Preaching and Reading the Old Testament Lessons:
The prominent people, the "best" people of Judah, were carried into Babylonian exile in the first deportation of 597 B.C., but they really didn't think their captivity would last too long. After all, they had the davidic king, Jehoiachin, with them, and God had promised that there would never be lacking a davidic king to sit upon the throne (2 Samuel 7). Their prophets had always prophesied "peace, peace" to them (Jeremiah 6:14; 8:11), which meant God held them in favor.