And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem and laid siege to it. And they built siegeworks all around it. 2 So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. 3 On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.4 Then a breach was made in the city, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between the two walls, by the king's garden, and the Chaldeans were around the city. And they went in the direction of the Arabah. 5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. 6 Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. 7 They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon. (II Kings 25)
Things had gone from bad to worse. The kings and people of Judah had repeatedly rebelled against God, yet seemed to think they were immune from chastizement or punishment, and would be protected from Babylon's ever-reaching hand. There was no food, no hope, no escape. When Zedekiah got to the end of the line, they did one of the most cruel things to him: killed his sons before him, making him watch, then putting out his sight, making all the evil he saw become what he would remember forever. It also made him totally helpless - a beggar in bonds. If you were to suddenly go blind today, what would be the last things you would see, etched in your memory the rest of your life? Would it be something that gave you peace and contentment, knowing all is well and God is in charge? Or would it be a series of events caused by your rebellion and rejection of all God desired for you? Create precious, positive memories today.
No comments:
Post a Comment