an individual, even temporally; but A course of ungodliness ends in the lose of tem• pornl and spiritual possessions together. III. ZEilEKIAH MADE KING. 1 . .Acce..'ISion of Zedekiah. Jehoiachin WAS A man of spirited character, and Nebuchadnezzar seems to have thought that he would be better served by putting a wee.ker man upon the throne. The person chosen was an uncle of the young king's, a brother of Jchoiakim, whose name, Mattaniah, Nebuchadnezzar changed to Zedekiah-" tb,3 Righteousness of Jehovah." There was little honour now in being King of Judah; but at least the city and temple still stood· the priesthood had not been carried away; there were a few nobles left to grace th~ court; and by J.egrees new Artisans and soldiers might have been got in, and the state acraiu built up. It was the last chance, and was given only to show clearly how hopeless the moral con- dition of the people was. For if anything could have sobered them, and convinced them of the truth of the words of the prophets, it was such a catastrophe as had descended upon them. Deaf to all warnings, however, whether of mercy or judgment, the people only went on from bad t,o worse. 2. His weak character. The outstandiu" feature in Zedekiah's character was weakness-lack of courage and strength of will He was not without good impulses. He showed a friendly disposition to Jeremiah; on various occasions be sought his advice and intercession (Jer. xxi. 1, 2; xxxvii. 3; xxu·iii. 14-17); at Jeremiah's instigation he made a covenant with the people of Jerusalem, pledging them to give liberty to their bondmen (Jer. xxxiv, 8, 11), and once at least he refrained from entering into a proposed league against Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. xxvii. 3). But his timid, faithless, unstable nature reveals itself at every turn. He was like Herod, who did many things at the bidding of John the Baptist, and hearrl him gladly, yet at last beheaded him to please a. wicked woman (Mark vL 20). Zedekiah knew what was right, bnt did not do it (Jer. xxxvii. 2); he weakly allowed himself to be overruled by his nobles-when they broke through bis covenant he ha.d no power to resist (Jer. xxxiv. 11); when they urged him to put Jeremiah to death, he consented, saying, "Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he.that can do any- thing against you" (Jer. xxxviii 4, 5); then, when Ebed-Melech pleaded for the prophet, be gave orders for his deliverance (vcr. 10); he disobeyed Jeremiah in throwing off his allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, and in seeking an alliance with Egypt; a.nd when Nebuchadnezzar again ea.me up against him, be sought Jeremiah's counsel, but did not take it when it was given (Jer. :xxxvili. 14-28), etc. Meanwhile idolatry ha.d firmly established itself in the holy city, a.nd within the very precincts of the temple (Ezek, viii.). Fitly, therefore, is the reign of this last king described, like the rest, as "evil." His weakness a.ad vacilla.tion, his unfaithfulness to his own best convictions, bis sinful yielding to others in what he knew to be wrong, were his ruin. He was in a. hard and difficult position, and he had no strength of mind to cope with it. 3. His rebellion. At length, yielding to the solicitations of his nobles, and hopeful of help from Egypt (Ezek. xvii. 15), he broke his oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, an a.et which Ezekiel strongly condemns (Ezek. xvii. 16-19). The cup was full, and the Lord left him thus far to himself, that the nation might be de~troyed. Men who will not follow light, lose light. A blindness, as from heaven, falls upon them. They a.re left to the bent of their own hearts, and their own counsel is their ruin. Sin is the supreme folly, e.s righteousness is the supreme wisdom.-J. 0.
EXPOSITION. the advance into Judma of a Babylonian CHAPTER XXV. e.rmy tmdcr Nebuohadnezzur in peroon, and Vers. 1-3O.-THE LABT SIEGE OP JERU· the strict investment of the capital. We SALEM. THE JEWS LED INTO CAPTil'ITY. learn the cil·cumstances of the siege from HISTORY OP TJiE REMNANT LEFT BEWND. Jeremiah, in the prophecy which bears bis RELEABB F'BOM PRISON OF JEBOliCHIN. no.me, and in the Book of Lamentations. Vere. 1-1O.-LA.ST SIEGE AND CAPTURE It lasted one year and seven months, o.nd OF J EnusALEM. The open l'ebellion of Zede- was accompanied by a l>lockude so skict; kfu.b was followed almost immediately by that the defenders were reduced to the laid OH, :UV, 1-30,] TIIE SECOND nooK OF THE KINGS. 487