his officials

September 11, 2017

The new leader (Dan 11:19-11:20)

“Then he shall turn back

Toward the fortresses

Of his own land.

But he shall stumble.

He shall fall.

He shall not be found.

Then shall arise

In his place,

One who shall send

An official

For the glory

Of the kingdom.

But within a few days,

He shall be broken,

But not in anger,

Nor in battle.”

King Antiochus III turned back to Syria. However, he stumbled and fell. In other words, he died. Then, his son, Seleucus IV (187-175 BCE), took over as king of Syria and Babylon. However, he sent one of his officials, Heliodorus, to take money from the Temple treasury in Jerusalem. However, this official was not successful. He died, not in anger or battle, but was a broken man. Actually, Heliodorus assassinated King Seleucus IV in 175 BCE.

February 2, 2017

Scatter Elam (Jer 49:36-49:38)

“‘I will bring upon Elam

The four winds,

From the four quarters

Of heaven.

I will scatter them

To all those winds.

There shall be

No nation to which

The exiles from Elam

Shall not come.

I will terrify Elam

Before their enemies,

Before those

Who seek their life.

I will bring disaster

Upon them.

With my fierce anger.’

Says Yahweh.

‘I will send the sword

After them,

Until I have consumed them.

I will set my throne

In Elam.

I will destroy their king

With their officials.’

Says Yahweh.”

Yahweh was going to cast the Elamites to the 4 winds from 4 different directions. They were going to be scattered to practically every country on the earth. They would be terrified before their enemies who wanted to kill them. There is no mention of a specific enemy, even though disaster would fall upon them. The sword would come upon them until all of them, with their king and his officials, were destroyed. Yahweh would then take their throne. This looks like a complete wipeout.

January 5, 2017

Ebed-melech rescues Jeremiah from the cistern (Jer 38:10-38:13)

“Then the king commanded

The Ethiopian Ebed-melech.

‘Take three men with you

From here!

Pull the prophet Jeremiah

Up from the cistern

Before he dies.’

So Ebed-melech took the men

With him.

They went

To the house of the king,

To a wardrobe

Of the storehouse.

They took from there

Old rags

With worn-out clothes.

Then he let them down

To Jeremiah

In the cistern

By ropes.

Then the Ethiopian Ebed-melech

Said to Jeremiah.

‘Just put the rags

With the clothes

Between your armpits

And the ropes.’

Jeremiah did so.

Then they drew Jeremiah up

By the ropes.

They pulled him

Out of the cistern.

Jeremiah remained

In the court of the guard.”

The vacillating King Zedekiah responded to the Ethiopian Ebed-melech by telling him to take 3 men with him in order to pull Jeremiah from the cistern well. The king had told the men who put Jeremiah in the well that they could do with him whatever they wanted to do. So then Ebed-melech took the 3 men. They went to the royal wardrobe in the palace. He then took some old rags and worn out clothes. When he arrived at the pit, he told Jeremiah to put these old rags or clothes between the rope and his arm pits. Thus he would not hurt himself coming out of this well. Then the 4 of them pulled him up out of the well. However, Jeremiah was then sent back to the house arrest jail in the royal court of the guard. King Zedekiah had let his officials try to kill Jeremiah, yet he sent his eunuch to save him. The result was that Jeremiah was back in jail again, as if nothing had happened.

January 1, 2017

The punishment for the king of Judah (Jer 34:21-34:22)

“‘As for King Zedekiah

Of Judah,

With his officials,

I will hand them over

To their enemies,

To those who seek their lives,

To the army

Of the king of Babylon

That has withdrawn

From you.’

Says Yahweh.

‘I am going

To command them.

I will bring them

Back to this city.

They will fight against it.

They will take it.

They will burn it

With fire.

I will make the towns

Of Judah

A desolation

Without inhabitants.’”

Yahweh says that King Zedekiah of Judah and his officials would also be punished. They were to be handed over to the army of King Nebuchadnezzar, without any indication as to whether they would be killed or taken in captivity. The king of Babylon with his army had left Jerusalem to take on another town in Judah, but Yahweh was going to call them back to fight against the towns of Judah and Jerusalem itself. Eventually, the king of Babylon would take the city of Jerusalem. Then he would burn it, along with the other towns of Judah, until there was complete desolation without anyone living there.