Everybody, what is going on? You know what time it is. You're listening to join the Journey podcast with your host, Emma, daughter.

Thanks for joining. Today, we're reading Jeremiah 50 through 52, answering the question.

After the fall of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon, why does Jeholyakins release from prison matter?

Now, imagine you've been following a

tragic news story for months. Maybe someone's unjustly imprisoned in a foreign country. Headlines have

been bleak, appeals denied, conditions in the prison are brutal, there's no diplomatic progress.

And everyone assumes that that person will die behind bars. Then one morning,

the headlines change. Prisoner freed. It's not the end of the global conflict they're caught in,

and it doesn't undo the loss they've already suffered, but it is a spark of hope, a sign that maybe the story isn't over after all.

And that's what we get in the final verses of Jeremiah. After chapter, after chapter of

judgment and destruction, suddenly, almost abruptly, we see King Jehoiakin of Judah released

from prison in Babylon.

It's a small scene compared to the fall of Jerusalem, but it's loaded with significance.

The end of Jeremiah is heavy.

God's people are scattered, their city is in ruins,

and it feels like the promises of God have failed.

And if we're honest, while we may not know what it feels

like to have our city destroyed or to be kicked out of our homes, we certainly all know what it's

like to feel as though God has failed us, to doubt God's promises. We all have moments when it seems like God's plan has been derailed,

when our sin, our circumstances, or our suffering seem final. And that's why we need this passage.

Even though Jeremiah is a book most Christians don't read often, it's still the living and active

word of God. We need to be reminded of the truths of Jeremiah

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