It was a hard word but it was a good word. The King Zedekiah was promised that while Babylon would capture him and take him into exile, he would die there a peaceful. Not with the sword. But with a fitting and appropriate burial like his fathers before them.
It was a kindness.
Then Zedekiah did something that was overdue. He proclaimed release of male and female Hebrew slaves. And so they did.
To understand the background of such “slaves,” one must go to Deut 15 where people who were poor could “sell” themselves to another Israelite for 6 years and on the 7th year they were to be released. It was something akin to when a young man or woman joins the army. They too are “slaves” for 4 years or 8 years or however long they signed up for. Not in the sense of chains and such but in the way of voluntary servitude. Here it is the same.
On the 7th year when a person was to be released, they were to be sent out with blessing. They were to be supplied liberally with flocks and ability to restart their lives.
Unfortunately the Israelites weren’t practicing this. They took in the poor who served as “slaves” but then refused to let them go based on the agreement. Because they weren’t given the promised “blessing” to restart their lives, the people who had sold themselves were in the same boat–still poor. So the people manipulated the poor into staying.
Zedekiah said enough. Release them. And so they did.
Temporarily.
When the people who had them as workers missed the benefits of such workers, they demanded they come back. It was sinful and wrong and they knew it and justified it.
Because of this and the years of sins behind it all, God told them he had given him liberty. Liberty to judge (v. 17). And so he would. He would hand them over to the Babylonians who would do terrible things. Enough was enough.
The LORD says he will soon make this happen and the Babylonians will have their way.
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We all justify sin. I can imagine those people who had the help of their fellow Israelite saying, “God wouldn’t want me to suffer too, and I’m just helping this person out again.” Ignoring the fact that they had not rightfully sent out their fellow Hebrew with a blessing to restart their life.
The justification of our crimes just never seems to stop. We are sure that “in God’s eyes” we are doing right even though we are doing wrong. There are just so many excuses to sin.
I know when I sin I do the same. I first have to justify it in my mind and then the deed is done. We tell ourselves a story.
But God’s ways are his ways. He truly does know best and it is best to do what is right, surrendering fully to him.
Then there’s also the honor of how we die and are buried. For many a person I’ve heard it’s no big deal. But the LORD honors how we die (Jer 34) and how are buried (Jude v. 9). It does matter. It’s a form of respect. Even to the Lord.
