Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem, by Rembrandt 1630. Public domain.
2 Kings 23:39-25:30 History recap/outline
--On the death of king Josiah, his 23 yr old son Jehoahaz is made king After 3 mos Pharaoh-nechoh took him captive to Egypt, made Jerusalem tributary --Pharaoh makes 25 yr old Jehoiakim, brother of Jehoahaz king in Jerusalem 11 yr reign; Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon makes him tributary After 3 years he rebels, Chaldees/Syrians/Moabites/Ammonites sent vs Judah --at the death of Jehoiakim, his 18 yr old son Jehoiachin made king (Babylon has taken all Egypt’s holdings from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates) Reigned 3 mos, Nebuchadnezzar’s servants besiege Jerusalem 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim, the elites, the Temple & king’s treasures, & craftsmen: 10K carried away to Babylon. https://biblehub.com/2_kings/24-12.htm --21 yr old Zedekiah (Jehoiachin’s uncle) is made king by Nebuchadnezzar 11 yr reign; rebels vs Nebuchadnezzar, 9th yr Jerusalem besieged by Babylonians 11th year no bread/famine, city broken up, Chaldees are surrounding the city Zedekiah & soldiers flee, but he is captured, his army scattered Zedekiah’s sons killed in front of him, then his eyes are put out; he is taken to Babylon --The Temple, the king’s house, and all the great houses in Jerusalem are burned, the walls broken The rest of the people in Jerusalem, and the fugitives that joined the Babylonians are carried to Babylon. The poor are left to work the vineyards. Gedaliah is made governor. A conspiracy kills Gedaliah, the people flee in fear to Egypt. --37th year of captivity, Jehoiachin is released from prison & lives on the king of Babylon’s allowance the rest of his life.
2 Chron 36 History recap/outline (there are a few differences to that above) --the people make 23 yr old Jehoahaz king after Josiah’s death Reigned 3 mos, king of Egypt takes him captive to Egypt; makes Jerusalem tributary --king of Egypt makes Jehoahaz’ 25 yr old brother Jehoiakim king of Judah/Jerusalem Reigned 11 yrs; Nebuchadnezzar carries him & the Temple treasures to Babylon --8 yr old Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, reigns 3 mos; carried captive to Babylon --Nebuchadnezzar makes 21 yr old Zedekiah (Jehoiachin’s brother) king of Judah/Jerusalem Reigned 11 years, wouldn’t humble himself before Jeremiah, speaking for the Lord Rebelled vs his oath & vs Nebuchadnezzar
14 ¶ Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. 15 And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
Temple & king’s treasures, the king & princes taken captive to Babylon The Temple & palaces in Jerusalem are burned, the walls broken down --Those who weren’t killed were taken captive to Babylon & served there until Persia arose Jeremiah’s prophecies fulfilled, the land enjoyed sabbaths, for 70 years --1st year of Cyrus, king of Persia Jeremiah’s prophecies accomplished: The Lord inspired Cyrus to proclaim that God had given him the kingdoms of the earth And charged him to build God’s house in Jerusalem. Whoever of the Jews wish to, can go. (it is most probable that someone presented Cyrus with God’s word/Jeremiah’s prophecies).
Lamentations, 5 chapters mourning the suffering of Judah & Jerusalem in the Babylonian conquest
Lam 1 The kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem as the capital, is likened to a bereft woman 1 How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people! how is she become as a widow! she that was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she become tributary! 2 She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers [allies and idols] she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
4 The ways [streets/roads] of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts: all her gates are desolate: her priests sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she is in bitterness. [Priests & virgins would be employed in celebrations/holy days.] 5 Her adversaries are the chief, her enemies prosper; for the Lord hath afflicted her for the multitude of her transgressions: her children are gone into captivity before the enemy. 6 And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty is departed: her princes are become like harts [deer] that find no pasture, and they are gone without strength before the pursuer.
In such a way the Lamentations continue, personifying Judah/Jerusalem as a woman remembering what life was like for her before her desolation, which the Lord allowed to come upon her for her wickedness. “The adversary hath spread out his hand upon all her pleasant things . . .”, that is, her enemies have grabbed/looted all her treasures. “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.”
17 Zion spreadeth forth her hands, and there is none to comfort her: the Lord hath commanded concerning Jacob, that his adversaries should be round about him: Jerusalem is as a menstruous woman among them. [There was just about nothing that was considered as disgusting to the ancients as a menstruous woman or her clothing.] 18 ¶ The Lord is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity. 19 I called for my lovers [allies & idols], but they deceived me: my priests and mine elders gave up the ghost in the city, while they sought their meat to relieve their souls. [They died in the famine associated with siege warfare.]
Judah/Jerusalem is put to shame and laments that there is no one to comfort her. All her enemies laugh at her troubles, and are glad for them. She retorts that they will be just like her, punished for their sins/transgressions.
Lam 2 The Lord has finally had enough, and brings the curses He promised via Moses in The Law “How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool [Jerusalem] in the day of his anger!” In grief/mourning the elders have put dust on their heads and dressed in sackcloth. Their innards are full of grief. Children cry for hunger in their mothers’ embrace. Instead of teaching the people to repent and avoid calamity, the prophets pretended to vain and foolish visions, that would cause the people to be banished from their homeland. “The Lord hath done that which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn [that calls people to battle] of thine adversaries.” Each night was divided into “watches” (shifts) for the soldiers—and now they are full of prayers/petitions/pleadings with the Lord for the sake of starving children in the streets. Starving women become willing to eat their own infants (the unit of measure called a “span” is the widest that a hand can stretch out from tip of thumb to pinky, perhaps about 9”).
Lam 3 Lamenting all the Lord has done in consequence of wickedness, the prophet remembers that God is merciful and compassionate. 21 This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. 22 ¶ It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. 24 The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. 25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. 26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.
A man will put his face in the dust (in prayer), with the hope of God’s mercy. He puts up with physical abuse from those who accuse him, trusting that “the Lord will not cast [him] off for ever . . .”
32 But though he [God] cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. 33 For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.
Like a good parent, God doesn’t delight in punishing the bad deeds of His children, yet He knows He must hold them accountable, for their own sakes. Jeremiah asks rhetorically of God’s all-powerfulness. Whatever He says, good or bad, will happen. And why should a man complain at being punished for his own sins. In suffering, God’s people ought to do some soul-searching and turn to the Lord, praying for His mercy/pardon/forgiveness. Jeremiah recalls his experience in prison, and how he called on the Lord for help. God listened to him then, so he calls on Him again to recompense his enemies.
Lam 4 A lament for the horrors of a besieged city. “The precious sons of Zion, comparable to fine gold, how are they esteemed as earthen pitchers, the work of the hands of the potter!” Gold lasts, pottery is temporary. Gold is precious, pottery is not. Even mother whales give milk to their babies, yet women of God’s people have become as careless of their young as ostriches. Young children go hungry and thirsty in the besieged city. Those who used to eat all sorts of delicacies are now desolate. Those who used to dress so fine sit in poop. Sinful Sodom didn’t suffer this much, because it was destroyed quickly. The people of Jerusalem, who used to have every sign of health are now skin and bones. Those that were killed by the sword were better off than those dying of hunger, and women cook their own children to eat. No one would have believed that Jerusalem would be overrun so by its enemies. The prophets and priests (who should be the epitome of Justice) shed the blood of just/good/righteous people. Thus the Lord caused that the conquering army gave the prophets and priests no special treatment (as they would be used to). People waited for help from another nation (Egypt) in vain. The conquerors hunt out and pursue those that flee to the mountains or wilderness, including the king (the Lord’s anointed), whom they thought would still be over them even in captivity. Speaking ironically, Jeremiah invites Edom to be glad at Jerusalem’s destruction, because Edom will drink from the same cup and offer all she has to the conquerors. There will at last come an end to Zion’s punishment, and it will be Edom’s turn to be punished for her sins.
Lam 5 Jeremiah lists the things his people have suffered, and his belief in God, but ends on a sad note Jeremiah tells the things his people have suffered, asking “Remember, O Lord, what is come upon us: consider, and behold our reproach . . .” Strangers have taken their inheritances, the people are orphaned/fatherless (left without protectors/providers), their mothers widowed. Instead of gathering wood and bringing water from the well, they have to pay for both. They no longer have the benefits employees would, rather, they work like slaves. They’ve paid the Egyptians & Assyrians for help with the money that could have bought them food. The people of Judah suffer for the wickedness of their fathers. Instead of being governed by people with the right to rule, they are ruled over by servants (of Nebuchadnezzar). No one is delivering them from their fate. They’ve suffered terrible famine. Their women, even young women, were raped. Princes were hanged by their hands. The elders/elderly were given no respect. Young men and children were set to work grinding grains and gathering wood (chores they would have thought beneath them). The elders no longer sit at the gates of the city (a sign of wealth/leisure and honor/importance), and the young men no longer party or dance to the music. All joy is ceased and turned to mourning. Instead of living like kings, they are full of woes, suffering because of their sins. Their hearts are faint, their eyes dim (vs bright with hope/energy/anticipation . . .) Their precious Zion is become a wilderness where foxes live. Jeremiah pleads,
19 Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; thy throne from generation to generation. 20 Wherefore dost thou forget us for ever, and forsake us so long time? 21 Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.
But then he laments, “thou hast utterly rejected us; thou art very wroth [angry] against us.” Thus ends this set of Jeremiah's writing. It doesn't mean that it's the last he thought or wrote.
The Book of Habakkuk “He spoke often of an imminent Babylonian invasion (Habakkuk 1:6; 2:1; 3:16), an event that occurred on a smaller scale in 605 BC before the total destruction of Judah’s capital city, Jerusalem, in 586 BC. The way Habakkuk described Judah indicates a low time in its history. If the dating is to remain close to the Babylonian invasion, Habakkuk likely prophesied in the first five years of Jehoiakim’s reign (609–598 BC) to a king who led his people into evil.” https://www.insight.org/resources/bible/the-minor-prophets/habakkuk The book of Habakkuk has only 3 chapters. He bemoans the wickedness of his time, “Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.” He speaks of the rise of the Chaldeans (Babylonians). While their king thinks his god has given him his power, Habakkuk says that God is using him as a form of correction for His people. He uses fishing metaphors to capture the attention of his hearers/readers. As far as God’s character/nature, he says, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?” In other words, though God is too pure to countenance evil, yet He postpones judgment/punishment (until the time is right). Habakkuk describes himself as a watchman on the tower. God tells him to write his vision, and when it is time, it’s truth will be revealed. The conqueror is greedy to expand his empire, but “Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!” Highlights: “the just shall live by his faith,” and “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” The third chapter is a prayer/psalm, which some have thought indicates he could have been a Temple priest. (see reference cited above). In his psalm of praise Habakkuk refers to God’s hand in Israel’s history, especially in the Exodus. No matter what disasters occur, Habakkuk says, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.”
The Book of Obadiah The book of Obadiah is the shortest in the Old Testament, only 1 chapter. “The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom . . .” The time is unreferenced, except that the Edomites thought to profit by the calamities befallen the Jewish nation. The Lord through Obadiah promises that Zion/the House of Jacob will one day be delivered and re-possess their lands, and the kingdom of Esau/Edom will be destroyed. The rule of the enemies of the Jews will be overturned. Holiness will return to the Jewish nation.
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