Righteousness Being Restored

“After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are His judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.

He has avenged on her the blood of His servants.” (Revelation 19:1-2)

Yes, those in heaven worship God when He eliminates that which corrupted, defiled and killed people. The great prostitute in the above passage symbolizes a corrupt political and religious regime that sought to destroy any image-bearers of the true God. When God eliminates evil, He replaces it with righteousness.

Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”

The Lord was extremely patient and merciful with the four final kings of Judah. They were evil. For example, King Jehoiakim threw the written Words of God in a fire. He slew the prophet Urijah. King Zedekiah allowed those under his authority, including his princely sons, to do great harm to the prophet Jeremiah. If God had not intervened, they would have executed him.

Now, the day of judgment has arrived for Zedekiah, his sons, and his government officials.

“In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and besieged it In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated.” Jeremiah 39:1-2

Zedekiah was in his ninth year of being king over Judah when the Babylonian army began its siege against Jerusalem. To put this in perspective, Zedekiah had been reigning a little longer than a two-term American president when the Babylon invasion began.

“Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rab-Saris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rab-Mag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:4

“This is how ancient generals claimed victory over a defeated city. The victors would take their seats in the city gates. In triumph they would claim the place of rule and governance.” In Jeremiah 1:15, “God said kings would ‘come and set up their thrones in the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem.” [1]

“The names Nergal-Sharezer and Samgar-Nebo are proper Babylonian names formed from the names of Nergal and Nebo their idols. Rab-saris means, “chief of the eunuchs.” Rab-mag means chief of the magi. Rab-Mag had astrological skill. Mag is a Persian word, meaning “great.” The magi were priests of the Zoroastrian religion among the Medes.” [2]

It has been said, “Give the devil an inch and he will become a ruler.” The Judeans had given idols a foothold in their nation, now the servants of idols were ruling over them.

“So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain. But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho. And when they had captured him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he pronounced judgment on him.” Jeremiah 39:4-5

Zedekiah and his soldiers ran but did not outrun justice. They were captured and condemned. Zedekiah was a covenant breaker. (Ezekiel 17:13-19; 2 Chronicles 36:13)

“Then the king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes in Riblah; the king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah. Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him with bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.” Jeremiah 39:6-7

Zedekiah’s princely sons who had wanted Jeremiah executed, were slaughtered before their father’s eyes. He should have taught them to respect the servant of God’s Word not hate him. His officials were executed as well.

The torturers removed Zedekiah’s eyes. The words, “put out” literally mean, “dug out.” Assyrian sculptures depict the delight with which the kings struck out, often with their own hands, the eyes of captive royalty. This passage reconciles Jeremiah 32:4, “his eyes shall behold his eyes” with Ezekiel 12:13, “he shall not see Babylon, though he shall die there.” [3]

They bound him with bronze shackles. He once re-enslaved freed slaves. Now, he was a slave.

“And the Chaldeans burned the king’s house and the houses of the people with fire and broke down the walls of Jerusalem.” Jeremiah 39:8

The Babylonians burned down government and residential structures. Judah’s idolators had burned fires and made offerings to idols on their rooftops. Now, their beautiful homes were reduced to ashes. Lies do not preserve people, they destroy them.

“Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive to Babylon the remnant of the people who remained in the city and those who defected to him, with the rest of the people who remained. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left in the land of Judah the poor people, who had nothing, and gave them vineyards and fields at the same time.” Jeremiah 39:9-10

Captain Nebuzaradan took from rich and gave to the poor. Vineyards and fields for the poor!

“Now Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon gave charge concerning Jeremiah to Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, saying, ‘Take him and look after him, and do him no harm; but do to him just as he says to you.’ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So, he dwelt among the people.” Jeremiah 39:11-14

Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.” God directed His Babylonian sword of judgment not to strike Jeremiah.

Captain Nebuzaradan took Jeremiah from prison to a place of provision. He placed him with his cousin Gedaliah. Gedaliah lived in Mizpah. He was the great grandson of Jeremiah’s Uncle Azariah. Azariah was Jeremiah’s father’s brother. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah to be governor of Judea according to Jeremiah 40:5.

“Meanwhile, the Word of the Lord had come to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, ‘Go and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: behold, I will bring My Words upon this city for adversity and not for good, and they shall be performed in that day before you. But I will deliver you in that day, says the Lord, and you shall not be given into the hand of the men of whom you are afraid. For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 39:15-18

The Hebrew word translated ‘life’ in this verse is actually the word for ‘booty’ referring to goods taken from a defeated army. Though Ebedmelech served in the king’s court, the Lord allowed him to take from the battle his life as a prize. [4]

“Ebedmelech had given more than a cup of water to the prophet, and in keeping with His promises the Lord was with him also in his hour of need.” [5]

Psalms 146:3-6 says, “Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; in that very day, his plans perish. Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps truth forever.”

“The contrast between Zedekiah and Jeremiah illustrates the teaching of Jesus Christ: ‘Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will save it.’” [6]

God made a distinction between Jeremiah and the false prophets and priests of his home town by preserving his life from harm on the day of judgment. God also made a distinction between Ebedmelech and his fellow-servants because he trusted in the Lord.

When asked about end time events, Jesus spoke of coming in His glory, with His angels, and sitting on His throne of glory. “All the nations will be gathered before Him.” “He will separate them as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.” He distinguished the sheep from the goats by the way they behaved towards Him. To the people on His right hand (the sheep), He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” To the people on His left hand (the goats), He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” More than importantly, He warned us all, “And these [the goats] will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous [the sheep] into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Two of the last verses of the Bible say, in Revelation 22:14-15, “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.”

Both the book of Jeremiah and the book of Revelation make a strong case for remaining steadfastly with God while evil doers reign on the earth. Don’t compromise with them! Treasure your faith in Christ! Serve the Lord!

Jerusalem was eventually built back better than before. After the final tribulation, it will be perfected. In Revelation 21:2-4, John wrote, “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’”


[1] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-593

[2] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary. See also 2 Kings 17:29-30; Isaiah 46:1

[3] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary

[4] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-598. See also Luke 9:24.

[5] Dr. Theo Laetsch, Bible Commentary Jeremiah, Concordia Paperback Edition, 1965, ©, pages 300-301. See also Mark 9:41; Psalm 37:40; 41:2; 97:10

[6] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 592-598