by Perry Hall<\/p>\n
If you read the ending of Jeremiah, it doesn’t fit. The actual ending should be Jeremiah 52:30, which fittingly records how many Jews were taken into captivity. That verse completes a beginning where Jeremiah is called to prophesy the coming doom and closes a section describing Nebuchadezzar’s conquering, destruction, exportation, and vicarious punishment of the Southern Kingdom. Jeremiah 52:30 fits. Jeremiah 53:31-34 is out of place.<\/p>\n
In this odd closing. Jehoichin, one of the kings whose wickedness caused God’s people to be exiled, is once again mentioned. But his wicked deeds are not the topic. Instead, the king of Babylon pardons him.<\/p>\n
This pardon changes Jehoiachin’s status and relationship. He is spoken kindly to, seated upon a throne, given new clothes, regularly dines in the presence of Babylon’s king, and given an allowance – all this until he dies.<\/p>\n
This doesn’t fit. Jehoiachin is responsible for Judah’s captivity.<\/p>\n
However, it does fit when we remember that Jeremiah is not just a book, nor the only book in the Bible. It is part of a bigger collection of books and a greater story. Jehoiachin foreshadows the Jews’ coming home. But it gets grander. Jehoiachin foreshadows the new covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31.<\/p>\n
This odd ending, which doesn’t seem to fit, fits perfectly when we understand that the ending God wants for His people is not punishment. Our ending allows for new clothes (Galatians 3:28), which we put on to dine with the King of kings in the Lord’s supper (I Corinthians 11). That odd ending is odd except for one word. Jehoiachin oddly, undeservedly, and unexpectedly represents grace<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Perry Hall If you read the ending of Jeremiah, it doesn’t fit. The actual ending should be Jeremiah 52:30, which fittingly records how many Jews were taken into captivity. That verse completes a beginning where Jeremiah is called to prophesy the coming doom and closes a section describing Nebuchadezzar’s conquering, destruction, exportation, and vicarious…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1571,48,1015],"class_list":["post-68592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-forgiveness","tag-grace","tag-jeremiah"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12234,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-fall-of-zedekiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":0},"title":"The Fall of Zedekiah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Jeremiah 52:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The fall of Jerusalem and the end of the kingdom of Judah was a sad time period. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Josiah was the last good king of Israel, but the kings that ruled after him did evil in the sight of God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0King Jehoiachin began\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55078,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/babylon-clay-tablet-confirms-jeremiah\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":1},"title":"Babylon Clay Tablet Confirms Jeremiah","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 9, 2004","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ben M. Shropshire via Lifeline, 7\/15\/00 The recent discovery of a cuneiform clay tablet by an Austrian scholar at the site of ancient Babylon confirms the historical accuracy of the book of Jeremiah. The recently deciphered tablet, which dates from 595 BC, refers to an official in the court\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2004\/10\/Babylon-Clay-Tablet.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89397,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-man-who-would-not-listen\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":2},"title":"The Man Who Would Not Listen","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson In spite of ... King Zedekiah had at least two positive influences in his life that should have prompted him to make wiser choices. His father, Josiah, was one of the most godly kings Judah ever had. And Jeremiah, God's prophet, tried repeatedly to persuade Zedekiah to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94776,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-man-who-would-not-listen-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":3},"title":"The Man Who Would Not Listen","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson In Spite of ... King Zedekiah had at least two positive influences in his life that should have prompted him to make wiser choices. His father Josiah was one of the most godly kings Judah ever had. And Jeremiah, God's prophet, tried repeatedly to persuade Zedekiah to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Not-Listening-300x201.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":83773,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/propaganda-wars-when-people-cant-or-wont-hear-truth\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":4},"title":"Propaganda Wars – When People Can\u2019t or Won\u2019t Hear Truth","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 29, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton We have the book of Jeremiah only because truth wins in the end. But think of the propaganda that seemed to prevail when Jeremiah was trying to preach to the corrupt establishment. God had an important mission for Jeremiah, \"to root out and to pull down,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":91525,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-other-ethiopian-eunuch\/","url_meta":{"origin":68592,"position":5},"title":"The Other Ethiopian Eunuch","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 23, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Gibson Most Bible students know the conversion story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-39. But how many know the story of an Ethiopian eunuch named Ebed-melech? His heroic actions are recorded in Jeremiah 38:1-13; 39:15-18. 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