2 Chronicles 36: 1 – 23
I meant to say
36 Then 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 became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. 9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 10 At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem. 11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD. 13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem. 15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought 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, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by 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, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him and let him go up!
I just recently watched The Alamo staring John Wayne as Davy Crocket. In the movie after Davy arrives in the village of San Antonio with his fellow Tennesseans he comes across a beautiful Spanish lady who was being abused by some arrogant land grabber. It is very amusing how he comes to her aid.
After developing a friendship Davy asks this lovely lady to write a letter addressed to him and his fellow Tennessee friends. He wants the made-up letter (false) to be from Generalissimo Santa Anna. In the false letter Davy dictates insults against he and the men from Tennessee.
Davy next reads the letter he dictated to his Tennessee brothers and as expected it gets them all fired up. Davy then reveals that Santa Anna didn’t write the letter, but he did and states that what is in the letter is what Santa Anna is thinking. The Tennessee men even after hearing the truth are still fired up against the General and the Mexican army so they decide they want to join the other volunteer fighters at the Alamo.
So, for today I am doing the same thing as Davy. I am going to compose a letter that might have been composed by the last king of Judah by the name of Zedekiah. Remember he didn’t write or dictate this letter, but like Davy I have put together some thoughts from what I have read about him and the 3 rulers who preceded him. I think this was their attitudes.
To: People of Judah,
‘I can honestly say I am a nice and genuine person. I’m a people pleaser, which is one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I didn’t realize my importance and self-worth until one day; I woke up and said to myself, “Some people just aren’t worth it anymore.” I’m sick and tired of getting up every day living my life for other people.
I helped people who didn’t deserve my help. I tolerated people who didn’t deserve my patience. I listened to people who didn’t deserve my attention. I shared what I had to people who didn’t deserve to receive anything from me. I put up with all this annoyance just to keep my so-called-friends in my life a bit longer. I’ve always thought to myself, “Be the bigger person.” I’d always say it’s okay if they’re not nice to you, as long as you’re nice to them because that’s who you really are.
I have been used, neglected, and left behind many times before. I know some of my advisors and you are blinded by personal problems and issues which I didn’t see. People do not like me and just come to me when they need something from me. I knew all this yet I still played along to the silly games. I did it because at the time, I thought I needed them and you more than everyone needed me. I felt dependent on other people. I felt like they were responsible for my happiness. So, I was afraid of losing the people who I thought mattered. I was afraid to let go of the people who I thought I couldn’t live without.
I became an illusion. I became what everyone wanted to see from me. I tried to live up to every expectation that all the people of Judah had for me. I tried to be perfect. I tried so hard to be someone they needed but every time I tried, I ended up feeling less about myself. It was wrong. Everything was wrong.
Suddenly I realized I really wasn’t happy. I asked myself, “Why am I the only one trying?” and “Why I am the only one who has to adjust to others?” and “Why can’t they do the same for me?” I realized if I expected everyone to have the same heart as mine, I would end up disappointed. I realized why I did all those things in the first-place despite of me being miserable. I wanted to belong. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to be wanted and needed. I wanted everyone to like me. I lived for other people. I let them do whatever they wanted. Whoever they wanted to worship was okay with me.
Now it’s about time I thought about myself. I can live my life without other people trying to drag me down. I can make my own decisions despite what other people think. I learned that it’s okay not to be okay. It’s about time I stood up for myself. I don’t have to depend on other people to decide on my happiness. I am capable of being happy just by being content with myself. I have the strength and courage to finally get what I want. I don’t mean to say that from now on, I’m a selfish person. What I’m saying is, you also must think of yourself.
We all have a right to choose what’s best for us. For years I’ve been bottling up every bit of emotion I had in me. But the bottle’s got to pop someday. And finally, it did. It’s time I let go of all the negativity in my life. It’s time I let go of the people who bring me pain and sadness. It’s time I trust myself with my own happiness instead of depending it on others. It’s time I finally speak out. So goodbye to everyone who ever made me feel the way I did before. You’re not worth it.
Sometimes you’ve just got to know the people worth fighting for, living for, and dying for. I choose the people in my life. I’m free to choose what I want to do. It’s time I let go of the days I felt afraid, worthless, and unimportant. It’s time I finally live for myself because I know my life is worth living.
So, I have enough wealth stashed aside to go and live a good life without any of you. I am outta here tonight.’ So, call me anything you might want to, but most important is that from now on you can call me long distance.
Jedekiah
King of Judah
If you ever followed to the events that happened after the Alamo, Sam Huston, general of the Texans kept running away from Santa Anna. By doing so, the Mexican army was split up and away from supplies. Then when the time was right the Texans finally stood up and fought and soundly defeated the Mexican army. Santa Anna tried to disguise himself but was found out. To save his life, he gave up Texas.
In a similar way Jedekiah attempted to flee the Babylonian army and in disguise snuck out at night but was caught. His end as we will learn did not turn out as well as Santa Anna’s.
When the good King Josiah fell in battle, the people of the land made his son, Jehoahaz, king. At that time all the kingdoms around Judah were in confusion. The great empire of Assyria ruled nearly all that part of the world; but now it was broken up. Nineveh, its chief city, had been destroyed and Egypt, Babylonia, and other lands were at war, each striving to take the place of Assyria as ruler of the nations.
For a time, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, whose warriors had slain King Josiah, became master of the lands between Egypt and the Euphrates River. He did not trust the young King Jehoahaz, so he took his crown from him and carried him away to Egypt as a captive. As a result, Jehoahaz, the seventeenth king, reigned for only three months. The prophet Jeremiah, who arose during Josiah’s reign, said of the young king who so soon was taken away as a prisoner:
“Weep not for the dead King Josiah nor sorrow over him, but weep for him who goes away, the King Jehoahaz, for he shall return no more nor, shall he again see his own land. In the place where they have led him captive, there he shall die, and he shall look upon this land no more.”
The man whom Pharaoh Neco set up as king over Judah in place of Jehoahaz was his brother Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah. But he was not like his father. He lived most wickedly and led his people back to the idols which Josiah had tried to destroy. Jeremiah, the prophet, spoke the Words of the Lord to him and warned that the evil way he was going would surely end in ruin to both the king and the people. This made King Jehoiakim very angry. He tried to kill the prophet. But, to save his life, Jeremiah was hidden by his friends.
Jeremiah could no longer go out among the people nor stand in the Temple to speak the Word of the Lord. So, he wrote God’s message on a roll, and gave it to his friend Baruch to read before the people. While Baruch was reading it, some officers of the king came and took the roll away and brought it to the king. King Jehoiakim was sitting in his palace, with the princes around him, and a fire was burning before him, for it was the winter time. The officer began to read the roll before the king and the princes, but when he had read a few pages, the king took up a knife and began cutting the leaves and throwing them into the fire. Even the princes were shocked at this, for they knew that the writing on the roll was God’s Word to the king and the people. They begged the king not to destroy the roll, but he would not listen. He went on cutting up the roll and throwing it in the fire, until it was all burned. The king wanted to kill Jeremiah the prophet, and Baruch, who read his words; and he would have if he had found them. But they hid, and he could not find them – the Lord kept them safe.
Jehoiakim reigned a few years as the vassal of the king of Egypt. But soon the Egyptians lost all the lands that they had gained outside of their own country. The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, rose to power over the nations and took the empire that had been held by the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar was the son of the king of Babylon, and at first was the general of his army. He came against Judah and Jerusalem, but Jehoiakim did not dare fight with him. He promised to serve Nebuchadnezzar, and, on that condition, could remain king. However, no sooner had the Babylonian army gone away, then Jehoiakim broke his promise and rose up against Babylon and tried to make himself free.
But, King Jehoiakim failed. He lost his kingdom and his life. He was slain either by the Babylonians or by his own people. His dead body, like that of a beast, was thrown outside the gate of the city. Jehoiakim had reigned in wickedness eleven years and died in disgrace.
Jehoiakim’s young son, Jehoiachin, who was also called Coniah or Jeconiah, was then made king by the people. But he reigned only three months, because Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, was conquering all the lands. Nebuchadnezzar came with his army and took the city of Jerusalem. He carried the young king into Babylon as a captive, just as the king of Egypt had carried Jehoahaz to Egypt as a captive eleven years before. Along with King Jehoiachin, many of the nobles and rulers and the best people of the land were also taken away. It is interesting that the survivors taken were worshipers of the Lord. They carried a love for the Lord with them to the land of Babylonia, and they served Him there, because their trouble only drew them closer to God. After these captives had been taken away, the Lord showed a vision to Jeremiah in the Temple – a vision of what would come to pass. Jeremiah saw two baskets of figs. One basket was full of fresh, ripe figs, the best that could be found. The other basket was full of poor, decayed figs, not fit to be eaten. The Lord said, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
And Jeremiah said, “Figs; the good figs very good; and the bad figs very bad; figs so bad that they cannot be eaten.” Then the Lord said to Jeremiah,
The captives who have been taken away to the land of Babylon are like these good figs. I will care for them and keep them and will bring them back to this land. I will give them a heart to know Me; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And the bad figs are like those who are left in this land, the king who shall reign over them and his princes and his people. They shall suffer and die by the sword and by famine and by plague, until they are destroyed.
God showed Jeremiah in this way that the captives in Babylon were the hope of the nation. And afterward Jeremiah sent a letter to these captives, saying,
The Lord says to those who have been carried away captive, “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; and have sons and daughters, and let your children be married in that land when they grow up. And pray the Lord to give peace to the city and the land where you are living, for you and your children shall stay there seventy years; and after seventy years they shall came again to their own land in peace. For My thoughts, says the Lord, are thoughts of peace and kindness toward you. You shall call upon Me and I will hear you. You shall seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”
After Jehoiachin and the captives had been taken away, Nebuchadnezzar set up Zedekiah as king in Judah. Zedekiah was the uncle of Jehoiachin and was another son of Josiah. He was the twentieth and last king of the kingdom of Judah. He began by promising to be true and faithful to his overlord, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, who had made him king. But very soon he was led by the nobles who stood around his throne to break his promise and to throw off the rule of Babylon; also, he left the worship of the Lord, as did his people, and began to pray to the idols of wood and stone that could give him no help.
Jeremiah the prophet told King Zedekiah that he was doing wickedly by breaking his promises and turning from the Lord to idols. Jeremiah told Zedekiah that he would fail and bring his kingdom to ruin. The prophet said,
‘It is better to obey the king of Babylon than to fight against him, for God will not bless you and your people in breaking your word. The king of Babylon will come and destroy this city. You shall see him face to face, and he will take you away as a captive to his own land, and this city shall be destroyed.’
This made the princes and nobles very angry against Jeremiah. They said, “This man Jeremiah is an enemy of his land and a friend to the king of Babylon. He is a traitor and should be put to death.”
Zedekiah said to his nobles, “Jeremiah is in your hands; you can do with him what you choose. The king cannot help him against you.”
Then these men seized Jeremiah and took him to the prison and threw him into a dungeon, down below the floor and filled with mud and filth, into which the prophet sank; and there they left him to die. But in the court of the king there was one kind man, a man named Ebedmelech. He found Jeremiah in the dungeon. He let a rope down to him, drew him up, and took him to a safe and dry place, though still in the prison.
By this time Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and his army were again before the city of Jerusalem, laying siege to it. No one could go out or come in; no food was available for the people, so many of them starved to death. The soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar built forts and threw darts and stones, broke down the gates, and made big openings in the walls of the city.
When King Zedekiah saw that the city was falling before its enemies, he tried to escape through a secret hole at night. But the men of Babylon followed and took him prisoner, along with all his wives and sons. They were all brought before King Nebuchadnezzar, so that it came to pass as the prophet had said, Zedekiah saw the king of Babylon.
But he saw something else that was even more terrible; he saw all his sons slain. Then Zedekiah’s eyes were put out and as a blinded captive he was dragged away to Babylon. The Babylonian soldiers killed all the leaders of the people who had led Zedekiah to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar. The rest of the people, except the very poorest in the land, were taken away to the land of Babylon.
The king of Babylon was friendly to Jeremiah, the prophet, because of the advice Jeremiah had given to Zedekiah and his people. The ruler, whom Nebuchadnezzar set over the city, opened the door of Jeremiah’s prison and allowed him to choose between going to Babylon with the captives or staying with the poor people in the land. Jeremiah chose to stay. However, he was later taken to Egypt by enemies to the king of Babylon. And there in Egypt Jeremiah died. His life had been sad, because he had seen nothing but evil come upon his land; and his message from the Lord had been a message of woe and wrath. Because of his sorrow, Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet.”
After taking everything of value from the Temple, Nebuchadnezzar burned the buildings. He tore down the walls of Jerusalem and set the city on fire. So, all that was left of the city of David and the Temple of Solomon was a heap of ashes and blackened stones. So, the kingdom of Judah ended nearly four hundred years after Rehoboam became its first king.
Let us now look at each verse of this chapter.
36 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem.
The death of Josiah meant that another king had to be chosen and the people of the land again stepped in and made Jehoahaz, Josiah’s third son, king in his place. This was probably because they saw him as the most suitable of Josiah’s sons to be king in the face of the anticipated threat from Egypt, or possibly simply as anti-Egypt. They did not want to become subject to Egypt. The fact that they stepped in suggests that the Jerusalem hierarchy may have disagreed with them, possibly preferring Eliakim, Josiah’s second son, who was more malleable, and possibly favored Egypt. But all this is surmise based on what followed
His task was no enviable one. Even while he sought to establish his position Egypt had continued its march towards Carchemish where it established itself but was unsuccessful in aiding the defeated Assyrians to take back Haran. It nevertheless gained control of Syrian and Palestine. Thus, it would be Jehoahaz’ responsibility to deal with him.
2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
Joahaz is a shortened form of Jehoahaz, which was a throne name. His personal name was Shallum (1 Chronicles 3.15). He was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, but his reign was only to last for three months, long enough for Egypt to establish its position at Carchemish and Riblah. Yet 2 Kings tells us that even in that short time he introduced idolatry back into Judah.
3 Now the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
The king of Egypt then deposed him at Jerusalem and carried him off to Riblah, where he put him in bonds before sending him as a hostage to Egypt. At the same time, he exacted from Judah a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. This money was exacted from the people of the land. Their appointee had failed. The fine was not a large one compared with that exacted by the Assyrians on Hezekiah (2 Kings 18.14) and thus at this stage the Temple treasures did not have to be called on. That would come later.
4 Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him off to Egypt.
There is a deliberate contrast between the fact that the people of the land made Jehoahaz king, whilst it was the Pharaoh who made Eliakim king, changing his name to Jehoiakim, thus emphasising that Jehoiakim was the Pharaoh’s man. This put Jehoiakim under personal responsibility to Pharaoh. Meanwhile he had taken Jehoahaz to Egypt, no doubt as a hostage.
Jehoiakim’s eleven year reign is dealt with summarily. All that the Chronicler was interested in was the fact that he did evil in the sight of YHWH. In other words, he reintroduced rampant idolatry into Judah. We have here a reminder of how superficial Josiah’s reforms had been in Judah. Apart from Jeremiah and his associates there appears to have been no opposition to the change, apart from attempts by certain courtiers to protect Jeremiah. Judah gladly went back to idolatry.
Meanwhile things had been moving rapidly. Within a few short years in 605 BC the Egyptians were driven out of Carchemish by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar, retreating on Hamath where they were again defeated. But then Nebuchadnezzar had to return to Babylon on the death if his father. It was not for long. In around 604 BC he returned, subdued Ashkelon who had refused to submit, and fought his way down to the borders of Egypt, bringing about Jehoiakim’s submission on the way, and taking important hostages (including Daniel) to Babylon.
But an indecisive battle on the borders of Egypt in 601 BC (which both probably claimed as a victory) meant that Nebuchadnezzar had to withdraw and lick his wounds. Jehoiakim took the opportunity of rebelling against Babylon, no doubt expecting support from Egypt. But it was a huge mistake. Probably because of Nebuchadnezzar’s influence Judah was invaded from all sides (2 Kings 24.2), and in 598 BC Nebuchadnezzar himself appeared, picking off the towns of Judah one by one. It is possible that Jehoiakim went to meet him, to parley with him, but was immediately put in chains ready to be carried off to Babylon. It seems, however, that before this could happen he died under unusual circumstances, for according to Josephus his body was flung outside the city wall as prophesied by Jeremiah 22.18 (‘with the burial of an ass he will be buried, dragged and cast forth before the gates of Jerusalem’).
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
Jehoiakim was Jehoahaz’ elder brother (1 Chronicles 3.15-16: Johanan probably died young). He was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for eleven years from 609 BC to 598/7 BC. Initially he was Egypt’s vassal, but transferred his allegiance to Babylon on their successful invasion of Palestine. He followed his brother in encouraging idolatry.
6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon.
When he rebelled, possibly at the instigation of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar descended on Judah and ‘bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.’ The strange way in which this was worded suggests that he was in fact never taken there, and this would tie in with the fact that Jeremiah 22.18 suggests that his body was humiliated (‘with the burial of an ass he will be buried, dragged and cast forth before the gates of Jerusalem’). He may have gone to meet Nebuchadnezzar, and been put in chains, before dying in some way before he could be taken to Babylon. He may have committed suicide to escape disgrace, or he may have been assassinated. But it appears that his body was then dragged up to the walls of Jerusalem and left to putrefy there as a warning to Jehoiachin (Jeremiah 22.18). The Chronicler may have worded it in this way to fit in with his theme of exile for the last four kings of Judah.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon.
These may have been vessels which Jehoiakim had taken out with him to parley for Jerusalem’s safety, or may simply be referring to the vessels mentioned in verse 10. They may be mentioned here to underline the ‘carrying off to Babylon’ which had been destined to be Jehoiakim’s fate. There is an indication in this that the holy things of YHWH were slowly being taken to Babylon, where the people themselves were destined to go as YHWH had informed both Hezekiah (Isaiah 39.5) and Josiah (34.24, 28).
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
The brief description of his life closes with the usual reference to ‘other acts’ and sources. Especially underlined are his ‘abominations’ (his idolatrous activities) and ‘what was found in him’, including his self-gratifying building projects utilizing forced labor at a time when Judah was in poverty (Jeremiah 22.13-17) and his shedding of innocent blood (2 Kings 24.4). His activities had not escaped the eye of YHWH.
The death of his father, possibly with the siege of Jerusalem just commencing, put Jehoiachin in an impossible position. And yet even this did not turn his thoughts towards YHWH. Instead he continued in the idolatrous ways of his father. But Jerusalem was in no position to resist with Jehoiakim dead, and in the end all that Jehoiachin could do was surrender, having negotiated for three months and ten days.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
2 Kings 24.8 says that Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king. Thus, the eight years here may indicate that at the age of eight Jehoiachin was made co-regent by his father Jehoiakim in order to ensure that he succeeded to the throne if anything happened to Jehoiakim. The alternative is to see a copying error, but the main versions also have eight years old.
The shortness of his reign suggests that he was negotiating surrender with Nebuchadnezzar, something made possible by the death of his father. But even this short period gave him time to reveal his true colors. He continued in his father’s idolatry, rather than turning to YHWH.
10 At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
For ‘the return of the year’ was after the rainy season in the spring and was ‘the time when kings go forth to battle’. There is no suggestion here that Jerusalem was under siege. It appears there that the siege had begun but that Jehoiachin waited for the arrival of Nebuchadnezzar himself before surrendering.
Jehoiachin was then taken off to Babylon along with considerable spoils from the Temple. Although the Chronicler does not say so he was accompanied by many captives, including the queen mother. We have external evidence of the rations that his household received there from the Babylonians, and later he would be restored to an honorable position in Babylon. He was still seen as ‘King of Judah’. Nebuchadnezzar replaced him on the throne by his uncle Zedekiah (Mattaniah).
Zedekiah’s real name was Mattaniah. Zedekiah was the throne name give to him by Nebuchadnezzar who made him swear by God to be loyal. He was a son of Josiah, and uncle to Jechoniah. The task committed to him would have defeated far cleverer men than he. Jerusalem had been stripped of almost all its experienced leaders, who were now in Babylon, and most of those who remained were strongly pro-Egyptian and anti-Babylonian. They were men of small minds. His only hope would have been to throw in his lot with Jeremiah and commit himself to YHWH. But he vacillated with Jeremiah and threw in his lot with idolatry. There could be only one consequence. The destruction of Jerusalem and exile, having first been blinded by Nebuchadnezzar.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. His reign lasted for eleven tumultuous years.
12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the LORD.
Like Jehoiakim he did what was evil ‘in the eyes of YHWH his God’. Ruling as a son of David he should have acknowledged YHWH as his God, but he did not. Instead he followed idols. And it was not in his case that he was not given a choice. The mouth of YHWH had spoken to him through Jeremiah, but he had refused to humble himself and repent. God’s offer had fallen on deaf ears. There is a reminder in this that if he had repented and sought YHWH the tragedy that befell him would not have occurred.
13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the LORD God of Israel.
As a consequence of his rebelling against YHWH he also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar in direct disobedience to Jeremiah’s (and YHWH’s) words. And this was made worse by the fact that he had sworn allegiance to him in God’s Name. (It was Nebuchadnezzar’s custom to make kings swear loyalty in the names of their gods). But all this occurred because he ‘stiffened his neck’ and ‘hardened his heart’ which prevented him from turning to the God of Israel. The stiff neck of unyieldedness, and the hard heart of obstinacy are regularly the factors that stop men from obeying God. God seeks those who are of a humble and contrite heart, and of a contrite spirit.
14 Moreover all the leaders of the priests and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in Jerusalem.
He was not alone in his obstinacy and unwieldiness. All the chief priests and the vast majority of the people followed in his footsteps and trespassed grievously against God y following the many gods of the nations, and even introduced them into the House of YHWH which He had hallowed in Jerusalem, polluting it again.
God had, of course hallowed it a number of times, under Solomon, under Ahaz, under Jehoiada, under Hezekiah, under Josiah, but the people had again and again pollute it. But this time it was for the last time. God was calling time. The House would be emptied of all its treasures, and they would all go to Babylon. The people had wanted to give what was in it to idols, so to idols it would go. There is nothing more devastating than when God calls time on those who have refused to listen to Him.
15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place.
It was not that God had not tried. YHWH the God of their fathers had sent messengers to them regularly. He had ‘risen up early and sent messengers to them’ an indication of His urgency, and none had been more urgent than Ezekiel and Jeremiah, and Uriah the son of Shemaiah whom Jehoiakim had martyred (Jeremiah 26.20-23). And He had done it because He had had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. God did not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But His love would not prevent His judgment coming on them.
16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, till there was no remedy.
Their response had been to mock the messengers of God and despise God’s word through them, and to scoff at the prophets, and in the end it had caused His wrath to arise against His people to such an extent that there was no quenching it. God is very patient but there is an end even to His patience.
17 Therefore He brought 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, on the aged or the weak; He gave them all into his hand.
And this was why Nebuchadnezzar came on them. He had been brought by God. And Nebuchadnezzar had slain the young men with the sword in the very Temple in which they had trusted, and had had no compassion on young men and virgins, on old men or the hoary headed. He had treated young and old alike, And it was YHWH Who had given them all into his hand.
18 And all the articles from the house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon.
And all the things which they had loved and treasured in the House of God, which they had been convinced God would protect and never allow to be seized, all, both great and small, had been taken to Babylon. And along with them the treasures of the kings and the princes, all had been taken to Babylon. All that they had lived for was in Babylon.
19 Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions.
And not only that, they had burnt down the House of God, and they had broken down the walls of the Holy City which they had thought inviolate. And they had burnt all the palaces in Jerusalem with fire, and had destroyed all their contents. They had lost everything.,
20 And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
And those, however aristocratic, who had managed to survive the slaughter and the destruction had also been carried off to Babylon and had become servants to him and his sons (Jeremiah 27.7). They had been humiliated and had become virtual slaves.
But even here there was mercy. All this had happened to them, but there was a time limit. It had been ‘until the reign of the Kingdom of Persia’, the reign that would bring them hope once again.
21 to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
For God had not forgotten His people. All this had happened in order to fulfil the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah, which had indicated that they would go into exile and that that exile would last seventy years (25.11-12; 29.10). During that time the land would enjoy the Sabbaths that it should have had if the people had been obedient. This referred to the fact that every seventh year should have been a Sabbath for the land during which it would not be ploughed, or sown or reaped (Leviticus 25.2-8), and Leviticus 26.34-35, 43 had made clear that if that did not happen God would require it of them by exiling them whilst the land did enjoy its Sabbaths.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by 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, saying,
The decree of Cyrus ended the seventy years. The decree was made ‘in order that the word of YHWH by the mouth of Jeremiah (mentioned above) might be accomplished.’ And just as he had stirred up Nebuchadnezzar to bring about the destruction of Jerusalem, so now he was stirring up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to do His bidding. As a consequence, Cyrus made a proclamation throughout his empire, and put it in writing, to say that Israel could return to their land.
The first year of Cyrus king of Persia undoubtedly refers to his first year as ruler of Babylon. Form then on Cyrus saw himself as King of Babylon. It was the conquest of Babylon that established his empire. With that conquest all ‘local’ opposition had ceased.
23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him and let him go up!
The words Cyrus said about YHWH here he would say about many gods of many nations, for he was a great believer in allowing nations to serve their own gods, if they prayed and offered sacrifices for him and his sons, and he contributed to the restoration of many Temples. Thus, we would be unwise to see this as a genuine declaration of faith in YHWH. He was YHWH’s anointed only in the fact that he was God’s chosen instrument for the restoration of His people and the building of His Temple (Isaiah 44.18-45.1).
Thus, he now declared his purpose to re-establish the Temple in Jerusalem and would make provision for the purpose. But for it to be accomplished it was necessary for YHWH’s people to return to the land. Thus, he calls on them to go up to their land in the strength of YHWH in order to rebuild the Temple. A fuller version of the decree is found in Ezra 1.1-4.
