Purkey's Bible Study Outlines

KEY VERSE: For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:20).

INTRODUCTION: The hour of judgment finally arrives, and God keeps His Word by bringing terrible wrath upon His people in the kingdom of Judah. God had given them a throne, a temple, a city, and a land, and upon each of these He poured out His anger. Read Jeremiah 25–34 if you wish sidelights on these chapters; also read 2 Chron. 36. Notice the judgments that fell on Judah.

INSIGHT: In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by his servants the prophets. Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the Lord, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord would not pardon Now the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

First, Jehoiachin Reigned In Judah: Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

Second, Jerusalem Was Captured: At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it, and Jehoiachin the king of Judah gave himself up to the king of Babylon, himself and his mother and his servants and his officials and his palace officials. The king of Babylon took him prisoner in the eighth year of his reign (see 2 Kings 24:1–12)

 17 And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. 18 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For through the anger of the Lord it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (2 Kings 24:17–20).

A. After the reign of godly Josiah, the throne of David was occupied by a series of men who defied God by their persistent sins. Jehoahaz reigned three months, as did Jehoiachin (also called Coniah or Jeconiah, Jer. 22:24). Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years and in the third year of his reign rebelled against Babylon. (Babylon had defeated Egypt and was now the greatest nation among Judah’s enemies.) Jehoiakim became subject to Babylon in 604 B.C., and in 601 he rebelled. It was this vile king who cut Jeremiah’s prophecies to pieces and burned them in the fire (Jer. 36). In 597, Jehoiakim died, leaving the throne to his son Jehoiachin, who ruled for three months.

B. It was in 597 B.C. that the Babylonian army began its siege of Jerusalem. Of course, weak and faithless Jehoiachin immediately surrendered with his family and they were taken to Babylon. The king’s uncle, Mattaniah, was made the next king and was given the new name of Zedekiah. See Jer. 52. He reigned eleven years, from 597 to 585. In the ninth year of his reign (588 B.C.), he made a secret alliance with Egypt and thus incurred the wrath of the Babylonians. It was this foolish move (which, by the way, was opposed by Jeremiah) that brought the Babylonian armies to Jerusalem for a final siege. In 2 Kings 25:27–30 we are told that banished King Jehoiachin was liberated from jail in Babylon halfway through the captivity.

INSIGHT: The throne of David was now virtually empty. Zedekiah was the last king of Judah. Had Zedekiah listened to the Word of God spoken by Jeremiah, the final days of Jerusalem would have been different.

A. There were actually three deportations: in 605 B.C. (when Daniel was included); in 597 (described in this passage); and in 587 (after the awful eighteen-month siege of the city). Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in the second deportation. It was Babylon’s policy to take the best of the people out of the land—the princes, nobles, soldiers, craftsmen, and royal family—and to leave the poorest of the people behind to manage things under the direction of their own governors. 

B. This way a captive nation would not be able to organize any resistance. Of course, this deportation was predicted by Jeremiah (chapter 25) as well as by Moses in the Law (Lev. 26; Deut. 28). The people had defiled their God-given land with blood and with idols; they were no longer fit to live upon it. God had to “sweep them away” that He might be able to purify the land once again.

1 And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. 2 And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. 3 And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. 4 And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king's garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. 5 And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. 6 So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. 7 And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon. 8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: 9 And he burnt the house of the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man's house burnt he with fire. 10 And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. 11 Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away. 12 But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. (2 Kings 25:1–12).

A. Read the Book of Lamentations for Jeremiah’s graphic description of the destruction of Jerusalem. The city was besieged for eighteen months, beginning January 15, 588 B.C.. On July 19, 586 B.C., a breach was made in the walls and the citizens knew that the end was at hand. 

B. Zedekiah and his men tried to flee (verses 4–6), but they were intercepted by the Babylonian army.Jeremiah 32:4–5 and 34:1–7, as well as Ezek. 12:13, predicted that Zedekiah would not escape. He would see the king of Babylon, but he would not see Babylon itself. He did see Nebuchadnezzar; then his eyes were put out and he was taken to Babylon a blind man. A month later, the Babylonians burned Jerusalem, broke down the walls, and destroyed the temple.

 A. The Babylonian soldiers stripped the temple of all its wealth. The objects that were too large to carry whole, they broke into pieces. The brass, gold, and silver instruments were carried to a heathen land. In 2 Kings 24:13, we are told that Solomon’s gold and the treasures in the palace were included in the spoils. In Jer. 7 we note that the Jews thought God would protect them from invasion because of the presence of the temple. The false prophets and worldly priests had the people believing lies, just as people today believe their church or their religious rituals will save them from judgment. Instead of the vessels of the house of the Lord being used for God’s glory, they were carried to Babylon to embellish the temples of the idols (2 Chron. 36:7).

B. The presence of the temple could not save the nation; there had to be sincere confession and repentance from the heart. But it was too late. The nation had “mocked the messengers of God … till there was no remedy.”

 A. One of the Babylonian officers gathered together the nobles that were left and had them slain (verses 18–21). All that remained on the land were the poorest people. Nebuchadnezzar set up a system of governors over the land, making Gedaliah the first governor. His father had helped Jeremiah (Jer. 26:24; 39:14), and his family was devoted to the prophet (see Jer. 39–40). Gedaliah did establish a reasonable amount of safety, peace, and security for those left behind, but the jealousy of Ishmael (probably a distant relative of the king) led to a plot and the murder of the governor (Jer. 40–41). When the plot was revealed, many of the Jews fled to Egypt for safety.

B. Second Chronicles 36:20–21 informs us that the seventy years of captivity (Jeremiah 29:10) were calculated from the “sabbatical years” of Lev. 25. Every seventh year, the Jews were supposed to let the land rest, but they had not obeyed this law for centuries. See Jer. 38:8–22. Note also that God promised to punish them for their sins “seven times over” (Lev. 26:18, 21, 28), so the number seven plays an important role in the captivity. The twenty kings of Judah (during the divided kingdom) reigned altogether approximately 390 years; and the total years of David, Solomon, and Saul is 120, making a grand total of 510 years for the monarchy. However, in some instances a father and son reigned together so that years overlapped. This means that we have less than 500 years for the kingdom of Judah from Saul to Zedekiah, and 500 divided by seven (for the sabbatical years) gives us approximately 70 years. Just as Israel chose 40 years of wandering in the wilderness by spying out the land forty days, so her neglect of the of the sabbatical years for nearly five centuries brought her 70 years of captivity.

C. Everything that God had given the Jews was taken from them. They had no king on David’s throne, nor do they have one today. They had no temple, for it had been burned and its sacred vessels confiscated. Today they have no temple. Their holy city was destroyed, and ever since that time has been the focal point for war and unrest in the Mideast. Their land was taken from them, and they were scattered among the nations. Of course, this awful siege was but a forerunner of the terrible destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. “Be sure your sins will find you out.”

 By Charles Stanley

Sometimes God changes your dreams—because His plan is better. Trust Him!

1 Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. 4 Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (Psalms 37:1-8).

First, The Lord promises to give us the desires of our heart. But many people take this scripture out of context, forgetting that their own mindset plays a vital part in bringing it to fruition. What is your responsibility when it comes to claiming promises from God?

Second, The Bible says delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4). Christians are called to rejoice in God and desire to walk in obedience. The Lord should have first place in our life.

Third, God’s command is, “Commit your way to the Lord” (Psalm 37:5). Allow God to change any aspect of your ambition that is not His will.

-- Adapted from a Devotional by Charles Stanley, October 22, 2025.

CONCLUSION: What have we learned from our study of 2 Kings 24 and 25?

First, We learned about a series of weak and ungodly rulers led Judah into ruin as the sins of Manasseh came up for judgment.

The consequences of decisions may not appear immediately, but they eventually come. Leaders may forget their decisions, but their decisions will not forget them. “Be sure your sin will find you out” is the sure word of God (Num. 32:23).

Second, We learned that the nation had been rotting away at the center for years and was no match for the mighty Babylonian army.

The king was captured, the city and temple were destroyed, and the people were taken into captivity. During the period of the judges, God had chastened them in the land; now He would chasten them outside their land. If they wanted to live like the idolaters, let them live with the idolaters.

INSIGHT: As they were led off into captivity, do you think any of the people remembered Solomon’s prayer to God (1 Kings 8:46–53) or God’s message to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1–9)? 

1. The governor urged the Jews to submit to God’s chastening in Babylon and be good citizens (1 Kings 25:24). 

2. The prophet Jeremiah wrote them a letter saying the same thing (Jeremiah 29). 

3. When God chastens us, we only make matters worse when we resent it and resist it. 

4. We should yield to our Father’s loving will and let Him work out His purposes (Hebrews 12:1–11).

THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “There is a high cost for low living” – By a missionary in a college chapel service while I was in college.