Jeremiah 52:12-16: a reflection

12Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, who stood before the king of Babylon, came into Jerusalem. 13He burned the LORD’s house, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire. 14All the army of the Chaldeans, who were with the captain of the guard, broke down all the walls of Jerusalem all around. 15Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive of the poorest of the people, and the rest of the people who were left in the city, and those who fell away, who defected to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. 16But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers.

In the account of Jerusalem's fall, when the temple and the city are burned and the people carried away into exile, a small detail stands out amid the devastation. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers. When the great and the important were carried off into captivity, the poorest were left behind, given the land to tend, kept in the place the mighty had lost. Even in the great destruction, the lowly were not swept away; they were left, and given a place, to keep the vineyards and till the ground. The least were preserved and given a place even as the great were taken.

Notice who was left and given a place: the poorest of the land. When judgment fell and the great were carried into exile, it was the lowly, the poor, the least regarded, who were left behind and given the land to tend. The mighty lost their place; the lowly were kept in it, given a task, a place, a portion of the land. Even amid the devastation, God's providence preserved the least, giving them a place when the great had been taken away. The poorest, whom the world overlooked, were the ones left and given the land. In the reversal of judgment, the lowly were preserved and given a place, while the great were carried off. The least were not forgotten in the destruction.

That is worth taking to heart, for God preserves the lowly and gives them a place, even amid great upheaval and judgment. We can feel that the lowly, the poor, the least regarded are swept aside and forgotten, especially in times of upheaval; but even in Jerusalem's fall, the poorest were left behind and given the land to tend, preserved and given a place when the great were taken. God does not forget the lowly; his providence can preserve and give a place to the least even amid upheaval. When you feel lowly, overlooked, forgotten, especially in hard times, remember that God preserves the lowly and gives them a place, as the poorest were left and given the land when Jerusalem fell. Take comfort that God preserves the lowly and gives them a place even amid great upheaval and judgment, as the poorest of the land were left behind and given the vineyards to keep when the great were carried into exile; for God does not forget the least, and his providence can preserve and give a place to the lowly even when the great are swept away.

Lord, in the account of Jerusalem's fall, when the temple and the city are burned and the people carried away into exile, a small detail stands out amid the devastation. Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left of the poorest of the land to be vineyard keepers and farmers. When the great and the important were carried off into captivity, the poorest were left behind, given the land to tend, kept in the place the mighty had lost. Even in the great destruction, the lowly were not swept away; they were left, and given a place. Show me who was left and given a place: the poorest of the land. When judgment fell and the great were carried into exile, it was the lowly, the poor, the least regarded, who were left behind and given the land to tend. The mighty lost their place; the lowly were kept in it, given a task, a place. Even amid the devastation, your providence preserved the least. The poorest, whom the world overlooked, were the ones left and given the land. The least were not forgotten in the destruction. Take that to my heart, for you preserve the lowly and give them a place, even amid great upheaval and judgment. I can feel that the lowly, the poor, the least regarded are swept aside and forgotten, especially in times of upheaval; but even in Jerusalem's fall, the poorest were left behind and given a place. You do not forget the lowly. When I feel lowly, overlooked, forgotten, especially in hard times, help me remember that you preserve the lowly and give them a place, Lord, as the poorest were left and given the land when Jerusalem fell; and help me take comfort that your providence can preserve and give a place to the least even when the great are swept away.