Introduction
The ascension of young Josiah to the throne in 640 BC marked a turning point in the hopes of those who worshipped Yahweh. As soon as he became old enough to hold his own, he began a series of religious reforms to undo the destructive religious policies of his father and grandfather. But those hopes were soon dashed. The international political scene was changing swiftly. Within less than two decades Assyrian was replaced by Babylon as the sole superpower in the region. In the flux of complex transition he was killed before he made forty.
His death marked the beginning of the end of the kingdom of Judah. Steered by his sons and a brother who seemed incapable of good sense, the nation descended into political anarchy and rebellion against the new suzerain, and in just over another two decades, Judah was no more, the cream of her people taken into exile.
Though this dramatic and difficult period, God appointed Jeremiah His spokeman. Timid in the presence of God, bold in the presence of men, Jeremiah exercised an impossible ministry trying to turn the nation from their downward spiraling path into destruction as the wrath of God drew nearer upon the nation. But he prevailed to the end even if the nation he so loved did not. In this period too we see the beginning of Ezekiel's and Daniel's ministry among the exiles; they were appointed to nurse and nurture hope in God, once His wrath is vented, for his people who have been thrown into absolute kelter by their exile and dispossession. These were indeed among the most dramatic, if not encouragious, days in the history of Judah.
©ALBERITH, 2019. Prepared by Low Chai Hok
