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Jeremiah had long warned the Israelites that Babylon
would attack and conquer them. When it happened, the king and 10,000
choice people were led away into captivity. Among them were Daniel
and his three friends. Sadly, the remaining people in Jerusalem
refused to repent and give up their sinful living. Jeremiah was
subsequently imprisoned and almost died. Then the Babylonians
returned and sacked Jerusalem a second time. This time practically
everyone was rounded up and marched to Babylon in chains. Only the
poorest were left behind. God moved upon King Nebuchadnezzar to set Jeremiah
free and he chose to return to Judah where he was captured by the
remaining armed forces of Judah that had fled into the countryside.
They decided to go to Egypt and took Jeremiah against his will.
Tradition claims that Jeremiah died there when he was stoned to
death by an angry Jewish mob. In order to understand the book of Jeremiah, it helps
to understand his life and historical events that took place and
shaped the prophetic warnings from God. While this is not a story
with a happy ending, Jeremiah can stand before God with no regrets
because he did exactly what God asked of him. |
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