could be! In time, we will see how everything God has said will come to pass.

Even if our eyes have been gouged out.