Arizona republican., 1917-08-25

king Zedekiah. (3) And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed (was sore) in the city. and (so that there was no bread for the people of the land (4) And the city was broken up (And a breach was made in the city), and all the men Of war fled by night by the Tay of the gate between (the) two Ualls which is fwas) by the kings garden: (noW the Chaldees (Chaldeans) were against the city round about) and the king went the way toward the plain tby the way of Arabah). (5) And (BuO the army of the Chaldees (Chaldeans) pursued after the king, and overlook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his arri,. were scattered from him. (6) So
 (Then) they took the king, and brought him up to (unto) the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. CD And they slew the sons
 of Zedeliah before his eyes, and put
 out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with Gin letters of brass, and car ried him to Babylon. (S) (And) In the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month which is (was) the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzar- laden, (the)
 captain of the guard, and servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerus salem: 1 t9) And he burnt the honse of the l LORD, and the kings house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every
 great mans house {even every great 1 house) burnt he with fire Q0) And all the army of the Chaldees (Chal- | deans) that were with the captain of
 the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about CID Now the
 rest (And the residue) of the people that were left in the city, and the fugi- tives tthose) that fell away to the
 king of Babylon, with the remnant tand the residue) Of the multitude. did Nebuzar-adan the captain of the guard | carry away (captive). G2) But the
 captain of the guard left If the poor l 1poorest of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.
 Time.-590 B. C. Places-Jerusalein
 Riblah.
 Expositon-I. The Fan of Jerusalem. | 4. There are five accounts in the
 Bible of the siege and fall of Jerusalem | tcf. Jer 39: 52; Lam. 4 Chron. 3S | lf-2l) The siege lasted a year and six
 months lacking day. The condition l of the people within the city as the
 siege drew near it's close was pitiabIe 1 in the extreme Lam f 4-1O. At the 1 outset of the siege, there appeared to be no likelihood that Jerusalem would ! be taken Lam. i: 12), but God pre- dicted that it would and His Dredic- | tions are sure. It was because of the
 sins of the prophets and priests and people and the consequent anger of Je- 1 noVah against Jerusalem that it fell | tLam. 4: II, 1S). Jehovah had with l drawn His watchcare (Ps. 127: D, and 1 the people had put their trust in E,gyDt l CLam. 4: ID, and Jehovah had turned back the weapons of war that were in ] the hands of His people and had Him. 1 self fought against them (Jer. 21: f, 5
 when the breach was made in the city l the famine was already sore (V. 3. of
 Jer. 52: 6, ,. The famine had inca
 pacitated the men for defending the
 walls, and the breach was made in the
 night tvs. 3, A.. The entrance of the
 princes of the king of Babylon into the
 city and their setting up of their
 thrones in the middle gate was a literal
 1ulfillment of prophecy (Jer. 21: 4; l; | Io). The names of the princes indicate that they were Worshipers of Nergal and Nebo (Jer 39: B. This does not prove that Jehovah had been conuuered i by Nergal and Nebo: He had Himself given His people over because Of their apostasy and fought against them (Jer. 2l:5). Zedekiah was watching and as
 soon as he saw the leaders of the Chal-
 deans inside the city, he fled with his
 men of war (v. D. The manner of his flight was an exact and literal fulfill
 inent of prophecy (Ezek 12l2; cf. Lev
 26 S6; Deut. S:35). There was no use
 in his fleeing, he might have known
 that he could not escape (Jer. 32:45) He
 certainly ought to have believed God S 1 word by this time.
 H. The Capture of Zedekiah and the
 Deportation of the People. 5-12. Zede- kiah did not get very far before he was
 captured (v. 3. Israel had won their first great national victory in that
 plain (Josh. 1: 13; 6:12), because they
 trusted Jehovah, they suffered their final defeat there because they had de-
 parted from Jehovah. Zedekiah's army
 had been scattered before his capture. l His capture was an exact fulfillment of
 prophecy (Jer. 32: i, ,. He was treated
 with extreme cruelty. The last sight his
 eyes beheld was the slaughter of his
 sons (v. 6; cf Deut. 2S:34 As this
 was the last thing he saw before his
 sight was destroyed, it would make a
 more indelible impression upon his
 mind. It had been prophesied that Zed-
 ekiah would be taken to Babylon and
 vet not see it EEK. F: 13l. Il had