Part 17 (1/2)

II. There were =Three Captivities= of Ju'dah, all in one generation and all under one Chal-de'an king, Neb-u-chad-nez'zar:

1. =Je-hoi'a-kim's captivity=, B. C. 607. Je-hoi'a-kim was the son of Jo-si'ah, placed upon the throne after the battle of Me-gid'do, in which Jo-si'ah perished (2 Kings 23. 34). For three years Je-hoi'a-kim obeyed Neb-u-chad-nez'zar; then he rebelled, but was speedily reduced to subjection, and many of the leading people among the Jews were carried captive to Bab'y-lon (2 Kings 24. 1, 2). Among these captives was Dan'iel the prophet (Dan. 1. 1-6). From this event the _seventy years_ of the captivity were dated (Jer. 27. 22; 29. 10), though the kingdom of Ju'dah remained for twenty years longer.

2. =Je-hoi'a-chin's captivity=, B. C. 598. Je-hoi'a-chin was the son of Je-hoi'a-kim (called Jec-o-ni'ah, 1 Chron. 3. 16; Jer. 24. 1; and Co-ni'ah, Jer. 22. 24). He reigned only three months, and then was deposed by Neb-u-chad-nez'zar and carried to Bab'y-lon. With the young king and the royal family were taken thousands of the people of the middle cla.s.ses, whom the land could ill spare (2 Kings 24. 8-16). Among these captives was E-ze'ki-el, the prophet-priest (Ezek. 1. 1-13).

3. =Zed-e-ki'ah's captivity=, B. C. 587. He was the uncle of Je-hoi'a-chin and the son of the good Jo-si'ah (2 Kings 24. 17), and had been made king by Neb-u-chad-nez'zar. But he too rebelled against his master, to whom he had taken a solemn oath of fidelity (2 Chron. 36.

13). The Chal-de'ans were greatly incensed by these frequent insurrections, and determined upon a final destruction of the rebellious city. After a long siege Je-ru'sa-lem was taken, and the king was captured while attempting flight. He was blinded and carried away to Bab'y-lon, the city was destroyed, and nearly all the people left alive were also taken to the land of Chal-de'a (2 Kings 25. 1-11). After this captivity the city lay desolate for fifty years, until the conquest of Bab'y-lon by Cy'rus, B. C. 536.

III. Let us ascertain the =Causes of the Captivity=--why the Jews were taken up bodily from their own land and deported to a distant country.

1. Such deportations were a frequent =policy of Oriental conquerors=.

The Orientals had three ways of dealing with a conquered people: that of extermination, or wholesale butchery, which is frequently described upon the As-syr'i-an monuments; that of leaving them in the land under tribute, as subjects of the conqueror; and that of deporting them _en ma.s.se_ to a distant land. Frequently, when the interests of the empire would be served by changing the population of a province, this plan was carried out. Thus the ten tribes were carried to a land near the Cas'pi-an Sea, and other people were brought to Sa-ma'ri-a in their place (2 Kings 17. 6, 24). A similar plan regarding Ju'dah was proposed by Sen-nach'e-rib (2 Kings 18. 31, 32), but was thwarted by the destruction of the As-syr'i-an host.

2. We have already noticed another cause of the captivity in the frequent =rebellions of the kings of Ju'dah= against the authority of Bab'y-lon. The old spirit of independence, which had made Ju'dah the leader of the twelve tribes, was still strong, and it was fostered by the hope of universal rule, which had been predicted through centuries, even while the kingdom was declining. The prophets, however, favored submission to Bab'y-lon; but the n.o.bles urged rebellion and independence. Their policy was pursued, and the unequal strife was taken up more than once. The rebellions always failed; but after several attempts the patience of Neb-u-chad-nez'zar was exhausted, and the destruction of the rebellious city and the deportation of the population were ordered.

3. But underneath was another and a deeper cause--in =the rivalry of E'gypt and Bab'y-lon=. Pal'es-tine stood on the border of the As-syr'i-an empire toward E'gypt; and in Pal'es-tine there were two parties, the As-syr'i-an and the E-gyp'tian: one counseling submission to As-syr'i-a, the other seeking alliance with E'gypt against As-syr'i-a (Isa. 31. 1-3; 37. 6). After Bab'y-lon took the place of Nin'e-veh the Chal-de'an party took the place of the As-syr'i-an, as the Chal-de'an empire was the successor of the As-syr'i-an empire. The prophets, led by Jer-e-mi'ah, always counseled submission to Bab'y-lon, and warned against trusting to E'gypt, which had never given anything more than promises; but the n.o.bles were of the E-gyp'tian party, and constantly influenced the kings to renounce the yoke of Bab'y-lon and to strike for independence by the aid of E'gypt. The necessity of making the frontier of the Chal-de'an empire safe on the side toward E'gypt was the political cause for the deportation of the tribe of Ju'dah.

4. There was underlying all these political reasons a moral cause in =the divine purpose to discipline the nation=. The captivity was a weeding-out process, to separate the precious from the vile, the false from the true, the ”remnant” from the ma.s.s. There had always been two distinct elements in Is'ra-el and Ju'dah--the spiritual, G.o.d-fearing few, and the worldly, idol-wors.h.i.+ping many. The worldly and irreligious took part in the resistance to the king of Bab'y-lon, and the wors.h.i.+pers of Je-ho'vah, led by the prophets, urged submission. As a result the n.o.bles and the warriors, for the most part, perished; while the better part, the strength and hope of the nation, were carried away captive.

Notice that the captives were mainly of the middle cla.s.s, the working element (2 Kings 24. 14-16). Those who had submitted to the Chal-de'ans were also taken away (2 Kings 25. 11). The prophet expressed greater hope for those taken away than for those left behind (Jer. 24. 1-10).

The captives were the root of Ju'dah, out of which in due time a new nation should rise; and, as we shall see, the captivity in Bab'y-lon proved to be the most benign experience in all the history of G.o.d's chosen people.

Blackboard Outline

I. =Cap. Isr. Jud.= 1. Isr. 721. Jud. 587. 2. a.s.s. Sar.--Chal.

Neb. 3. Cas. Sea.--Riv. Eup. 4. Nev. ret.--Bro. b.

II. =Thr. Cap. Jud.= 1. Jeh. cap. 607. 2. Jehn. cap. 598. 3. Zed.

cap. 587.

III. =Caus. Cap.= 1. Pol. Or. conq. 2. Reb. kgs. Jud. 3. Riv. Eg.

Bab. 4. Div. pur. dis.

Review Questions

From what earlier captivity must that of Ju'dah be distinguished? What were the dates of these two captivities? By whom was each nation taken captive?

Where was each nation carried captive? What followed the captivity in each nation? What were the three captivities of Ju'dah? What were the events of the first captivity of Ju'dah? Who were carried away at this time? What date is connected with this captivity?

What were the events of the second captivity of Ju'dah? Who were then taken away? What were the events of the third captivity? How long was Je-ru'sa-lem left in ruins? By whom and when were the Jews permitted to return from captivity? What causes may be a.s.signed for the carrying away of the Jews? What were the customs of ancient Oriental conquerors? How did the conduct of the kings of Ju'dah bring on the captivity? What rivalry between nations was a cause of the captivity?

What were the two parties in the kingdom of Ju'dah?

How was the carrying away of the Jews a political necessity? What was the moral cause of the captivity?

PART TWO

IV. =The Condition of the Captives in Chal-de'a= was far better than we are apt to suppose.