Lesson 22 Last days of Jehoiakim

Jehoiakim 2Kings 24:1-6; Jer. 22:18-19 Jehoiakim served Nebuchadnezzar three years and then rebelled 2K24:1 The Babylonians came against Egypt in 601 B.C. but Necho’s army defeated them They fled back to Babylon and rebuilt their army for a year and a half Jehoiakim was no better off by his rebellion because he suffered raids from the Caldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites

Jehoiakim 2Kings 24:1-6; Jer. 22:18-19 This was all part of the Lord’s plan to punish Judah for her wickedness Jehoiakim was bound in shackles and taken away to Babylon at some point in time 2Chr36:6 He ruled eleven years in Jerusalem and died before Nebuchadnezzar’s army reached the city.

Jehoiakim 2Kings 24:1-6; Jer. 22:18-19 We are not given any details of Jehoiakim’s death Jeremiah tells us that Jehoiakim the son of Josiah would not be mourned over He would be buried like a donkey Outside of the gates of Jerusalem Jer. 22:19He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah) 2K 24:8-15; 25:27-30; 2Chr 36:9-10 Jehoiachin ruled 3 months and was wicked He was 18 when he began to rule in his father’s place on the throne He followed in the ways of his father He did not change his way even knowing that Nebuchadnezzar was on his way to besiege Jerusalem

Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah) 2K 24:8-15; 25:27-30; 2Chr 36:9-10 2K 24:8Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. 2 Chr 36: 8b and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. 9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.

Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah) 2K 24:8-15; 25:27-30; 2Chr 36:9-10 Jehoiachin may have been only 8 and had advisers which made the decisions We are told that his mother surrendered when he surrendered She may have been one of his advisers The age of 18 fits the scriptures better because his wives are mentioned in 2K 24:15And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives

Jehoiachin (Coniah, Jeconiah) 2K 24:8-15; 25:27-30; 2Chr 36:9-10 It is also noted in 2 K 24:9 that he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord It would be difficult to believe an 8 year old would be considered evil in His sight It was too late to save Jerusalem He would never return to the land of Judah Non of his children will sit on his throne It would be as if he were childless

Christ’s lineage Jer. 23: 5Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Reign forever Lk 1: 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Reign forever Acts 2:29Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. 30Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;

The officers of Nebuchadnezzar came against Jerusalem and besieged it. The city was not destroyed at this time because Jehoiachin and his officers surrendered All the treasures were taken from the temple and from the palace of the king Fighting men, craftsmen, and artisans of the city were taken into exile A total of 10,000 were taken The king’s mother, his wives, his officials and leading men of the city were taken

Only the poorest of the people were left in the land. The prophet Ezekiel was among the captives Ezekiel 1:1Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. 2In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of king Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3The word of the LORD came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar; and the hand of the LORD was there upon him.

The study of Ezekiel will be looked at more closely later, in the book dealing with the captivity and return. Ezekiel, like Daniel, was starting his work in Babylon while many of these last events were taking place. Looking at the Bible records and Babylonian records we get a good time- frame for the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar In 598 B.C. he set out for Jerusalem Jehoiakim died about this same time

In 2 Kings 24:12And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. We are told that the captives were carried away to Babylon “at the return of the year” We would say, at the beginning of the new year. 2 Chr 36:10And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon,

About 15 days after the city of Jerusalem was captured, the captives were led away The month Adar ended and Nisan began a new year. This was the 8 th year of Nebuchadnezzar Jehoiachin was released from prison 2Kings 25:27-30 This was necessary to fulfill God’s plan for the Christ to come through Jehoiachin Matt 1:11And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

27And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; 28And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon; 29And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life. 30And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.

Zedekiah or Mattaniah 2K 24:17-25:7; 2 Chr 36:10-21 Nebuchadnezzar appointed Zedekiah to the throne He was the 3 rd son of Josiah An uncle to Jehoiachin Zedekiah’s mother was carried to Egypt by Necho Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to reign and reigned 11 years Zedekiah is listed as king but was a puppet under Nebuchadnezzar

Vision of Figs Jer. 24:1-10 God spoke to Jeremiah in a vision What do you see? I see two baskets of figs before the temple of the Lord One filled with beautiful just-ripened fruit The other filled with rotten fruit God said those taken captive are like the good figs

Vision of Figs I will bring them back to this land I will build them up and not tear them down I will plant them and not uproot them I will give them a heart to know me They will be my people and I will be their God They will return to me with all their heart

Vision of Figs The rotten figs are bad and can’t be eaten Thrown out or cast out c This is the way I will deal with Zedekiah Also with all left in Jerusalem or go to Egypt They will be a reproach and a byword I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave them and their fathers.

The message of Jeremiah to the captives Jer. 29:1-32 A letter written by Jeremiah and sent to captives Build your houses and make plans to live there Plant gardens and eat the fruit it produces Get married and have sons and daughters Take wives for your sons and husbands for your daughters and multiply Seek peace in the city where you are carried Pray to the Lord that you may have peace

The message of Jeremiah to the captives Jer. 29:1-32 Do not listen to the false prophets After 70 years you will come back to this land If you will call upon Me and seek Me, I will bring an end to your captivity I will gather you from the nations, and bring you back to the land from which I caused you to be carried away

The message of Jeremiah to the captives Jer Jehovah was doing just as He said Chastisement had begun Now God needs to comfort His people They would be delivered from captivity He would make a new covenant with the house of Israel and Judah Not like the first covenant which they had broken The new covenant would be in their hearts

Jer. 31:31Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: 32Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: 33But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Conflict between Jeremiah & Hananiah Jer. 27:1-28:17 We see the conflict with the prophets of God and the false prophets God tells Jeremiah to put a yoke around his neck Tell Judah God had placed the yoke of Babylon upon them If you will submit, they could remain in their own land and prosper God is still showing he has mercy

Conflict between Jeremiah & Hananiah Jer. 27:1-28:17 Hananiah came before the people telling them that the yoke of Babylon will be broken in two years All the articles from the house of God will be returned Jehoiachin and all the other exiles will return from Babylon to Judah The way to tell if a prophet is true is to see whether his words come to pass

Conflict between Jeremiah & Hananiah Jer. 27:1-28:17 Hananiah came over and broke the yoke on Jeremiah’s neck He said again that in two years captivity would end Jehovah through Jeremiah said the yoke would be one of iron now and these nations will serve Babylon Because of your lies you will die this year You have spoken rebellion against God Hananiah died two months later Jer 28:10ff

Jer 28:10Then Hananiah the prophet took the yoke from off the prophet Jeremiah’s neck, and brake it. 11And Hananiah spake in the presence of all the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Even so will I break the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon from the neck of all nations within the space of two full years. And the prophet Jeremiah went his way. 12Then the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah the prophet, after that Hananiah the prophet had broken the yoke from off the neck of the prophet Jeremiah, saying, 13Go and tell Hananiah, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast broken the yokes of wood; but thou shalt make for them yokes of iron.

14For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; I have put a yoke of iron upon the neck of all these nations, that they may serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; and they shall serve him: and I have given him the beasts of the field also. 15Then said the prophet Jeremiah unto Hananiah the prophet, Hear now, Hananiah; The LORD hath not sent thee; but thou makest this people to trust in a lie. 16Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will cast thee from off the face of the earth: this year thou shalt die, because thou hast taught rebellion against the LORD. 17So Hananiah the prophet died the same year in the seventh month. (about 2 months later) God’s plan of salvation is on track and will come to pass in His time