THE BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY

 

 Dr. W. A. Criswell

 

Daniel 1:1

 

09-22-96

 

 

I remind you that you owe me a whole lot of deference.  (Laughter)  Oh, dear.  And I’m most appreciative.

Before we begin our study of the Babylonian Captivity, I took a moment to write two sentences to form the introduction.  They are: The biblical story is complicated and fraught with many details, but God has a blessing for us who take the time and patience to look at it and profit by it.  And the second sentence:

The ordinary reader can be wearied with minute details, but the Bible is inspired and, if we take the time to read it, it will bring immortal lessons to our souls.

So, when we enter a study like this, it is very, very minute.  Hardly anyone has even looked at it because it is do wearisome and fraught with so much uninteresting detail.  But, God inspired it and the Lord had it written in this Book and we’re going to be one of those few that look at it as God would have us to do.

We’re going back 2,600 years to the empires of Assyria, Babylonia, Persia and Egypt.  Heretofore, the names of these are familiar to us: Moses, Samuel, Daniel, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Jonah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel.  We have been introduced to these since childhood.

But, the Bible also has minute introductions to us of Sargon, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Tiglath-Pileser, Shalmaneser, Maradat-Paladin, Nabopolassar, Nabonidus, Belshazzar, Darius and Cyrus.  And yet, to the whole vast world, those names are unknown and immaterial.

When we turn now to the story of the Babylonian Captivity, these words are typical of the unbelievable sadness and sorrow of that tragic destruction: the destruction of the nation; the destruction of the city and the walls; the destruction of the Temple; and the terrible seizure of a city by foreign soldiers pouring into its confines.

If I could make just one observation without seeming to be—without thought of kindness: when those soldiers poured into a city, the first thing they did was to seize all the women and all the girls, tear off their clothes and rape them.  That is what you see in the tragedy of what we are speaking of today.

So this Psalm is just reflective of the hearts of those tragic people who were overwhelmed and taken into slavery.  The one hundred thirty-seventh Psalm:

By the rivers of Babylon we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.

We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.

For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us a song of Zion.

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?

If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning.

If I don’t remember thee, let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy. 

This is so reflective of the indescribable hurt and sorrow that came to those dear people who were overwhelmed by the Chaldean army.

            Sargon, in 722, captured and destroyed the northern kingdom of the 10 tribes of Israel.  And he raised Assyria to new heights of prestige.  But, he fell in battle and left his new power to his son, Sennacherib.  It was Sargon who made Nineveh the famous ancient city on the east bank of the Tigris River.

            So, under Sennacherib, the son of Sargon, the Assyrians moved closer and closer to Judah.  The prophet Isaiah walked the streets of Jerusalem naked and barefoot for three full years at the commandment of God, as a sign that Assyria was coming.  We read that in Isaiah 20:2-3.

            So, the Lord called the Chaldeans, and before them, the Assyrians.  In Isaiah 10:5, he refers and says: “Assyria is the rod of my anger and the staff of my indignation.

            Well, we come to the story of the destruction and captivity of the people.  God warns again and again and again.  Judgment does not fall unexpectedly or unannouncedly.  Even in the hammer blows of falling judgment, God gives time and space for repentance. 

It is never too late to get right with God.  If we repent, God repents.  Isn’t that what you read in Jonah?  When the people of Nineveh repented, god repented.

Out of the ruins and ashes of destruction, God, in mercy and grace, raises up a noble and purified people to do His will in the earth.  The purposes of God are never frustrated.  Every sob and tear and sorrow is meant toward His ultimate purpose in the earth: God’s design for our blessing and salvation.

So, we look for a moment at the warnings of God to Judah.  First, the example of Israel’s northern 10 tribes: idolatry in Israel was rampant under Jeroboam, their first leader.  And it brought back the remembrance of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.  

Hosea 4:17 says—quoting God: “Israel is joined to idols.  Let him alone.  I have tried and tried.  I leave it in the hands of judgment.”

So, Tiglath-Pileser placed Israel under tribute.  Shalmaneser besieged Samaria.  And Sargon destroyed the northern kingdom and the 10 tribes were disbursed through Assyria and the whole world.

The Assyrians, as I said, moved closer and closer to Judah.  When Sargon fell in battle, he left the empire to his son, Sennacherib.  And Sennacherib invaded Judah when Judah was under King Hezekiah, a godly king.  And Judah was delivered.  In keeping with Isaiah and good King Hezekiah, Judah was delivered by the angel of God.

Do you remember the story?  He passed over the army of the Assyrians at night—an angel of God—and destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.  That was God’s goodness to Hezekiah.  In the Annals of Sachariah, clay cylinders that were dug up there in Assyria, it says that Sennacherib took 200,000 captives from Judah.

Now, the son of Hezekiah, Manasseh took his position in gross idolatry.  Hezekiah was a godly man, a marvelous king.  But, his son, Manasseh, was tragic.  And the Assyrians captured Manasseh and carried him, in shame, to one of their provinces: Babylon.

Now, Manasseh was released upon his repentance.  But, because of the sins of Manasseh, God refused to spare Judah. 

Under the weak leadership of Ashurbanipal, Assyria was destroyed in 612 B.C.  But, Babylon took the place of Nineveh—the Chaldeans.  Habakkuk 1:12 speaks of the Assyrians as “ordained for judgment” and “established for correction.”

The rise of the Babylonian Empire, upon the collapse of Assyria, was as rapid as was its demise when its mission of chastening the people of God was accomplished.  So, we mention the blunt prophecies of Isaiah and Micah.  Babylon was cited by name over 100 years before it came into being.  In Isaiah 39:6, 7, he is told that they will be taken into captivity in Babylon and their sons would be eunuchs thereof.

And you remember, Daniel and his three friends were taken to Babylon and they were castrated.  They were emasculated.  They became eunuchs.  And that is a part of the judgment of God.

And Jeremiah, later, in the twenty-fifth chapter of his prophecy, speak of the fact that Babylon would be sovereign over Judah until 70 years had passed.  And we’re going to look at that 70 years and some of the things that came out of it.

So, we speak of the inevitable judgments of Almighty God.  And you look at it: there was a tremendous revival in Judah under Josiah—the good king, Josiah.  And during the latter days of his reign, Assyria was destroyed. 

And Judah faced a golden future.  The hand of God and the blessings of the Lord were upon the people.  But, neither the spiritual revival under Josiah nor the defeat of the Assyrian Empire had any permanent effect on Judah.

Idolatrous kings nullified Josiah’s spiritual impact.  And the Chaldeans of the Babylonian Empire took the place of the Assyrians.  And Nebuchadnezzar, on e of the most powerful and autocratic rulers, adopted the same policy of displacing whole populations founded and inaugurated by the Assyrian kings and just followed after it.

Now, the captivity for Nebuchadnezzar meant two things: one, there was no longer any rebellion in Judah.  It was destroyed forever… until the fourteenth of May, 1948.  It was forever destroyed.

And second: it supplied that monarch with skilled craftsmen and artisans for the execution of his building the glorious city of Babylon that he refers to.  And slave labor was multitudinous.  It gave him the ability to carry out all those works of grandeur.

Now, under those Babylonians—who took the place of the Assyrians, there were three deportations.  The first one was in 605 B.C., when Daniel and his three brethren—Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah—when they were taken into captivity, along with other members of the royal family and some of the treasures of the kingdom.  That was the first deportation: when Daniel was taken away.

The second deportation was in 598 B.C., when King Jehoiakim and the royal family, including the prophet Ezekiel, were carried away into captivity.

And the third captivity—and the final one—was in 587 B.C.  And it carried with it the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of the city and the total captivity of the people.

King Zedekiah, whom we will meet a little later, revolted in the ninth year of his reign.  And he brought about the complete destruction of the city and the Temple.

All the priests were killed.  Zedekiah’s sons were killed right before his eyes.  And he was carried in fetters to Babylon.  Just the poor and the indigent and the helpless were left in the land.  And Nebuchadnezzar placed a governor over the land named Gadeliah.

So, let’s look at the kings and the prophets during that tragic time.  There were five prophets: Jeremiah—who we’re going to meet several times, in a minute—Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zepheniah and Habakkuk.  There were five prophets during that day.  And the four sons of Josiah were kings: Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah.

The people of Judah did not realize the changes that were in store for them following good King Josiah’s death—Judah’s last good king: Josiah.  They doubtless expected Josiah’s successors to continue the spiritual revival and the policy of political independence for Judah.  The successors of Josiah—all four of those sons—were idolatrous and did evil in the sight of the Lord and brought the land and the people to utter ruin.

Now, we’re going to look at those four kings—those four sons of Josiah.  First, Jehoahaz: upon Josiah’s death, the people of the land picked a younger son of Josiah, Jehoahaz, and anointed him as their king.  He reigned but three months, doing evil in the sight of the Lord, and was removed by Pharoah Neco, who had slain Josiah.  Pharoah Neco removed Jehoahaz in chains to Egypt, where he died.

Neco, then, took another son of Josiah and named him Jehoiakim and placed him on the throne.  Jehoiakim was evidently pro-Egyptian and anti-Chaldean.  As to why Jehoiakim was passed over by the people for a younger brother, and why Neco made him king, Jehoiakim gave heavy tribute to Egypt.  And Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years.

Now, when Jehoiakim was taken to Egypt, where he died, his brother, Jehoiachin, was made king in 605.  And this was the first deportation: under Jehoiachin, in 605.  When Neco was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar at Carchemish and at Hamath, the Babylonians followed the defeated Egyptians southward.  And the land of Judah came under the sovereignty of Babylonia.

Jehoiakim—2 Kings 23:37—quote: “did evil in the sight of the Lord.”  And after three years, he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, refusing to pay the tribute.  And relying not on God, but on Epypt, to deliver him, his hope was encouraged—and that’s why you see so many details in a thing like this—his hope was encouraged by the false prophets.  Jeremiah 5:11: “the people love to have their own.”

Now, I have a note here about Jeremiah.  Jeremiah, the great prophet, raised a strong voice against the alliance with Egypt.  God’s will, he said, was not to rebel against the Babylonians.  Jehoiakim became the bitter enemy of Jeremiah.  The king imprisoned him to keep him out of the Temple and away from the people.  Jeremiah, then, dictated to Baruch, his right-hand man, the Word of the Lord to the people.

Now, you look at this: when that message from Jeremiah—that he got from God—was delivered to Jehoiakim, he cut it up, leaf by leaf, with a penknife, and threw it, leaf by leaf, into the winter fire in the palace.  But, the prophecy of Jehoiakim’s dying in disgrace came to pass.  I quote: God said, “Jehoiakim will be buried with the burial of an ass.”

Now, my comment: No man can do dishonor to the Word of God and escape falling and coming judgment.  Now, that is true, whether the man is in the pulpit or in a nation or in a denomination or a church or in a college or a preacher.  Somewhere, sometime, there will be a judgment on those who belittle or disregard or disdain the holy Word of God.  It may not be immediately.  It may not be in time.  But, it will definitely come.  We’re going to see that, again and again, in the judgments of God upon the people.

The marching armies of Nebuchadnezzar reached Judah again.  Jerusalem was besieged by the Chaldeans.  But, just before the city fell, Jehoiakim suddenly died.  Possibly—almost certainly—he was assassinated.  And his young son, 18 years old, was placed on the throne: Jehoiachin.

Now, under Jehoiachin, the second great deportation from Israel, being taken captive to Babylon, came to pass.  Jehoiachin was as evil as his father, Jehoiakim.  And after reigning 100 days, a little over three months, the city fell to the Babylonians in 598 B.C. 

And the great sorrowful captivity followed after: Ezekiel was one of them; the king; the queen mother; the court; the soldiers; the captives of the land; the best of the land and of the king’s palace—all of that was taken in the second deportation.

            This is commonly called “the captivity.”  It was called the captivity because of its magnitude: because the king, Jehoiachin, was there for 37 years in Babylon; and because it contained the seed of the restoration after the captivity.

Only on the death of Nebuchadnezzar did his successor, Evil-Merodach, free Jehoiachin.  And the fact of the freeing of Jehoiachin is written in Babylonian cuneiform records. 

The exiles there, from that time forward, looked upon Jehoiachin as their legitimate king and dates were reckoned from the exile of King Jehoiachin.  For example, when Ezekiel begins his great long prophecy—the Book of Ezekiel—that’s the way he starts it—Ezekiel 1:2: from the exile of King Jehoiachin.

Now, Jeremiah writes to the exiles—he says: 70 years you will be there.  Then, you will be at liberty to return home.  So, build your houses and build the land.

Now, false prophets said Jehoiachin would be free in two years.  But, Jeremiah said it would last 70 years.  Jeremiah, over there in Judah, went around with a yoke on his neck, signifying the continuing captivity of those people in Babylon.

And there was a false prophet named Beniah.  And he broke that yoke from off the neck of Jeremiah, saying that the people would be free in two years.  And Jeremiah looked at him and said, “You will soon die.”

Then, we come to the fourth king.  Remember: Jehoiachin is in Babylon, where he will be for 37 years.  The fourth son of Josiah, Zedekiah, comes to the throne.  And taking Jehoiachin captive to Babylon places another of the ill-fated sons of Josiah on the throne.

 And Zedekiah reigned 11 years in Jerusalem.  He was as evil as his brothers.  Eleven years of fully-ripened rebellion and corruption characterized his reign.

Zedekiah, that last king, seemed to desire to listen to Jeremiah and sought to save his life.  But, he succumbed to the pro-Egyptian party and rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar.  And 2 Kings speaks of him relying not on God, but on Egypt.

Nebuchadnezzar reacted swiftly.  This time, he resolved to put the nation away forever.  He was sent by God to finish the judgment.  And by January, 588—it had been going on since 597—Jerusalem was under siege and soon destroyed.

Now, you have the prophecies of Jeremiah—long they are.  During the long siege, he suffered greatly.  During the early part of the siege, he wrote chapter 34.  During the latter part of the siege, he wrote chapters 32, 33 and 39.

            He was accused of treason and thrown into a vile prison.  As the siege went on, he was cast into a slimy pit, where he would have perished, had it not been for Ebed-Melech, a eunuch from Ethiopia, who rescued him.

            And this little detail: he was placed in the pit.  And when Ebed-Melech sought to bring him out, starvation had been so long and tragic that it took 30 men to lift him up.  It took 30 men to bring Jeremiah out of that slimy pit.  And God told Jeremiah to tell Ebed-Melech that he would be saved alive and taken care of.  And that came to pass.

            Well, after a siege of a year and a half, the people starving—during the summer of 587, the end came.  The walls were broken.  Nebuchadnezzar had determined that the city would never be a fortress again and it would be a place of no rebellion.  The Temple, the houses, the walls were all completely destroyed.  And that, of course, was the third, and final, deportation.

Zedekiah, the king, attempted to escape toward Amman, but was captured near Jericho.  And his sons were executed before his eyes.  His very eyes were blinded.  Then, blind and in chains, he was taken to Babylon to serve and die.

Jeremiah was treated very kindly by the victorious Babylonians.

            Now, I must close.  The main point of our lesson today is what I speak of now.  Remember: the nation is destroyed.  The Temple is destroyed.  And the people are all there, by the rivers of Babylon, singing their songs of desperation and destitution.

            But, three great things came out of the Babylonian Captivity.  The sins of men cannot frustrate the ultimate purposes of God.

            #1: The nation of Israel was never again idolatrous.  Up until this time—you read the Bible—there was the golden calf with Moses and every generation of the Jews—the Israelites—they were idolatrous.  After the Babylonian Captivity, the Jews never again were idolatrous.

For example, if you go into a synagogue, can you imagine an idol or an image in a synagogue?  And the synagogue is what we would call today a church.  Can you imagine bringing in an idol into a Baptist church?  It was forever cut off in the Babylonian Captivity.  The people were never more idolatrous.

#2: The Captivity gave birth to the synagogue.  Our church congregation is that—it’s patterned thereon: gathering together to hear the Law and the Prophets, we gather to hear the Word Of God, too.  The people were taught to be obedient to the Word of God and to pray and to praise God together.  I cannot imagine a synagogue other than that—a Baptist church other than that.  Opening God’s book—the Jews reading the Old Testament—the Law—and we reading the New Testament and the love of Christ.

I have been in many temples in India: the Hindus.  And they have thousands of idols—they are filled with images.

I have been in many Buddhist temples.  Always, there is that graven image of Buddha.

I have been in many Catholic churches filled with images—all through it.  I couldn’t imagine an image in the First Baptist Church of Dallas.  This came out of that Babylonian Captivity.

Now, the third great thing that came out of the Captivity was the canon of the Holy Scriptures—the Book.  As the people wept in despair, they sought the comfort and encouragement of the Scriptures.

They gathered those canonical books together.  And Ezra was used of the Lord, in the Captivity, to collect those wonderful, wonderful books that you call the Bible.

I think I’ve got to quit.  In the Dispersion of the people, the true knowledge of God was broadcast in the earth.

I have a conclusion: the sweep of history, sometimes centuries before it is seen, is God’s sovereign grace worked out.  And that is true in our lives.  Sometimes only in eternity will we be able to see God’s sovereign grace worked out in our lives.

 

 

 

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