Sin is a Disgrace to Any Nation

The fall of Judah is the last moment of the monarchy of Israel from which the nation would never recover. Zedekiah, the puppet king enthroned by Nebuchadnezzar, is the final link in a chain full of ever-devolving leaders who led Israel further and further away from the Lord. In the final analysis, we study the history of Israel to learn for our own time. Sin destroys nations. 

Jeremiah 52:1–3 (ESV) Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 3 For because of the anger of the LORD it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that he cast them out from his presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Now, some would fuss over this concept. How could sin destroy a nation? Well, sin is ultimately the serving of self's lust at the expense of everyone around you. When men sin, they make objects of other people for their own desires. When men sin, they put the individual at the center of the world. When men sin, they seek not the good of others but the gratification of the flesh. And on that simple metric, nations full of sin are decomposing. 

Jeremiah ends with a retelling of what happened at the fall of Jerusalem. The siege of Babylon caused a severe famine, which led to a breach in the wall and many fleeing, who were then chased down, and the final king of Israel's ancient monarchy met his end in a most disheartening manner:

Jeremiah 52:10–11 (ESV) The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and also slaughtered all the officials of Judah at Riblah. 11 He put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in chains, and the king of Babylon took him to Babylon, and put him in prison till the day of his death.

Jeremiah then details the destruction of the Temple. All the ornate accouterments of Solomon's skillful design are demolished and/or carried off as plunder.

Jeremiah 52:17 (ESV) And the pillars of bronze that were in the house of the LORD, and the stands and the bronze sea that were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all the bronze to Babylon.

Finally, judgment is rendered against the rest of Israel's leaders, the chief priest, the temple leaders and the officers of the army were all found and executed.

Jeremiah 52:27 (ESV) And the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was taken into exile out of its land.

You have, as it were, the reversal of Israel's elevation to glory. When she came into the land, she fought wars with commanders led by priests. When she was established, David's son built a glorious temple. After the Temple was finished, the monarchy was enshrined as her leadership. Almost in direct reversal, her end comes, which is a picture for any nation that celebrates and cooperates with sin. There is a de-creation of sorts that swallows up whatever glory that nation formerly beheld. 

The Bible says in Proverbs:

Proverbs 14:34 (ESV) Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Yet there is a thread of hope in Israel's end. 

Jeremiah 52:31 (ESV) And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison.

Jehoiachin is given a privileged seat in Babylon, dining at the king's table daily. His name is a picture of God's thread of grace to every disgraceful culture. "Jehoiachin" means "Yahweh will uphold." And Jeremiah ends on that note. Though the destructive nature of sin will always be on display in our world's geopolitical and cultural landscapes, there is hope for those whom the Lord calls to Himself. He will hold them fast and establish them in the land. 

As we close out Jeremiah, let me ask a question: Are you one of those people?