When the Lord Promises

Scripture: On February 25 of the thirty-seventh year of the imprisonment in Babylon of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, Evil-merodach, who became king of Babylon that year, was kind to King Jehoiachin and brought him out of prison ... And he was given a regular allowance to cover his daily needs until the day of his death. Jeremiah 52:31,34

Observation: For years and years, Jeremiah has detailed the horrors and punishments that will befall Judah if they fail to repent, and prophesied about how Babylon will destroy their nation for their sins. He (or likely a disciple who added to the conclusion of the writings after his death) then briefly chronicles that all this came to pass, however ends the large book with a postscript about Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin - the king taken into captivity during the first wave of exile - is released from prison, restored to the status of a feudal king, and allowed to live out his days in comfort in Persia.

It isn't clear why this changed, but it is significant enough to add it to the teachings of Jeremiah ~26 years after the final and total destruction of Judah. The significance is likely not in the honor bestowed upon Jehoiachin representing hope for the restoration for Judah, for that did not change the fate the people who would remain in exile another 40+ years. And the significance is likely not a symbol of Jewish integration into the Persian lifestyle, for there is no real indication of such concept in the narrative.

It may be, however, that the significance is in the promise of the Lord. In the end, after all that has happened, the very last thing to happen is recognition that the line of David remains king of Israel, even acknowledged by foreign captors. The Lord has promised this, knowing that it will culminate with the Messiah's eternal reign, so even in the darkest time ... when Israel and Judah are defeated, the temple completely destroyed, Jerusalem burned, and the people killed and removed from the land ... there is proof that God's promises remain in tact.

Application: The Lord's word is completely assured. He has promised that our faith in Jesus provides us with eternal life in heaven, and that Jesus will one day return to restore this fallen world and bring peace to all the earth. Even in this dark time - a time of terrible anger, crippling fear, cultural violence, and lost hope - these promises are unchanging.

We may not understand how the Lord will fulfill the promises. We may not see how such promises can even be fulfilled. And certainly our own rebellion creates other scenarios that the Lord must address, which can cloud the path the future and make the future promises appear impossible. However, we have seen that even when the people of Israel were utterly and completely wiped from the face of the earth, they still had a king of the line of David ... a promise directly tied to worldwide salvation.

Prayer: Lord, your promises are assured. May I always have faith in your love, your hope, and your promise of salvation by faith. It would be great to be delivered from these dark times, but it is good to know that non of this alters the future we have with you. Amen.