It’s the Final Countdown… Nine days to go.
Today we finish the book of the Prophet Jeremiah.
Yesterday, we saw that Jeremiah writes about the New Covenant and the hope that God would bring when He delivers them after the captivity. King Zedekiah who did not heed his warning throws Jeremiah into prison and then into a cistern, clearly prefiguring the descent of Christ to the dead. Nevertheless, Jeremiah warned that the King would fall into the hands of the King of Babylon.
In today’s reading, Chapters 39-52, Jeremiah records the events of the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. As many prophets had announced in the past, the Empire of Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and the land of Judah. This completed the exile of both kingdoms, the Northern Kingdom in 722 B.C. and now the Southern Kingdom in 586 B.C. As Jeremiah had declared in 37:17, King Zedekiah was captured and his son murdered in his presence. He was blinded, bound and dragged off to Babylon in captivity.
In chapter 50, God promises to rescue His nation from captivity. In verse 17-18 God declares,
“Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured him was the king of Assyria, and the last one who has broken his bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am going to punish the king of Babylon and his land, just as I punished the king of Assyria.”
The capital of Assyria was destroyed so severely it was not discovered until the 19th century A.D.
It’s the final countdown. Just keep reading.
About Fr. John A. Peck
