Pharaoh's army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. – Jeremiah 37:5

Today's Scripture Reading (July 19, 2023): Jeremiah 37

Pharaoh Apries rose to power in Egypt in 589 B.C.E.  after his father's death. Immediately upon his ascension to power, Apries began to scheme how Egypt could step onto the world stage. Soon after gaining power, he looked north to Judah and Jerusalem and sent his armies north to help defend Jerusalem from the approaching Babylonians. However, before we try to honor Apries with a belated Humanitarian of the Year award, his motive was less about helping Jerusalem and more about gaining a foothold in the Levant.

So, Apries marched his army out of Egypt and toward Jerusalem. But the problem was that he seemed to have arrived a little late. By the time the Egyptian Army arrived, the Babylonians had already encircled the Judean Capital. The result would have been that instead of supporting the Judean army in protecting Jerusalem, the Egyptians would have to face the Babylonians alone before they could free the Judean army from the confines of the city.

For a moment, the Babylonian army changed their plans. The Egyptians were more of a threat than Israel, so the Babylonians began to chase the Egyptians out of the Judean territory. As a result, the Egyptian army turned and headed back home, with the Babylonians hot on their heels.

Zedekiah likely believed that God had saved the city once again. The Babylonians had arrived, but then they had been diverted, just as had happened a century and a half early when the Assyrians had tried to take the city. The Assyrians had never returned, and Zedekiah likely believed that the Babylonians would never return either.

But the Babylonians did return, and they laid siege to the city until it fell in 586 B.C.E. Apries did gain a foothold in the Levant by taking Sidon and terrifying other cities on the coast of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Still, they never were able to gain any territory more inland. And even their time on the coast was short-lived. They were no match for Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon. And soon, the Babylonians would rule over the entire area, and Apries and the Egyptians would be driven back into Africa.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 38