I’ve made reference before to the epilogue of Peggy Noonan’s biography of Ronald Reagan. It’s only one page, but it communicates quite powerfully. Interestingly, however, the epilogue says nothing about Ronald Reagan. His name doesn’t appear one time in the text. Rather, Noonan tells the story of a little boy whose dad worked in the White House. This little boy was running through the halls one Saturday morning with a plastic sword, and when he was asked what he was going to do with that sword, he answered, “I want to fight bad men.” After telling of this episode, Noonan concludes, “The little bodies of children are the repositories of the greatness of a future age. And they must be encouraged, must eat from the tales of those who’ve gone before, and brandished their swords, and slayed their dragons. 1
Now, in this unexpected epilogue, Noonan never says anything like, “Now, I’m telling you this story because it relates to the 300 previous pages in this way.” She never tells us the significance of this brief epilogue. But it’s pretty easy to see. See, her biography of Reagan doesn’t provide full details of his life before, during, and after his presidency. It gives some of that, but it’s actually rather brief, choosing to focus on the issue of Reagan’s character. She wants her reader to see one thing: he was a man of integrity.
She tells the story of this little boy in her epilogue because she wants us to know her hopes for this book. She wants to provide the reader an example of what character and integrity looks like so that it may be emulated, so that it might be told to our children, admired and lived out by them.
Similarly, the book of Jeremiah ends with a brief epilogue. Chapter 52 clearly reads like something that was added on to the end of Jeremiah. Chapter 51 even ends with the words, “Thus far are the words of Jeremiah,” suggesting a certain finality to this book. And chapter 52 reads unlike the rest of Jeremiah. It reads, rather, like something you would find in 2 Kings, where most every king is introduced with a note of whether they were evil or righteous. Similarly, we read in 52:2, about Zedekiah, “And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.” And there is good reason for this sounding like 2 Kings, because this chapter is almost an exact repetition of 2 Kings 24:18-25:21 and 25:27-30. In fact, the only verses in this chapter that have not been seemingly pulled straight from 2 Kings are verses 28-30, which tells us the number of exiles taken to Babylon.
Also, like Noonan’s epilogue failing to mention Reagan by name, this chapter fails to make mention of Jeremiah. After reading chapter upon chapter filled with refrains along the lines of “The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah,” this chapter says nothing about Jeremiah, his prophetic message, or even his struggles. And on top of all of those oddities, it does not address any individual or nation in particular but reads more like a history lesson.
However, like Noonan’s epilogue, I believe we can see why this chapter is included at the end of the book of Jeremiah. It seems that this epilogue was added to the book of Jeremiah to provide historical evidence that Jeremiah was indeed correct in everything he prophesied. That is, Jeremiah was no false prophet. This chapter seems to serve a bit like a movie which ends and then proceeds to give you an update on what happened with each of the characters in their lives after the events played out in the film. Only in this case, the update does not concern Jeremiah but what Jeremiah prophesied. And this chapter tells us that what he proclaimed indeed occurred.
Jeremiah had spent most of this book proclaiming that Babylon would come and destroy Jerusalem, taking a host of captives into exile, and that’s precisely what happened. Now, just to orient ourselves to the content of this chapter, it is perhaps helpful to remind ourselves of a bit of Israel’s history. Josiah had been a good king, and it was during his reign that Jeremiah had begun his ministry. But Josiah was ultimately killed by the Egyptinas in 609, and the people took his son, Jehoahaz, and made him their king. But this only lasted three months before the Pharaoh came, took Jehoahaz to Egypt, and made another of Josiah’s sons, Jehoiakim, the new king.
However, Egypt was soon shown not to be the new world power, as they were defeated by the Babylonians. Therefore, instead of Judah paying tribute to Egypt, they would soon find themselves paying tribute to Babylon. That is, until Jehoiakim decided to rebel against Babylon and was taken in chains to Babylon as a prisoner. And his son Jehoiachin, reigned in his place. He was only eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for only three months before Nebuchadnezzar came and took a host of captives from Jerusalem to Babylon, including the king himself. And in his place, Nebuchadnezzar made his uncle, Zedekiah, the king of Judah in 597 BC.
And that seemed to go okay for a while until Zedekiah foolishly rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar as well, and that’s where Jeremiah 52 begins. We are told in the end of verse 3, “And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.” This took place in 588 BC. Therefore, Babylonian soldiers came to Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem from January of 588 to July of 587. That is, for eighteen months they laid siege to the city until there was absolutely no more food left (v. 6) and a breach was made in the wall of the city.
At that time, we are told in verses 7-11, Zedekiah decided that he would try to flee. But he was caught and his sons were slaughtered before his eyes. That horrendous scene would actually be the last thing Zedekiah would see because his eyes were then gouged out, and he was bound in chains and taken and imprisoned in Babylon, where he remained until he died.
The captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s army, then, led the troops into Jerusalem, burned every major building (including the king’s palace and the temple), took everything of value from the temple, killed a great number of people, and took a host of others as captives to Babylon.
These are the exact things that Jeremiah said would happen, and this book ends with a historical record of these very events taking place. Therefore, it would seem that the author wanted us to see here the fact that God’s words are always true and trustworthy. Specifically, we see here two things. The first is that God’s judgment is certain.
God had said that these exact events would occur in Judah’s history, and they did. But more than that, God said that these things would happen as judgment for the sins of his people. We read in verse 3, “For because of the anger of the LORD things came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence.”
Now, I say God’s judgment is certain because had you been in Judah at the time of Jeremiah’s prophecies, you might have doubted it. After all, from the time Jeremiah started his ministry to the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 587, forty years elapsed. You can imagine, then, why some would think Jeremiah’s words were not true.
But let’s ask the obvious question, then. Why did God wait so long? It made Jeremiah look bad. It allowed some to scoff at the notion of judgment and continue in their sin. I mean, it seems that if I tell my children that I’m going to discipline them but never actually do, then I’m cultivating a general distrust from them toward what I say. They might begin saying, “Don’t pay attention to what he says, he never actually does it.” And with forty years spanning Jeremiah’s ministry to the downfall of Jerusalem, no doubt many said that kind of thing.
Peter helps us in answering this question, for he notes that people in our own day will point out that things are just continuing on in this world as they always have been. But Peter points out two facts that they overlook. The first one is from 2 Peter 3:5-6, as he notes that they overlook that God once destroyed the world with water. That is, those who say that things are continuing on now as they always have been are actually wrong. There was a time after God created the world that he judged the world because of the sin of mankind. He destroyed the world in the flood so that every living thing that breathes perished, except for eight individuals who survived on the ark. So, for one, they overlook the fact that the Lord has judged the whole world previously.
The second fact they overlook is that the Lord is patient toward us, “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That is, the reason God delays judgment is an expression of his patience, giving individuals an opportunity to repent. And we found them throughout Jeremiah as well, didn’t we? You’ll remember the Lord’s declaration in 18:7-8 and 11:
“If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. . . . Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the LORD, behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.”
Then again in 36:2-3, the Lord declared to Jeremiah, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
Thus, one reason why the Lord continued to proclaim judgment through the mouth of Jeremiah while delaying that judgment was to give those in Judah the opportunity to repent, turn from their evil ways, have their sins forgiven, and have the Lord relent from the disaster that he was intending for them.
Therefore, we do not have to be afraid to note the Lord’s delay in judgment when speaking the gospel to others. It is not a point of weakness in our message. Yes, as we tell our neighbors that God is going to cast into hell everyone who does not obey him, they might laugh at us and note that they have despised the Lord and mocked him to his face without repercussion. They might note that they have actually prospered in their wickedness. But this need not weaken our trust in the Lord’s Word. Rather, it is an opportunity to tell them that they are witnessing the Lord’s kindness in giving them an opportunity to repent before judgment comes. But, we must make clear that there is no doubt that judgment will come. It will come because God has declared that it would.
But, we might say, “Merely seeing God carrying out judgment in the past does not mean that his judgment is certain in the future.” After all, there are things that I have declared in the past that I’ve done, and there are things that I haven’t done. So, you could say, for example, “One time I asked Lee to make an announcement on Sunday morning, he remembered, and he made the announcement.” But that gives no surety that I’ll remember the announcement you’ll ask me to give in the future. This is why each week I try to cover myself by asking, “Have I missed any announcements this morning?” Why then does this fulfillment of the Lord’s word of judgment in 587 BC logically remind us that God’s declarations of judgment are sure and certain?
The answer to that question, of course, is that God is not like us. He is the creator of all that is, and he rules over all that is. He is dependent on nothing outside of himself but has all that he needs within himself, is all-powerful, and perfect in his nature. For me, I might do something, and my abilities fail me – like my memory for example. I might declare my intention to do something only to have someone else stop me. I might underestimate the difficulty of something. There are a number of reasons why I might fail to fulfill my intentions or promises. All of those things are due to the fact that I am merely a finite creature.
God, on the other hand was not worried about whether or not Nebuchadnezzar would invade Jerusalem. The king’s heart was in his hand. He was like an axe that the Lord swung in judgment. God was not worried in the days of Noah that it might not rain when he wanted it to rain, for he is the one who sends the rain. Nor is the end of our lives or the end of history in doubt because God is guiding it to his precise end. At his appointed time, he will send his Son back to the earth, all those alive and those who have died will be raised. Those who have believed in the crucified and risen Christ will be raised to eternal life. Those who have not believed in the Son will be raised to judgment. This is completely within God’s power, and he has said that he will do it. This is why Jeremiah 52 logically reminds us of the truth that God’s judgments are certain. If he has said he will judge, then he will. And he has already proven this through his judgments in the past – one example of which is found in Jeremiah 52.
But this chapter also reminds us that God’s promises of salvation are sure.
We have this odd story that ends Jeremiah 52. After recording the judgment of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar, we all of the sudden leap ahead in time to a point where Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Evil-merodach was reigning as king of Babylon. At this point, Jehoiachin, whom you’ll remember was taken captive when he was a young man (18 years-old) and had reigned as king for only three months, had been in prison for thirty-seven years. Talk about a rough payment for being king of Judah for only three months!
Well, we are told that after thirty-seven years of imprisonment, Evil-merodach, king of Babylon decided to release Jehoichin from prison. We read, “And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he became king, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. And he spoke kindly to him, and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king according to his daily need, until the day of his death as long as he lived” (52:31-34).
Now, why is this story told? After all, it comes a good bit after the fall of Jerusalem and the events of the verses immediately preceding, and it’s a seemingly insignificant detail. Fine, we might say, Jehoiachin was treated well, even exalted above other kings that had been exiled to Babylon. Why does this matter?
Well, I think it reminds us of the same truth in two different ways. The truth that this reminds us of is that God’s promise is true. First, remember how Jeremiah told the kings over him that if they would just surrender, things would go better for them? And, we have a picture of what happened to Zedekiah when he decided that he would try to run from Nebuchadnezzar. His sons were slaughtered before him, and his eyes were gauged out.
However, if you look back at 2 Kings 24:10-12, you’ll read the following: “At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign.” So, it seems that one reason why we’re told that Jehoiachin was treated so much better than his successor, Zedekiah, is because he heeded God’s word from Jeremiah.
I mean, consider how unexpected this event is in Jeremiah 52:31-34. Jehoiachin surrenders when he’s about eighteen years old and sits in prison for thirty-seven years. If there’s ever a time when you think that God’s word won’t come true, it might be this one. How is it really going well for Jehoiachin when he sits in prison this long?
Well, we might answer this question by saying, “Well, at least he didn’t get his eyes gouged out.” And, perhaps that is right. But it seems that the answer is seen, rather, when Jehoiachin is lifted out of prison out of the blue and treated like a king. God’s promise is sure.
But I think there’s a weightier promise we’re to see here. For all intents and purposes, this is the end of Israel’s history. What began with Abraham basically comes to an end here. Judah is destroyed. No king reigns on the throne after this. There is no king of Judah today. However, God promised that David would have a son who would reign over the throne of his kingdom forever.
So, I believe that as Jehoiachin is released from prison and called the “king of Judah,” it is a foreshadowing of what God would do. As Jehoiachin’s release is a glimpse of light in darkness, so one day, though the line of David would seem to be like a tree cut down to a stump, God declared that one day a shoot would grow out of this stump in Isaiah 11:1.
And this promise was fulfilled when one day when Israel was dwelling in another dark day under Roman rule, a virgin gave birth to a son, Jesus of Nazareth. He was not simply a man but God as well – the God-man. And according to his flesh, he was descended from David’s line. If you trace his line back, one of his distant relatives would be Jehoiachin (called Jeconiah in Matthew 1). And Jesus not only lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay for our sins, but God raised him from the dead and exalted him to his right hand so that right now he reigns at the right hand of God over the earth. That is to say, right now David has a son who is reigning over the earth – Jesus, the Christ. God has fulfilled his promises.
And, we might add, God will indeed always fulfill his promises. Just as you can be sure that God’s judgments are certain, so you can be certain that God’s promises are sure. There may be times that we doubt God’s promises, as we might, looking at Jehoiachin in prison for thirty-seven years. There may be times when we wonder whether God’s promises are true or how they might be fulfilled. So, for example, we might find it easy to believe God will discipline us when we sin, but we have trouble believing that God’s grace really will be sufficient for us when we feel that our struggles are so overwhelming, we feel that we can no longer go on (2 Cor 12:9). We believe God will judge the wicked without batting an eye, but we might feel that God really isn’t giving us good gifts, though we ask him (Matt 7:11). Similarly, we might trust that God will cast down the proud, but we struggle to believe that he will exalt us if we humble ourselves (1 Peter 5:6). And, we might easily acknowledge that we will give an account for our deeds but lack faith that God will work even our deeds of stupidity together for good (Rom 8:28).
However, we must remember that just as God’s word of judgment is certain, so God’s promise of salvation is true. And one thing God has given us to remind us of the certainty of judgment and salvation is this meal. Every time we eat of this bread and drink from this cup, we are reminded that God did indeed bring his promised judgment. The great news, however, is that it fell on his Son instead of us. And, every time we eat of this meal, we are reminded that one day God will come and get all those who have faith in his Son so that we might be with him forever and taste the fullness of salvation. Amen.