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In this final round, Nebuchadnezzar once again names Judah’s king, selecting Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah (597-586 b.c.). Ignoring Jeremiah’s strongest warnings (Jer 27:8), he too rebels, provoking Nebuchadnezzar’s forces to attack Jerusalem in 588 b.c. (25:1). No doubt several of its inhabitants were expecting divine intervention, much like that afforded to Hezekiah during his Assyrian conflict. But this time around, Jerusalem would stand or fall on its own. After a lengthy siege, the city fell in 587/86 B.C., and Zedekiah was blinded and exiled to Babylon (v.7).
With respect to the conquest of Jerusalem, the editor of Kings clearly reveals his theological orientation. While the city itself was no doubt important, emphasis here is placed on the temple (25:8-17). Much attention had been given to its construction during Solomon’s reign, and much criticism was leveled against those rulers who established competing shrines. Now, however, the temple has itself been destroyed, and with it the very identity of this covenant people has apparently vanished.
What remained after the smoke cleared was pale in comparison to former days. Judah was but a small part of one province in an empire of several provinces. Gone into captivity were the leaders and those of higher standing in the community. Left behind were the lower classes, commissioned to work the fields and vineyards (25:12). In place of a king, Nebuchadnezzar appointed a governor. The first to occupy such a position was, graciously enough, a Judahite named Gedaliah (25:22). Yet many refused to accept his leadership, and he was eventually assassinated (for a more extensive account of Gedaliah’s governorship, see Jer 40:7-41:18). With that, Judah’s own involvement in administrating the land came to an end, and an exodus to Egypt occurred in order to avoid possible Babylonian wrath (25:26).
If nothing but desperation remained in Judah, the closing verses of ch. 25 would seem to imply that a flicker of hope was still shining in Babylon (vv.27-30). There King Jehoiachin, the son of Josiah and a descendant of David, had been set free. Is there still time for the lessons of the past to be learned and applied to the present and future? Could it be that Jehoiachin’s good fortune might in some way suggest or symbolize a similar conclusion for the community of faith in general? While the prophets of the Exile may later answer with a resounding yes, the editor of Kings simply leaves us pondering the possibility.