Recently translated Babylonian tablet (595 BC) naming Sar-sekim as "chief eunuch" of King Nebuchezzar

“…Recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes” (Dan 4:32).

Jerusalem was captured by King Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army in 586 BC (Jer 39:1-2). The unpopular prophetic warnings of Jeremiah, mocked by the Judean Jews, had come true. His ministry was vindicated by God’s control of history for His redemptive purposes (Jer 1:10).  

“Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came in and sat down at the Middle Gate: Nergal-sar-ezer, Samgar-nebu, Sar-sekim the Rab-saris, Nergal-sar-ezer the Rab-mag, and all the rest of the officials of the king of Babylon” (Jer 39:3). “Nergal-sar-ezer” means “king Neriglissar” who was the son-in-law of King Nebuchadnezzar, who later reigned over Babylon’s world empire in 560-556 BC.

It is quite interesting that the Babylonian official, “Sar-sekim,” has been recently discovered in an extra-Biblical text that was translated in 2007 from Babylonian tablets in the British Museum. This character’s historicity is validated in this 595 BC tablet naming him as the “chief eunuch” of King Nebuchadnezzar.

The scholar who translated this said, “These officials are mentioned very rarely in these sources…[It] is quite extraordinary.” The Bible is the historically accurate record of God’s intervention in time and space to accomplish His plan of salvation.

Remember that the Babylonians, as world rulers, captured and entered Jerusalem only because God allowed it! God said of the Babylonians, “I will gather them into the center of this city” (Jer 21:4). God gave the city “over to the hand of the Chaldeans” (Jer 22:25, cf. 32:28). God decreed the Jews would serve the king of Babylon seventy years (Jer 25:11), so a purified remnant would emerge to bring the Messiah into the world.

God still oversees history! With massive political changes, economic problems, and world turmoil, we can trust that God is in full control of the universe. Governments rise and fall, but God still has His all-knowing, all-wise, all-powerful Hand in it all. “Recognize that it is heaven that rules” (Dan 4:26).

“For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him” (1 Cor 8:5-6).

How many “Gods” do you believe in? Muslims and Jews renounce Christians as “tri-theists.” Yet we believe the Bible progressively reveals that the infinite, eternal God who created and rules over all is a triune God.

“Trinity” is an English term meaning “three in one.” It’s used to describe the Bible concept of the triune God or “Godhead” (Gr. theiotes, Deity; cf. Rom 1:20, Col 2:9).

The “Godhead” is a composite unity revealed in the Bible. It may be scripturally defined as one God subsisting in 3 co-equal, co-eternal persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). The Biblical revelation emphasizes both the unity and diversity in the Godhead.

The nature of the infinite God is hard for limited humans to understand, yet this is the Bible’s revelation of God’s eternal nature. Matthew 28:18-20 reveals that the one “Name” or divine family of God consists of three (a trinity): “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” There is one divine nature (substance, family) but 3 distinct Divine Persons with 3 distinct roles (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) (1 Cor 8:5-6, 2 Cor 13:14).

It’s like there is “one human race” but many individuals that share the traits of being human. A husband and wife are two, yet God sees them also as “one flesh” (Matt 19:4-6). This is a composite unity.

Someone said understanding the concept of the “trinity” is like the one element of “water” that exists in three different states: ice, liquid and gas. It’s the same substance but it subsists in a different expression of it. When the Bible talks about “one” God (Deut. 6:4), it is stressing His unrivaled uniqueness as Deity over all so-called gods or idols. When the Bible talks about God existing in three persons, the Father as God (Eph. 4:6), Jesus as God (Jn. 1:1, 20:28) and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4), it is stressing the distinct personalities within the one Godhead.

The practical lesson for us is the three members of the one Godhead family loved one another from eternity (1 Jn 4:7-8), and this love can be ours in uniting our spirit with theirs in spiritual unity (Jn 17:20-24, 16:13-15). Are we “partakers of the divine nature” in love and spiritual unity (2 Pet 1:4)?

“Thus says the LORD: `Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jer 6:16).

Whenever I start to feel sorry for myself that I have a hard time in preaching, I just remember the preaching of the priest Jeremiah. Did he ever have a hard work!! His stubborn audience would “fight against” him (Jer 1:19). They “had no delight in the Word of God” (Jer 6:10).

Yet, Jeremiah soldiered on heroically, despite death threats, beatings, cursing, mockery, and even depression. Circumstances were so hard that he was told he couldn’t marry or have children (Jer 16:2).

However, God promised to strengthen him and be with (Jer 1:18-19). Because the Jews refused to repent, most of the people of Jerusalem were tragically killed by the Babylonians in 586 BC, as he decried in Lamentations.

During Jeremiah’s ministry, he sometimes felt joy in God, and at other times he felt dejection and doubt, that maybe God had let him down like a “deceptive stream” (Jer 15:16-18, 17:15). So, what good did the work of the weeping prophet do?

A Descendant of Jeremiah

Fast forward 130 years to 458 BC. “Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah….” (Ezra 7:1). Ezra is the new High Priest that led renewal in the restored nation. In fact, he faced and corrected the grave threat of unscriptural marriages of Jews with pagans that was threatening to corrupt the restoration effort (Ezra 9-10). Fourteen years later, Ezra again urged the people to restore obedience to the Law, after Nehemiah led rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem (Neh 8:5).

Did you know that Jeremiah was Ezra’s great, great granduncle (seemingly after comparing all genealogical data)? Ezra was the great, great, great grandson of the High Priest Hilkiah, who was also Jeremiah’s father (Jer 1:1)!

Most rejected Jeremiah’s message but not all. His work was not in vain, for God promised a “remnant” would be gathered out of captivity to begin again (Jer 23:3). One of the priests at the renewal of the covenant, after Ezra read the Law, was a namesake of his called “Jeremiah” (Neh 10:2).

Not only did Jeremiah’s work live on through Ezra, but the far off promise of a “new covenant” was fulfilled, on time, in the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom-church (Jer 31:31, Heb 8:8). Jeremiah’s prophecy, made amid the deep pit of widespread apostasy, is one the key texts in all of the Old Testament about the salvation we enjoy today in Christ.

When the going is tough in the short-term, remember God’s Word “will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire” (Isa 55:11). We might be short-term pessimists in bad circumstances, but the eyes of faith in the Lord’s greater purposes can help us be long-term optimists.

Thank God for the great work of men like Jeremiah, whose example of dedication to God’s work, despite a discouraging response, can still encourage us today.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal 6:9).

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted…” (Eph 4:32).

My daughter Michaela has a t-shirt that says, “Kindness can change the world.” In this mean, troubled world, we need some more kindness, especially Biblical kindness.

Recently, a judge in New Zealand forced the parents of a 9 year old girl to change her highly unusual name. What awful name did the unkind parents give their daughter? “Tulula does the Hula from Hawaii.” What?! The girl was so embarrassed by her name that she had never volunteered her legal name to anyone, instead she said her name was “K.”

Wait, there’s more! The judge noted the thoughtless trend of some New Zealand parents by giving their kids embarrassing names, such as: Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Violence, Number 16 Bus Shelter, etc. How thoughtlessly cruel!

In contrast, I remember going to the funeral of a good Christian woman, whose daughter said her mother taught her that we can always choose to be kind in dealing with others. This is God’s way. “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience…” (Col 3:12 HCSB).

“Kindness” (Gr. chrestos) has the root meaning of “fit, useful” (Thayer). Hence, it means doing to another what is “fitting.” This is practical consideration of what is good, benevolent and pleasant for another. It is love in concrete action, which is suitable for the occasion, because “love is kind” (1 Cor 13:4). Kindness is being thoughtful, polite, gentle and helpful. Kindness is the benevolence God showed us, while we are so unworthy, in the giving of his Son Jesus to save us from sin (Titus 3:4, Rom 11:22).  “The kindness of God leads you to repentance” (Rom 2:4). God’s kindness is a powerful benevolent force to touch hearts and influence lives. The world should note that our character has been transformed by divine kindness.

Kindness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, when God is working in our lives to make us more like Jesus in treating others well (Gal 5:22). Let’s examine our lives. Are we sometimes too harsh, too quick to snap back, too thoughtless, or short with others? Many of us have good intentions but are unaware of how we come across in dealing with others. Remember, there’s another person with feelings, just like me, on the receiving end my interaction.

Kindness can lift loads and encourage hearts. Kindness shows that Jesus is real to us, and we want the sweetness of His love to help others. Our Christ-like kindness can help lead some seeking soul to Him. So, how much kindness will I show today?