When the LORD revealed His glory to Moses, He proclaimed Himself to be “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness… forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.” But He also made it known that He “will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:6-7). The LORD is a righteous Judge who holds sinners accountable for their deeds. So at the start of Jeremiah 52, we are given the key to its interpretation. There is no reason to wonder why Jerusalem was destroyed. It was “because of the anger of the LORD” that the city lay desolate. He had patiently given them lots of time and opportunity to repent of their sins, but “it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He cast them out from His presence” (v 3). The presence of a holy God is no place for sinners. After all the idolatry and adultery, ingratitude and injustice, Judah finally got what it deserved. There was only one suitable way for Jeremiah’s book to end: with siege, famine, invasion, fire, looting, and captivity. This was the costly price of their rebellion against Almighty God. They had brought the destruction upon themselves. The prophet’s own words ended at the close of the previous chapter (51:46). The book’s editor (perhaps Baruch?) borrows from 2 Kings 24-25 to add this concluding chapter. There are no tears shed, no feelings expressed. This is the writing of a historian, simply reporting how the city was captured in 586 BC. Judah’s troubles began when King Zedekiah “rebelled against the king of Babylon,” refusing to surrender as Jeremiah had advised. The Babylonian army surrounded Jerusalem, building a siege ramp up to the city wall and pounding relentlessly on the gate with a battering ram. Just as food ran out inside, the walls finally collapsed and the enemy invaded the city. Zedekiah fled with the army of Judah, but he was captured, blinded, and imprisoned—but not until he had witnessed the execution of his sons (v 1-11). The conquering army tore down Jerusalem’s walls and set the city ablaze. The temple was desecrated, with its sacred furnishings added to the Babylonian treasury. Many Jewish citizens were deported to become cheap labor in Babylon, while members of the royal cabinet were executed (v 12-30). Still, there is hope for God’s people. The careful inventory of items taken from the temple is for future reference, in light of Jeremiah’s prophecy that all this will someday be returned (27:21-22). And more importantly, after forty years in exile, the Jewish king is released from prison and given a seat at the royal table. He is David’s rightful heir, from whom the Messiah will come (v 31-34). For further meditation: