#583 Ur Go Nomads

The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father's place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent[a] of gold.4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.

5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon.7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

9 Jehoiachin was eighteen[b] years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.

11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.

15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Jerusalem Captured and Burned

17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.

The Proclamation of Cyrus

22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lordby the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lordhis God be with him. Let him go up.’” 2 Chronicles 36 ESV

These people did not in themselves carry the same tender heart of Josiah, but while they lamented him, they did not mourn their sins. They selected one of his sons to reign, he was the people's choice. It is the poorest choice that does not consult the wisdom of God. Men choose what they are comfortable with, that affords their ideal, their luxury, but who can stand before God? I should like to know the thoughts of the Creator of the universe. What should I look for in a leader? What are the issues of concern? Have I learned anything in the discovery of the history of the kings thus far, so much as I have read in God' word till now? He was king for 3 months and then put down by Neco, and now the Pharaoh from the land God redeemed you from, will replace your choice, set up his own tax collector, name him and charge you. Those who don't bow to the Sovereign Creator, will always take the knee to an infinitely lesser image, institutions, tyrants and vanity.  

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1: 28-32

Judah will not be called out of Egypt like God's Son, and so after yet another evil reign, it will be a king from the land of Abraham, that will take them back to the beginning. Babylon, in the land of the Chaldees, we will find ourselves in captivity. These kings do not repent, though God sends Jeremiah and others to warn them, and see how He calls to us, not willing that any should suffer, but sending the message by which all may be saved. They puff out their chest and mock the prophets, this people and theses kings know more than God. Dust will think much of itself, that it is flying, when really it is only being blown about by the wind. Swear to me by God, Zedekiah, but Nebuchadnezzar could probably swear better by the Hebrew God in the dark then this rebel who had been afforded so much light. He and the priest defiled the temple, and walked in the ways of the pagan, lost nations. They cut out their own eyes and stuffed their own ears, and now like Samson they would tread out the grain, fill the cups of the Babylonians, and pay for all the Sabbaths they had stolen from God, the glory they had heaped upon themselves. What a sad, sad ending, if only God could have known this and provided a better King. Lord, I praise You for the gift of Your Son, for we can produce no great king or politician of ourselves, that may ever do Your will, that could ever satisfy Your Holy and Just nature.

Sister Passage 2 Kings 25