In the ninth year of Tzidkiyahu king of Y’hudah, in the tenth month, N’vukhadretzar king of Bavel marched against Yerushalayim with his entire army and began to lay siege against it. On the ninth day of the fourth month of the eleventh year of Tzidkiyahu, they broke through into the city. Jeremiah 39:1-2
Jeremiah 39 tells of the fall of Jerusalem, but also the contrast between the fates of King Zedekiah and Jeremiah at the time of the city’s capture. As I was thinking about this chapter, I couldn’t help but think of other events that took place earlier in the Word. Noah was warned of coming judgement and took Adonai at His word that it would happen. He built the ark, he no doubt warned people that the wrath of a holy God was going to bring forth judgement that would result their death if they did not turn from their evil ways. We know from scripture that when Adonai shut Noah and his family inside the ark that they were the only survivors of judgement, a remnant. When judgement was to be poured out upon Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham interceded on behalf of those cities asking that if even ten righteous people were to be found that Adonai would not destroy them, a request that was agreed to. However, we know from scripture that there were not even ten, and the angels that were sent to carry out judgement physically took Lot, his wife, and his daughters from the city because they were to be safe before the destruction could happen, a remnant. Prior to Babylon taking the city, Jeremiah had been urging the people to turn from their wicked ways to no avail. While most of the Israelites were carried away into captivity, we do see from Jeremiah 39:10 that like in the cases of the flood and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, a remnant was left in the land in this instance as well. But N’vuzar’adan the commander of the guard left behind in the territory of Y’hudah some of the poor people, those who had nothing, and at the same time gave them vineyards and fields. The word remnant in Hebrew is miz’ar (miz-awr) מזערmeaning a little, a trifle, a very few and has a numerical value of 317. Two other words/phrases with this numeric are “Yah supports” and “a place sown, a field”. Adonai takes the little, the few, and supports and sows into it. When Adonai is your support and your cultivator, great things can and will happen in your life, no matter how little or trifle you may think your life is. In looking at each letter of miz’ar we see another beautiful revelation. Mem is represented by open knowledge, Zayin depicts God fighting for or defending us, Ayin means discernment, and Reysh the Holy Spirit or repentance. Adonai’s remnant receives knowledge from on high, they are defended by God Himself who fights on their behalf and protects them. He gives them discernment as they are led by the Holy Spirit and live a life of repentance.
Even in this age, there is a remnant of Adonai’s people. Romans 11:5 reads, It’s the same way in the present age; there is a remnant, chosen by grace. We are living in a time where judgement is on the doorstep, just as it was in the time of Jeremiah. The remnant of the Lord, watchmen on the walls, are sounding the alarm urging those who do not know the Lord to come, to repent, to know there is only one way to Heaven, and it is a narrow path that can only be found in the saving grace of Yeshua. We are seeing good called evil and evil good. We are seeing the hand of the enemy everywhere we look, yet his season in short and Yeshua is coming to collect His bride, a bride without spot or wrinkle. It is not enough to call yourself a “Christian”. We must live according to the Word of God, not compromising to this world, because this world is not our home. If you have not accepted Yeshua-Jesus as your Savior, what is keeping you from doing so? When you truly choose to accept HIM, not a religion, not a church, not a mindset, but a relationship with the One who breathed your life into you, the very One who started your heartbeat, the One who willingly laid down His life so that you can have life eternal, the One who sees and knows and loves YOU individually, uniquely, and perfectly, the only One who can bring you true inner peace in the midst of a chaotic world, your life changes. You begin to see that the things of this world do not matter as they did before. You see that knowing Him is more precious that any gold or jewel. It is sweeter that the most decadent confection. It is more beautiful than any sight your eyes have ever seen. When you honestly say yest to HIM, you gain everything and are content no matter what your situation is. Please, come to the altar of repentance, lay down your sins at His feet, He already paid from them, let Him wash you in the saving blood He shed for you, and begin a new life in Him that is greater than what you can imagine.
So, what about Jeremiah and King Zedekiah? What happened to them on an individual level after Jerusalem was taken? When the city was breached, Zedekiah fled the city with his sons and the leaders of Judah. Unfortunately for him, the soldiers of Babylon went after them and overtook them on the plains near Jericho. I am sure Jeremiah’s words that he would be captured and see the king of Babylon and speak with him face to face (Jeremiah 34:3) came back to him as he stood before Nebuchadnezzar. His judgement was then passed down upon him, he watched in horror as his sons were put to death before him, and then his eyes were put out and he was taken in chains to Babylon. (Jeremiah 39:4-7) Zedekiah was an evil king, but as a parent it is hard for me to imagine the pain he must have felt seeing his sons slaughtered before him, and that was the last thing he would ever see before being blinded, something that would live on in his memory and play itself over and over on a loop, with their screams ringing in his ears. In contrast however, Jeremiah was taken from the prison and Nebuchadnezzar commanded the guard to look after him well, to make sure no harm came to him, and to “treat him as he tells you”. (Jeremiah 39:11-14) He once again lived among the people, but before the siege happened, he was given a word or Eved-Melekh, the Ethiopian that rescued him earlier, that the city was about to be taken, but that Adonai would rescue him and he would not be handed over to the Babylonians, nor would he die, but he would escape with his life because he trusted in Adonai. (Jeremiah 39:15-18)
The book of Jeremiah is a lesson that we should all heed. Judgement will always come for unrighteousness, but in the midst of that judgement, the remnant that is true to Adonai will be saved, and by that, I mean that even if their life is taken, they still are victorious as they will walk into the arms of their Savior. While those in Adonai will feel the judgment that comes, they will not face His wrath and my heart breaks knowing that there will be many who turn from Him and will be separated from Him for eternity. We are so close to seeing the book of Revelation play out. You can see world events unfold and tangibly feel it in the air. It is most important to know what the Word says, and end time prophecy. We are in the last age, and He is coming back sooner that we know. Be ready, be a part of the remnant seeking the knowledge of God, letting Him be your defender, using discernment, and repenting quickly for your sins, known and unknown. Today is the day of salvation, and His name is Yeshua.
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