2 Kings 25:1 - Meaning and Application

We left King Zedekiah in rebellion against the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:20), trying to shake off Babylon’s rule when he had no strength to do so. He also failed to take the right path, which would have been to make God his friend first. Now we see the terrible results of that choice.

The king of Babylon’s army laid siege to Jerusalem (2 Kings 25:1). What could stop them, when they already controlled the surrounding country? They built siege works around the city and used the war methods of that time to batter it, send death into it, and cut off the supplies of life. Jerusalem had once been surrounded by God’s favor like a shield, but now that protection was gone, and enemies closed in on every side.

Those who sin and drive God away will find that countless troubles surround them. This siege lasted two years. At first, the army withdrew because they feared the king of Egypt (Jeremiah 37:11), but when they saw he was not as strong as they thought, they returned at once. They were determined not to leave until the city was theirs.

During the siege, famine grew severe (2 Kings 25:3). For a long time, the people had to measure out their bread carefully (Ezekiel 4:16). This was a fitting judgment on their greed, excess, and careless self-indulgence. In the end, there was no bread for the common people and the soldiers, so they became weak and unfit for battle. Then they even ate their own children because there was nothing else to eat. This was foretold by one prophet (Ezekiel 5:10) and mourned by another (Lamentations 4:3). Jeremiah strongly urged the king to surrender (Jeremiah 38:17), but his heart was hardened, and that led to his ruin.

At last, the city was taken by storm, and the wall was broken through (2 Kings 25:4). The attackers made a breach in the wall and forced their way in. The defenders could no longer hold the city, so they tried to escape and save themselves as best they could. Many, no doubt, were put to death, because the victorious army had been angered by their stubborn resistance.

The king, his family, and all his important men escaped by night through secret routes, either not known to the besiegers or not closely watched by them (2 Kings 25:4). But those who think they can escape God’s judgments fool themselves just as much as those who try to face them head-on. The person who flees from God’s judgment will fail as surely as the one who fights against it. When God judges, he will win.

News of the king’s flight and the road he had taken reached the Chaldeans, that is, the Babylonians, and they quickly caught up with him (2 Kings 25:5). His guards were scattered, each man trying to save himself. If the king had put himself under God’s protection, he would not have been left helpless now. He fell into the enemy’s hands, and we are told what they did to him.

First, he was brought before the king of Babylon and judged by a war council for rebelling against the ruler who had made him king and to whom he had sworn loyalty. Both God and man had a case against him for this sin (Ezekiel 17:16). The king of Babylon was then at Riblah, a city between Judah and Babylon, so he could direct both his court at home and his army in the field.

Second, his sons were killed before his eyes. Though they were children, this was meant to fill him with grief and horror for the rest of his life. By killing his sons, the Babylonians showed their anger at his falsehood. In effect, they said that neither he nor his family could be trusted, and therefore they were not fit to live.

Third, his eyes were put out. This took away one of life’s basic comforts, the light of the sun, and also made him unable to serve in any useful way. He had feared being mocked, so he refused to surrender (Jeremiah 38:19), but what he feared came upon him in full. No doubt this made his misery even worse, because blind people often imagine that others are talking or laughing about them. In this way, two prophecies that seemed to clash were both fulfilled. Jeremiah said Zedekiah would be brought to Babylon (Jeremiah 32:5; Jeremiah 34:3). Ezekiel said he would not see Babylon (Ezekiel 12:13). He was taken there, but after his eyes were put out, he did not see it. So he came to the end of his days before the end of his life.

Fourth, he was bound with bronze chains and taken to Babylon. Since he was blind, he did not need to be bound to keep him from escaping, but they bound him anyway to increase his shame. Ordinary prisoners were put in irons (Psalm 105:18; Psalm 107:10), but because he was a prince, he was chained with bronze fetters. The metal may have been finer and lighter, but that brought little comfort while he remained in chains. It should not seem strange if those once held by the cords of sin end up held by the cords of suffering (Job 36:8).