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Zedekiah, Judah’s Last King
At the beginning of his reign Zedekiah had the full trust of the
king of Babylon. He also had Jeremiah the prophet as his counselor.
He could have kept the respect of many in high authority and com-
municated a knowledge of the true God to them. If he had done
so, the captive exiles already in Babylon would have been granted
many liberties, God’s name would have been honored, and those
who remained in Judah would have been spared the terrible disasters
that finally came.
Through Jeremiah, God counseled Zedekiah and all Judah to
submit quietly to the temporary rule of their conquerors. Those in
captivity should seek the peace of the land where they had been
carried. However, Satan took advantage of the circumstances and
caused false prophets to arise in Jerusalem and in Babylon. They
declared that the yoke of bondage would soon be broken and the
nation restored to its former prestige.
Heeding such flattering prophecies would have led the king and
exiles to make fatal mistakes. To prevent an uprising, the Lord
commanded Jeremiah to meet the crisis without delay by warning
the king of Judah about the sure consequences of rebellion. He also
admonished the captives not to be deluded into believing that their
deliverance was near. “Do not let your prophets and your diviners
who are in your midst deceive you,” he urged.
Jeremiah 29:8
. He
mentioned the Lord’s plan to restore Israel at the close of seventy
years’ captivity.
God knew that if false prophets persuaded His captive people
to look for a speedy deliverance, their position in Babylon would
become very difficult. Any revolt on their part would lead to further
restriction of their liberties. Suffering and disaster would result.
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