Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. – Jeremiah 39:4

Today's Scripture Reading (June 7, 2020): Jeremiah 39

On August 24, 1814, during the latter portion of the War of 1812, and following the British defeat of the American military at the Battle of Bladensburg, a part of the British contingent broke off and went on to burn down some of the government buildings in Washington City, including an attack on the Presidential Residence, or what is now called "The White House." President James Madison and his family fled safely south into Virginia during the attack and stayed there during the remainder of the war.

But the attack on Washington had both strategic and symbolic implications. The destruction of the 36-gun frigate USS New York and the Americans being forced to burn the 44-gun frigate USS Columbia and the 22-gun sloop USS Argus, to avoid their capture, was a strategic loss for the American forces. But the burning of the government buildings in Washington, most notably the burning of the Presidential Residence, was intended to be a symbolic move. The attackers had breached the political heart of the United States, and the American defense forces had been unable to stop them. The only thing that might have been better was for the invading British and Canadian troops to have marched into the Presidential Residence and sat down around the desk of James of Madison to conduct an impromptu meeting. But, instead, they settled for damaging the Presidential Residence by burning it.

Jeremiah reports that the officials of the King of Babylon entered the city and sat down at the Middle Gate. It is hard to decipher between the names and the titles of these men that Jeremiah mentions. Still, the idea of sitting down at the Middle Gate was an ancient practice that would have had a similar impact on that culture as the British and Canadian forces would have produced if they had held a meeting around James Madison's desk, instead of just burning the Presidential Residence down. It implied a total take over of the political reality of Jerusalem.

Of course, after the meeting, the Babylonians continued their dominance and burned the city down.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 40