Today Johanan and others ask Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord. They say “Let the Lord be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the Lord your God sends us by you. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”

The Lord knows that these are just empty words and that they are hypocrites in their hearts, because the Lord knows the thoughts and intents of every man. However, Jeremiah responds by giving them truth from the Lord – “If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him… for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.” But if you ignore my word and go to Egypt, “So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them.”

All the proud men accuse Jeremiah of speaking falsely. Therefore, they ignore the word of God and journey to Egypt, taking Jeremiah with the other captives. On the way there, God has a message for them because of their disobedience. He says that He is sending Nebuchadnezzar against Egypt and “he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword.” The Lord is going to destroy the people for trusting in Egypt and their false gods instead of Him. However, the Lord promises to leave a remnant – “Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. And this shall be a sign to you… that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity.”

Over in Babylon, about twelve years into Ezekiel’s captivity, he receives word that Jerusalem has fallen. During these twelve years the Lord has withheld Ezekiel from speaking freely. Ezekiel could speak only what the Lord told him to say, but today the Lord removes the muteness from Ezekiel. The people have been complaining about losing the land to which they believe they are entitled, so the Lord tells them that the land was His and He made it desolate because of their abominations. He also rebukes the people for coming to hear Ezekiel speak the word of God without a heart that desires obedience to His word — “So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them. And when this comes to pass—surely it will come—then they will know that a prophet has been among them.”

The people in exile are similar to the proud men left back in Judah — both have the outward appearance of people of the Lord, but inwardly they are self-serving, greedy hypocrites and God knows it. 

We will hear more from Ezekiel tomorrow, so keep reading. (Jeremiah 42:1-44:30, Ezekiel 33:21-33)

In the final Lamentation Jeremiah says, “The joy of our heart has ceased… Woe to us, for we have sinned… Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored.” Sin is only pleasurable for a season, (Hebrew 11:25) but it ultimately robs your heart of joy. Restoration is found in repentance and turning to the Lord.

Today the prophet Obadiah steps on the scene with a prophecy from the Lord against prideful Edom, descendants of Esau. The Lord rebukes them for their violence against their brother, Jacob. When Judah was being attacked by the Babylonians, Edom would capture the fugitives and either kill them or hand them over to the Babylonians. Because Edom rejoiced over the downfall of Judah, they are going to experience judgment from the Lord — “For the day of the Lord upon all nations is near; as you have done, it shall be done to you.”

Over in Judah, Ishmael, of the royal family, kills Gedaliah, the governor of Judah recently appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. “Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.” The. Ishmael kills more men, and he carries the rest of the people off as captives to the Ammonites. 

Johanan, the military captain who warned Gedaliah of Ishmael’s plot to kill him but was ignored, intercedes and rescues the people from the hands of Ishmael. However, Ishmael escapes and flees to the Amorites. Then Johanan, all the captains who were with him, and the rest of the people “departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt, because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.”

Tomorrow the Lord instructs the people to stay in the land and trust Him instead of fleeing to Egypt. Will the people obey? Keep reading to find out. (Lamentations 5:1-22, Obadiah 1:1-21, 2 Kings 25:22-26, Jeremiah 40:7-41:18)

The Westminster Shorter Catechism definition of God is “God is Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.” Because of God’s holiness, God hates sin. Because of God’s justice, God punishes sin. Because of God’s goodness, God shows mercy to those who repent and turn to Him. Because of God’s truthfulness, we can trust that He is sending a Savior to redeem His people as He promised. We see all of these characteristics of God in today’s reading.

God’s judgment for sin – The Israelites were living in total sin and rebellion against the Lord. Therefore, “The Lord has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word which He commanded in days of old. He has thrown down and has not pitied, and He has caused an enemy to rejoice over you; He has exalted the horn of your adversaries.”

God’s mercy for repentant sinners – Jeremiah says, “I have become the ridicule of all my people— their taunting song all the day. He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood.” But then Jeremiah remembers the character of the Lord and finds hope – “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’ The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord… For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.”

Therefore, Jeremiah says, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the Lord; let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven. We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned.”

God’s promise to redeem – The nation of Judah is under great oppression because of their persistent sin. Jeremiah says the way to be restored is to humble yourself, repent of your sin and turn to the Lord. And the same is true today. The way of restoration is by humbly repenting and turning to the Lord, receiving His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior.

Tomorrow someone kills the newly appointed governor of Judah. Keep reading. (Lamentations 2:1-4:22)

Nebuchadnezzar releases Jeremiah from prison, and he is given a choice of staying in Judah or going to Babylon – “The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place. Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. And now look, I free you this day from the chains that were on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”

Jeremiah chooses to stay back with the few people who are left in the land. So we see God’s protection over Jeremiah, who has faith in the Lord and obeys His word. The Lord also spares Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian eunuch who trusted God and risked his own life to save Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:7-13). The Lord says to Ebed-Melech, “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.”  

Nebuchadnezzar makes Gedaliah the governor of Judah. He is the son of Ahikam, who at one point saved Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 26:24), and the grandson of Shaphan, the scribe who read the Book of the Law to Josiah after it was found in the temple by Hilkiah (2 Kings 22:10). 

“Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.” The Babylonians burn the house of the Lord and all the great houses, and break down the walls of Jerusalem. They break into pieces the bronze pillars, the carts, and the bronze Sea that was in the temple and take away the pots, shovels, spoons, bronze utensils; “the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.” 

“And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.”

The Lord commanded the Israelites before entering the promised land to allow the land to rest every seven years (Exodus 23:10-11). However, for the past four hundred and ninety years, the people disobeyed the Lord’s instructions for the care of the land. Therefore, the land will lie desolate for seventy years, counting from the first wave of captivity when Daniel was taken into captivity until King Cyrus of Persia will issue a decree sending the people of Judah back to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. 

We end today’s reading by beginning the Book of Lamentations with Jeremiah’s mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem –  “Judah has gone into captivity, under affliction and hard servitude; she dwells among the nations, she finds no rest; all her persecutors overtake her in dire straits.”

More from Lamentations tomorrow, so keep reading. (Jeremiah 39:11-18, Jeremiah 40:1-6, 2 Kings 25:8-21, Jeremiah 52:12-27, 2 Chronicles 36:15-21, Lamentations 1:1-22)

The Lord is going to destroy the Phoenician port city, Tyre, because they rejoiced over the fall of Jerusalem, thinking that they would profit from Jerusalem’s destruction. The Lord speaks of the riches of Tyre and all the nations that do business with Tyre. Therefore, when Tyre is destroyed, many nations will mourn because it will impact them financially. The Lord says, “You satisfied many people; you enriched the kings of the earth with your many luxury goods and your merchandise. But you are broken by the seas in the depths of the waters; your merchandise and the entire company will fall in your midst. All the inhabitants of the isles will be astonished at you.”

Possessing wealth and power means nothing apart from a relationship with the Lord. The people of Tyre are secure in their material possessions, which leads them to believe that they are gods. The Lord says, “Because you have set your heart as the heart of a god, Behold, therefore, I will bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor. They shall throw you down into the Pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas.”

Many commentators believe the Lord’s rebuke to the King of Tyre goes further than rebuking an earthly king to actually describing Satan, whom the Lord created in perfection, wisdom and beauty; but he fell because of pride – “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God.” 

Satan is the father of lies who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 8:44, John 10:10). However, Satan has already been defeated. The Lord expelled Satan from heaven as a profane thing, and ultimately Satan will be cast in a lake of fire for eternity (Revelation 20:10). But until then, Satan is out to devour as many souls as possible. That is why later in the story Peter is going to say, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The reading ends with the fall of Jerusalem. “By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.” The Chaldeans break through Tyre’s wall, instead of surrendering to Babylonians as the Lord had instructed, the men of war and the king flee. “But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.”

Meanwhile, Jeremiah is still stuck in prison. Keep reading. (Ezekiel 26:15-28:26, 2 Kings 25:3-7, Jeremiah 52:6-11, Jeremiah 39:2-10)

Babylon is invading Jerusalem, and Jeremiah is still in the court of the prison. In the midst of all that, the Lord instructs Jeremiah to buy a field from his cousin. After Jeremiah signs the deed, the Lord says, “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in the land.”

Jeremiah is confused because over the last forty years the Lord has been telling him that judgment is coming to Judah, which will result in Judah’s destruction. So why would Jeremiah want to purchase land in a nation that is about to be destroyed? Jeremiah questions the Lord, “And You have said to me, O Lord God, ‘Buy the field for money, and take witness’! – yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” God responds, “Is there anything too hard for me?” 

The Lord tells Jeremiah that the Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem as He has said, “because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth.” But the Lord gives hope for restoration. He says He will bring them back and give them a new heart “and I will make an everlasting covenant with them; that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me… Behold, I will bring it health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned and by which they have transgressed against Me. Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it.”

The Lord will uphold His promise to the house of David – “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘that I will perform that good thing which I have promised to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah: In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to David a Branch of righteousness; He shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.’ For thus says the Lord: ‘David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel; nor shall the priests, the Levites, lack a man to offer burnt offerings before Me, to kindle grain offerings, and to sacrifice continually.’”

The promise of restoration will be partially completed during the Return Era under the leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. Full restoration will occur under the new covenant established through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, whom the Lord promised to send back in the garden after the fall of mankind. The Lord makes clear that nothing will stop His plan to redeem His people. Keep reading. (Jeremiah 32:1-33:26, Ezekiel 26:1-14)

The Lord tells Ezekiel that his wife, “the desire of your eyes”, is going to die, and He instructs Ezekiel not to mourn her death. This is another effort to get the attention of the people in captivity, and it is an illustration of the destruction coming upon the temple, the desire of their eyes – “Behold, I will profane My sanctuary, your arrogant boast, the desire of your eyes, the delight of your soul; and your sons and daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword. And you shall do as I have done; you shall not cover your lips nor eat man’s bread of sorrow.”

The Lord gives a word of judgment against Ammon, Moab, Edom and Philistia, and He gives a warning to Zedekiah, king of Judah – “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. And you shall not escape from his hand, but shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand; your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, he shall speak with you face to face, and you shall go to Babylon.”

Jeremiah rebukes the people in Jerusalem for not releasing their slaves after seven years as the Lord had commanded them to do back in the wilderness (Exodus 21:2). “Now when all the princes and all the people, who had entered into the covenant, heard that everyone should set free his male and female slaves, that no one should keep them in bondage anymore, they obeyed and let them go. But afterward they changed their minds and made the male and female slaves return, whom they had set free, and brought them into subjection as male and female slaves.”

Since the people disobeyed the Lord by making their slaves return, the Lord promises to deliver them “to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth.” The Lord says there will be no deliverance from the hand of the Babylonians; therefore, it is futile to try to escape the coming judgment – “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. He who remains in this city shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence; but he who goes out and defects to the Chaldeans who besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be as a prize to him. For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good…It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.” 

The Lord also pronounces judgment upon Egypt. He says, like Assyria, they will be destroyed because of their pride. And Egypt “shall be the lowliest of kingdoms; it shall never again exalt itself above the nations, for I will diminish them so that they will not rule over the nations anymore.”

Disaster is quickly approaching Jerusalem. However, the Lord gives the people a word of hope tomorrow, so keep reading. (Ezekiel 24:15-25:17, Jeremiah 34:1-22, Jeremiah 21:1-14, Ezekiel 29:1-16, Ezekiel 30:20-31:18)

The Lord says the house of Israel, which He once regarded as His precious possession, has become dross from silver, worthless. Therefore, “As men gather silver, bronze, iron, lead, and tin into the midst of a furnace, to blow fire on it, to melt it; so I will gather you in My anger and in My fury, and I will leave you there and melt you.” However, the Lord is sovereign over their punishment and is serving the judgment to refine His people and to salvage what He once saw as precious. 

The Lord compares Samaria, the capital of Northern Israel, and Jerusalem, the capital of Southern Judah, to two sisters; Oholah for Samaria and Oholibah for Jerusalem. Both of these sisters were the Lord’s, but both played the harlot with others. The Lord says, “They committed harlotry in Egypt, they committed harlotry in their youth.” Remember before Joshua died during the Conquest Era, he said to the Israelites, “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!” (Joshua 24:14). And all the people said they were going to serve the Lord. But then during the Judges Era, a new generation arose that didn’t know the Lord, and they fell into all sorts of immortality and idolatry. The people have continued in their unfaithfulness to the Lord, and the Lord has continued to pursue His people in spite of their unfaithfulness. 

Since Samaria played the harlot with the Assyrians, the Lord said, “Therefore I have delivered her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.” And her sister, Jerusalem, saw the destruction of Northern Israel as a nation and still didn’t repent and turn to the Lord – “Now although her sister Oholibah saw this, she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.” So the Lord removed His protection from Jerusalem and is turning them over to their lover, the Babylonians. “Because you have forgotten Me and cast Me behind your back, therefore you shall bear the penalty of your lewdness and your harlotry.”

“Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.”

The Lord has Ezekiel record the day of the siege of Jerusalem because it’s the beginning of the final siege and ultimately the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. There is nothing that will stop the coming judgment – “‘I, the Lord, have spoken it; it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not hold back, nor will I spare, nor will I relent; according to your ways and according to your deeds they will judge you,’ says the Lord God.”

Tomorrow Ezekiel’s wife dies, and the Lord tells him not to mourn her death. Keep reading to find out why. (Ezekiel 22:17-23:49, 2 Kings 25:1-2, Jeremiah 52:4-5, Jeremiah 39:1, Ezekiel 24:1-14)

The elders of Israel come to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. The Lord responds saying He will not be inquired of by them; instead the Lord instructs Ezekiel to tell the elders of Israel His story, beginning with the oath He made with Jacob’s descendants to bring them out of the oppression they were under in Egypt. The Lord’s story highlights Israel’s rebellion in contrast to God’s mercy.

The Lord says He promised to bring them out of Egypt and into a land flowing with milk and honey. “Then I said to them, ‘Each of you, throw away the abominations which are before his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’ But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me. They did not all cast away the abominations which were before their eyes, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.”

In the wilderness, “I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.’ Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths.” Therefore the Lord told that generation that they would not enter the promised land; He would take their children into the land flowing with milk and honey. “Notwithstanding, the children rebelled against Me; they did not walk in My statutes, and were not careful to observe My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them’; but they profaned My Sabbaths.”

The Lord says when He brought them into the promised land, “they saw all the high hills and all the thick trees, there they offered their sacrifices and provoked Me with their offerings… For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live… I will not be inquired of by you. What you have in your mind shall never be, when you say, ‘We will be like the Gentiles, like the families in other countries, serving wood and stone.’”

God tells the elders that they have been unfaithful, just like their fathers, but the Lord will restore them one day and it will not be because of anything they have done. He will restore them because of His mercy and grace and His name’s sake; then the people will truly repent – “Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I raised My hand in an oath to give to your fathers. And there you shall remember your ways and all your doings with which you were defiled; and you shall loathe yourselves in your own sight because of all the evils that you have committed. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have dealt with you for My name’s sake, not according to your wicked ways nor according to your corrupt doings, O house of Israel.”

Ezekiel once again warns Israel of the judgment coming from Babylon and says it will impact everyone, both the righteous and the wicked. Ezekiel’s heart breaks over the news of the coming disaster – “‘Because of the news; when it comes, every heart will melt, all hands will be feeble, every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming and shall be brought to pass,’ says the Lord God.”

We live in a broken, fallen world where the righteous are impacted by the actions of the wicked. God has promised that some would be taken into captivity, some would die by the sword, some by a plague, and some by famine. Therefore, all will be impacted by the Lord’s judgment one way or another. However, the righteous will only have temporary suffering on this side of heaven with the hope of eternal peace with the Lord. For the wicked, the unrepentant sinner, there will never be peace.

Tomorrow, Babylon invades Jerusalem. Keep reading. (Ezekiel 20:1-22:16)

The Lord instructs Ezekiel to speak a riddle about two eagles. The eagles represent Babylon and Egypt. The riddle reveals that King Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon by, “Sending his ambassadors to Egypt, that they might give him horses and many people.”

Nebuchadnezzar made Zedekiah king over Jerusalem, but Zedekiah despised the oath by breaking the covenant that he had with Babylon. The Lord says that by breaking the covenant with Babylon and rebelling against the Lord’s ordained judgment, Zedekiah actually rebelled against the Lord. Therefore, he would not receive any help from Egypt and he would die in the midst of Babylon – “As I live, surely My oath which he despised, and My covenant which he broke, I will recompense on his own head. I will spread My net over him, and he shall be taken in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon and try him there for the treason which he committed against Me. All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Although Zedekiah is about to be dethroned, have his eyes gouged out, and be taken to Babylon, the Lord still promises to send the Branch of Jesse, the Messiah, who is coming through the Davidic bloodline. Under the reign of King Jesus and the sovereign hand of the Lord, all people amongst all the nations, Jews and Gentiles, can find peace and rest in Christ as their Lord and Savior- “I will take also one of the highest branches of the high cedar and set it out. I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and will plant it on a high and prominent mountain. On the mountain height of Israel I will plant it; and it will bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a majestic cedar. Under it will dwell birds of every sort; in the shadow of its branches they will dwell. And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree and exalted the low tree, dried up the green tree and made the dry tree flourish; I, the Lord, have spoken and have done it.”

The Lord confronts the complaining captives who blame their captivity on the sins of the previous generations. He says each person is responsible for his own actions. “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; The soul who sins shall die. But if a man is just and does what is lawful and right… If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully— He is just; He shall surely live!… The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

God makes clear that He takes no pleasure in punishing the wicked, but His nature can not let sin go unpunished. He desires for the people to repent of their sin and turn to Him – “‘Repent, and turn from all your transgressions, so that iniquity will not be your ruin. Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,’ says the Lord God. ‘Therefore turn and live!’” 

Ezekiel then laments over the kings. He says there is a lioness, Judah, and her two cubs: 1) King Jehoahaz, who reigned three months and was taken to Egypt where he died and 2) King Jehoiachin, who was taken into captivity with Ezekiel. Both of these kings ignored God’s word. Now the cowardly King Zedekiah is sitting on the throne as the last king of Judah. Keep reading. (Ezekiel 17:1-19:14)