Prophets and Kings
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 36: The Last King of Judah
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"While Jeremiah continued to bear his testimony
in the land of Judah, the prophet Ezekiel was
raised up from among the captives in Babylon,
to warn and to comfort the exiles."
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Pacific Press Publ. Assoc. |
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Zedekiah at the beginning of his reign was trusted fully by
the king of Babylon and had as a tried counselor the prophet Jeremiah. By
pursuing an honorable course toward the Babylonians and by paying heed to the messages
from the Lord through Jeremiah, he could have kept the respect of many in high
authority and have had opportunity to communicate to them a knowledge of the
true God. Thus the captive exiles already in Babylon would have been placed on
vantage ground and granted many liberties; the name of God would have been
honored far and wide; and those that remained in the land of Judah would have
been spared the terrible calamities that finally came upon them. {PK 440.1}
Through Jeremiah, Zedekiah and all Judah, including those
taken to Babylon, were counseled to submit quietly to the temporary rule of
their conquerors. It was especially important that those in captivity should
seek the peace of the land into which they had been carried. This, however, [441]
was contrary to the inclinations of the human heart; and Satan, taking
advantage of the circumstances, caused false prophets to arise among the
people, both in Jerusalem and in Babylon, who declared that the yoke of bondage
would soon be broken and the former prestige of the nation restored. {PK 440.2}
The heeding of such flattering prophecies would have led to
fatal moves on the part of the king and the exiles, and would have frustrated
the merciful designs of God in their behalf. Lest an insurrection be incited
and great suffering ensue, the Lord commanded Jeremiah to meet the crisis
without delay, by warning the king of Judah of the sure consequence of
rebellion. The captives also were admonished, by written communications, not to
be deluded into believing their deliverance near. "Let not your prophets
and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you," he urged.
Jeremiah 29:8. In this connection mention was made of the Lord's purpose to
restore Israel at the close of the seventy years of captivity foretold by His
messengers. {PK 441.1}
With what tender compassion did God inform His captive
people of His plans for Israel! He knew that should they be persuaded by false
prophets to look for a speedy deliverance, their position in Babylon would be
made very difficult. Any demonstration or insurrection on their part would
awaken the vigilance and severity of the Chaldean authorities and would lead to
a further restriction of their liberties. Suffering and disaster would result.
He desired them to submit quietly to their fate and make their servitude as
pleasant as possible; and his counsel to them was: "Build ye houses, and
dwell in them; and plant gardens, [442] and eat the fruit of them;
. . . and seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be
carried away captives, and pray unto the Lord for it: for in the peace thereof
shall ye have peace." Verses 5-7. {PK 441.2}
Among the false teachers in Babylon were two men who claimed
to be holy, but whose lives were corrupt. Jeremiah had condemned the evil
course of these men and had warned them of their danger. Angered by reproof,
they sought to oppose the work of the true prophet by stirring up the people to
discredit his words and to act contrary to the counsel of God in the matter of
subjecting themselves to the king of Babylon. The Lord testified through
Jeremiah that these false prophets should be delivered into the hands of
Nebuchadnezzar and slain before his eyes. Not long afterward, this prediction
was literally fulfilled. {PK
442.1}
To the end of time, men will arise to create confusion and
rebellion among those who claim to be representatives of the true God. Those
who prophesy lies will encourage men to look upon sin as a light thing. When
the terrible results of their evil deeds are made manifest, they will seek, if
possible, to make the one who has faithfully warned them, responsible for their
difficulties, even as the Jews charged Jeremiah with their evil fortunes. But
as surely as the words of Jehovah through His prophet were vindicated anciently,
so surely will the certainty of His messages be established today. {PK 442.2}
From the first, Jeremiah had followed a consistent course in
counseling submission to the Babylonians. This counsel was given not only to
Judah, but to many of the surrounding [443]
nations. In the earlier portion of Zedekiah's reign, ambassadors from the
rulers of Edom, Moab, Tyre, and other nations visited the king of Judah to
learn whether in his judgment the time was opportune for a united revolt and
whether he would join them in battling against the king of Babylon. While these
ambassadors were awaiting a response, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah,
saying, "Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and send
them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the
Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of
the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah."
Jeremiah 27:2, 3. {PK
442.3}
Jeremiah was commanded to instruct the ambassadors to inform
their rulers that God had given them all into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the
king of Babylon, and that they were to "serve him, and his son, and his
son's son, until the very time of his land come." Verse 7. {PK 443.1}
The ambassadors were further instructed to declare to their
rulers that if they refused to serve the Babylonian king they should be
punished "with the sword, and with the famine, and with the
pestilence" till they were consumed. Especially were they to turn from the
teaching of false prophets who might counsel otherwise. "Hearken not ye to
your prophets," the Lord declared, "nor to your diviners, nor to your
dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you,
saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto
you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should [444] drive
you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring their neck under the
yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in
their own land, saith the Lord; and they shall till it, and dwell
therein." Verses 8-11. The lightest punishment that a merciful God could
inflict upon so rebellious a people was submission to the rule of Babylon, but
if they warred against this decree of servitude they were to feel the full
vigor of His chastisement. {PK
443.2}
The amazement of the assembled council of nations knew no
bounds when Jeremiah, carrying the yoke of subjection about his neck, made
known to them the will of God. {PK 444.1}
Against determined opposition Jeremiah stood firmly for the
policy of submission. Prominent among those who presumed to gainsay the counsel
of the Lord was Hananiah, [445] one of the false prophets
against whom the people had been warned. Thinking to gain the favor of the king
and of the royal court, he lifted his voice in protest, declaring that God had
given him words of encouragement for the Jews. Said he: "Thus speaketh the
Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, I have broken the yoke of the king of
Babylon. Within two full years will I bring again into this place all the
vessels of the Lord's house, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took away from
this place, and carried them to Babylon: and I will bring again to this place
Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, with all the captives of Judah,
that went into Babylon, saith the Lord: for I will break the yoke of the king
of Babylon." Jeremiah 28:2-4. {PK 444.2}
Jeremiah, in the presence of the priests and people,
earnestly entreated them to submit to the king of Babylon for the time the Lord
had specified. He cited the men of Judah to the prophecies of Hosea, Habakkuk,
Zephaniah, and others whose messages of reproof and warning had been similar to
his own. He referred them to events which had taken place in fulfillment of
prophecies of retribution for unrepented sin. In the past the judgments of God
had been visited upon the impenitent in exact fulfillment of His purpose as
revealed through His messengers. {PK 445.1}
"The prophet which prophesieth of peace," Jeremiah
proposed in conclusion, "when the word of the prophet shall come to pass,
then shall the prophet be known, that the Lord hath truly sent him." Verse
9. If Israel chose to run the risk, future developments would effectually
decide which was the true prophet. [446] {PK 445.2}
The words of Jeremiah counseling submission aroused Hananiah
to a daring challenge of the reliability of the message delivered. Taking the
symbolic yoke from Jeremiah's neck, Hananiah broke it, saying, "Thus saith
the Lord; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from
the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. {PK 446.1}
"And the prophet Jeremiah went his way." Verse 11.
Apparently he could do nothing more than to retire from the scene of conflict.
But Jeremiah was given another message. "Go and tell Hananiah," he
was bidden, "Thus saith the Lord; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but
thou shalt make for them yokes of iron. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the
God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations,
that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him.
. . . {PK 446.2}
"Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the
prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The Lord hath not sent thee; but thou makest this
people to trust in a lie. Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will cast
thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou
hast taught rebellion against the Lord. So Hananiah the prophet died the same
year in the seventh month." Verses 13-17. {PK 446.3}
The false prophet had strengthened the unbelief of the
people in Jeremiah and his message. He had wickedly declared himself the Lord's
messenger, and he suffered death in consequence. In the fifth month Jeremiah
prophesied the death of Hananiah, and in the seventh month his words were
proved true by their fulfillment. [447] {PK 446.4}
The unrest caused by the representations of the false
prophets brought Zedekiah under suspicion of treason, and only by quick and
decisive action on his part was he permitted to continue reigning as a vassal.
Opportunity for such action was taken advantage of shortly after the return of
the ambassadors from Jerusalem to the surrounding nations, when the king of
Judah accompanied Seraiah, "a quiet prince," on an important mission
to Babylon. Jeremiah 51:59. During this visit to the Chaldean court, Zedekiah
renewed his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar. {PK 447.1}
Through Daniel and others of the Hebrew captives, the
Babylonian monarch had been made acquainted with the power and supreme
authority of the true God; and when Zedekiah once more solemnly promised to
remain loyal, Nebuchadnezzar required him to swear to this promise in the name
of the Lord God of Israel. Had Zedekiah respected this renewal of his covenant
oath, his loyalty would have had a profound influence on the minds of many who
were watching the conduct of those who claimed to reverence the name and to
cherish the honor of the God of the Hebrews. {PK 447.2}
But Judah's king lost sight of his high privilege of
bringing honor to the name of the living God. Of Zedekiah it is recorded:
"He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled
not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.
And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by
God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the
Lord God of Israel." 2 Chronicles 36:12, 13. [448] {PK 447.3}
While Jeremiah continued to bear his testimony in the land
of Judah, the prophet Ezekiel was raised up from among the captives in Babylon,
to warn and to comfort the exiles, and also to confirm the word of the Lord
that was being spoken through Jeremiah. During the years that remained of
Zedekiah's reign, Ezekiel made very plain the folly of trusting to the false
predictions of those who were causing the captives to hope for an early return
to Jerusalem. He was also instructed to foretell, by means of a variety of symbols
and solemn messages, the siege and utter destruction of Jerusalem. {PK 448.1}
In the sixth year of the reign of Zedekiah, the Lord
revealed to Ezekiel in vision some of the abominations that were being
practiced in Jerusalem, and within the gate of the Lord's house, and even in
the inner court. The chambers of images, and the pictured idols, "every
form of creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house
of Israel"—all these in rapid succession passed before the
astonished gaze of the prophet. Ezekiel 8:10. {PK 448.2}
Those who should have been spiritual leaders among the
people, "the ancients of the house of Israel," to the number of
seventy, were seen offering incense before the idolatrous representations that
had been introduced into hidden chambers within the sacred precincts of the
temple court. "The Lord seeth us not," the men of Judah flattered
themselves as they engaged in their heathenish practices; "the Lord hath
forsaken the earth," they blasphemously declared. Verses 11, 12. {PK 448.3}
There were still "greater abominations" for the
prophet to behold. At a gate leading from the outer to the inner [449]
court he was shown "women weeping for Tammuz," and within "the
inner court of the Lord's house, . . . at the door of the temple of
the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with
their backs toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east; and
they worshiped the sun toward the east." Verses 13-16. {PK 448.4}
And now the glorious Being who accompanied Ezekiel
throughout this astonishing vision of wickedness in high places in the land of
Judah, inquired of the prophet: "Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it
a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which
they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have
returned to provoke Me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
Therefore will I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I
have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not
hear them." Verses 17, 18. {PK 449.1}
Through Jeremiah the Lord had declared of the wicked men who
presumptuously dared to stand before the people in His name: "Both prophet
and priest are profane; yea, in My house have I found their wickedness."
Jeremiah 23:11. In the terrible arraignment of Judah as recorded in the closing
narrative of the chronicler of Zedekiah's reign, this charge of violating the
sanctity of the temple was repeated. "Moreover," the sacred writer
declared, "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." 2 Chronicles 36:14. [450]
{PK 449.2}
The day of doom for the kingdom of Judah was fast
approaching. No longer could the Lord set before them the hope of averting the
severest of His judgments. "Should ye be utterly unpunished?" He
inquired. "Ye shall not be unpunished." Jeremiah 25:29. {PK 450.1}
Even these words were received with mocking derision.
"The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth," declared the
impenitent. But through Ezekiel this denial of the sure word of prophecy was
sternly rebuked. "Tell them," the Lord declared, "I will make
this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel;
but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For
there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the
house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall
speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged: for in your days, O
rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.
{PK 450.2}
"Again," testifies Ezekiel, "the word of the
Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say,
The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the
times that are far off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; There
shall none of My words be prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken
shall be done, saith the Lord God." Ezekiel 12:22-28. {PK 450.3}
Foremost among those who were rapidly leading the nation to
ruin was Zedekiah their king. Forsaking utterly the counsels of the Lord as
given through the prophets, forgetting the debt of gratitude he owed
Nebuchadnezzar, [451] violating his solemn oath of
allegiance taken in the name of the Lord God of Israel, Judah's king rebelled
against the prophets, against his benefactor, and against his God. In the
vanity of his own wisdom he turned for help to the ancient enemy of Israel's
prosperity, "sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him
horses and much people." {PK 450.4}
"Shall he prosper?" the Lord inquired concerning
the one who had thus basely betrayed every sacred trust; "shall he escape
that doeth such things? or shall he break the covenant, and be delivered? As I
live, saith the Lord God, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made
him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he brake, even with him in
the midst of Babylon he shall die. Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army
and great company make for him in the war: . . . seeing he despised
the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath
done all these things, he shall not escape." Ezekiel 17:15-18. {PK 451.1}
To the "profane wicked prince" had come the day of
final reckoning. "Remove the diadem," the Lord decreed, "and
take off the crown." Not until Christ Himself should set up His kingdom
was Judah again to be permitted to have a king. "I will overturn,
overturn, overturn, it," was the divine edict concerning the throne of the
house of David; "and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is;
and I will give it Him." Ezekiel 21:25-27. {PK 451.2}
Click here to read the next chapter:
"Carried Captive Into Babylon"
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