#515 Refuse to See

And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about.

2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.

3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain.

5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him.

6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him.

7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.

8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem:

9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire.

10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about.

11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away.

12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen.

13 And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the Lord, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the Lord, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon.

14 And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away.

15 And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away.

16 The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord; the brass of all these vessels was without weight.

17 The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work.

18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door:

19 And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king's presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city:

20 And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah:

21 And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

22 And as for the people that remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left, even over them he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ruler.

23 And when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, there came to Gedaliah to Mizpah, even Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and Johanan the son of Careah, and Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

24 And Gedaliah sware to them, and to their men, and said unto them, Fear not to be the servants of the Chaldees: dwell in the land, and serve the king of Babylon; and it shall be well with you.

25 But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah.

26 And all the people, both small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose, and came to Egypt: for they were afraid of the Chaldees.

27 And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;

29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.

30 And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life. 2 Kings 25

The reign begins with the name of the one who will occupy, and he has set Jerusalem under a siege. They resist into a great famine, and when there is no more room for hope in staying, the king sneaks out only to be hunted down by the Chaldees. This fulfills the prophecy of Ezekiel in that his eyes are gouged out after he witnesses the death of his sons. He is taken to a land he cannot see. 

And I will spread my net over him, and he shall be taken in my snare. And I will bring him to Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans, yet he shall not see it, and he shall die there. Ezekiel 12:13

The captain of the guard of Babylon returns to desecrate the temple and then burn it down. What good is this temple? It was despised in the eyes of those whom God had set apart. They broke the covenant, destroyed the meaning of the place. What good is the church if she no longer defends sound doctrine, the honor of her Lord? Our bodies are called a temple, but what good is any temple that is abominable to the One Who made it? No matter how loudly we proclaim our sovereignty, we did not make our person, life belongs to the Creator. Buildings and even bodies are temporal things, though we may cherish the shrines of religion, God will always look at the heart. It is a difficult thing to see the temple destroyed, and we all have them, whether it is our church, politics, humanitarianism, nationalism, conservatism,  liberalism or globalism etc... God draws such a strong line in this, that what is considered His house He lets go, for His truth is not in it. 

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3

Some of the greatest gifts and articles of religion can be found as nothing, merely to the honor of oneself, and without regard to the truth. It is all along hypocrisy, the raising up of human effort, a pseudo faith, it denies the desperateness of  human depravity, the lack of eternal perspective, proud of it's buildings and programs, in love with it's own legacy. This cannot die unto itself, and most certainly will not take up that cross which men can't see. 

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23

Gedaliah is put in place to govern, and he tells the people to fear not, for this is their just punishment and wages. He is not a wicked man, but those who will not be ruled by God, will also prefer to not be ruled by those most like them. Some come to think of rebellion as reform, but it is always a long succession of guerrillas and hypocrites. These just murder a better man and run. This is again a hard and strong message to those who could not get themselves out of Egypt, not bring themselves thus far, yet think themselves so entitled. Please, clean yourself up first, look to the problems of your own house before you attack the house of others. Vanity again. 

The closing is the smallest ray of light through the bars of a dungeon window. Jehoiachin has long been a prisoner of Babylon, but Evilmerodach now lifts up his head or shows him favor. It is a small thing to regard as those who look on must wonder, but sometimes this is all we see of hope, that first initial spark. Josephus thinks that they met in prison, that Evilmerodach had been sent there by his father after his seven years of living like a wild ass. It is quite marvelous how frail and foolish we must appear when we not only meet but share the truth of ourselves. Why are you here in this prison? There was this covenant between a man named Abraham and a God Who claimed to be the creator of the universe. Abraham agreed to follow Him to a land of promise, that he would walk it, but his children would receive it. He learned to trust God so much that he did not even hold back from Him, his ow son, Isaac. God, seeing this faith that He had given him, provided him also with a substitution, a ram caught in the thickets. God chose Isaac, then He chose the younger Jacob over Esau, breaking the tradition of men. For, He said, "Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated." Jacob became the father of the twelve tribes, and his name became Israel. They escaped famine by way of his son Joseph, who had been sent before them into Egypt. God save Moses alive to be raised in Pharaoh's house, by his daughter. He brought Moses out of the wilderness and back to Egypt to lead out the people that God had chosen to Himself. Pharaoh did not want to lose his servants, so he gave up his own son to his pride. God gave him over to his wretchedness, God hardened him to his own pride, and showed His glory to Egypt. The people left and wandered in the wilderness because of their own pride and ungratefulness. They loathed the free bread of heaven, and even more the words of God. They agreed to a covenant, to keep God's laws and to teach their children, but they did not. They preferred to look like the people that God hated, to have a king rather than their republic. I am one of those kings, and I sit here in jail as one who turned his back on the things of God and did all that God hated. But here is this little light, to share how he got there and now be given some freedom as one who is preferred. In a little while, hold on and do what's right and good, honor God no matter where you are, for it's just a little while. 

Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

17 Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Philippians 3: 12-21