Front matter (continued, part 61)
They met at the very place where Isaiah had confronted Ahaz, Hezekiah's father, and told him not to make a treaty with the Assyrians (Isa. 7; 2 Kings 16:5–9). Treaty or no treaty, Isaiah had predicted that the Assyrians would return, and his words had now come true.
The six officers didn't have a quiet conversation but stood far enough apart that the field commander had to raise his voice. Of course, the Assyrians wanted the people on the wall to hear what was going on, because they wanted to frighten them. The officers refused to speak in Aramaic, the trade language of that day, but used the familiar Hebrew (18:26–27; 32:18; 36:11–12). It's significant that the Assyrian leaders learned the Hebrew language so they could better wage war. God's servants today need to follow this example so they can proclaim the message of peace.
If the people of Judah were trusting in their military resources, said the commander, they were really in trouble, for they didn't have sufficient horses or enough cavalry men to put on them. If the king would "make a bargain" (enter into a treaty) with Sennacherib, the Assyrians would stop the siege and the people's lives would be spared.
The proclamation (18:19–36; 32:9–19; 36:4–21). It's important to identify three "speeches" if we want to understand the dynamics of this event. First, the field commander spoke to Hezekiah and the Jews and blasphemed their God (18:17–36). Then Hezekiah went to the temple and spoke to God about what the field commander had said (19:1–19). Finally, God spoke to Hezekiah (through Isaiah the prophet) about the judgment the Assyrians would receive at His hand (19:20–34). God always has the last word.
In reply to the interruption by Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah (18:26), the field commander gave a special message to the people on the wall. If they didn't surrender, the day would come when they would be so hungry and thirsty that they would eat and drink their own excrement (18:27; 36:12). The report in 2 Chronicles 32:11 states that the field commander began his speech by warning the people of inevitable death by famine and thirst if they refused to surrender.
The field commander was a subtle man who knew how to weave words together and get his message across. Of course, he wasn't too concerned about speaking the truth, for he knew that most people (including the Jews in Jerusalem) live on "seems" instead of "is" and think with their emotions instead of their minds. The basic theme of his address was faith (18:19–20; 32:10; 36:4–5), and he asked the people, "What are you really trusting? Can anybody deliver you?" Note the repetition of the words "deliver" and "my hand," and note also how he tried to belittle Hezekiah by calling Sennacherib "the great king" (18:19, 28; Isa. 36:4, 13). What the Rabshekah didn't realize was that Jehovah is the Great King and that He heard every word the field commander was saying. "For the Lord Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth" (Ps. 47:2 nkjv). Jerusalem was "the city of the great King" (Ps. 48:2), and the Lord Himself has said, "I am a great King" (Mal. 1:14 nkjv).
But the year before, the prophet Isaiah had told Hezekiah that God would defend Jerusalem and destroy the Assyrians (20:6; Isa. 38:4–6), and it was this promise that the king gave to the people (18:29–30). Once again, we marvel at how much the commander knew about the affairs of Hezekiah. The commander was doing everything he could to tear down the people's confidence in their king. The Rabshakeh painted a glowing picture of what would happen if Judah surrendered. They would live at peace in their own land until they would be deported to Assyria, a land very much like Judah (18:31–32; 36:16–17). Whenever the enemy makes an offer, there is always that fatal "until" attached to it.
The commander's final argument was purely pragmatic and very illogical: none of the gods of the nations already conquered could defeat Sennacherib, so Jehovah would fail as well (18:33–35; 36:18–20). But Jehovah isn't like the dead powerless idols of the nations: He is the true and living God! In obedience to the king's command, the people on the wall said nothing to the field commander, and that's the best way to respond to ignorant people who blaspheme the Lord and know nothing of His truth and greatness.
The field commander began to name what Judah was trusting, all the while pointing out that each of them would fail. He began with Egypt (18:21, 24; Isa. 36:6, 9), and no doubt there were officials in Judah who thought Pharaoh could help them. There had always been a strong Egyptian party in Judah after the kingdom divided, and the prophet Isaiah had warned
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earth. Hezekiah was lost in worship as he realized the greatness of the Lord, the only true God. This is a good example to follow when we pray about life's problems. When we focus on the Lord and see how great He is, it helps to put our problems in perspective.
The humiliation (18:37—19:13; 36:22—37:13). The three officials left the fuller's field and returned to the city to tell Hezekiah what the field commander had said. In humility before the Lord and in acknowledgement of their own helplessness, the three men tore their garments and looked to the Lord for His help. They told their king what the field commander had said, and the report must have broken Hezekiah's heart. How could anybody be so arrogant and so blaspheme the name of the Lord? The Rabshakeh had reproached the living God by daring to associate Him with the dead idols of the nations. Hezekiah also tore his clothes and humbled himself before the Lord.
The king had one great burden on his heart: that the God of Israel be glorified before the nations of the earth. Sennacherib had blasphemed the Lord and Hezekiah asked God to act on behalf of Judah so that His name would be honored. "Hallowed be thy name" is the first request in the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6:9). Being a faithful Jew, the king knew that the gods of the defeated nations weren't gods at all (Isa. 2:20; 40:19–20; 41:7; 44:9–20). He asked the Lord to save the people of Judah, not for their sake but for the glory of His great name.4
The king knew that he needed a word from the Lord, so he sent his officers to Isaiah the prophet and asked him to pray and seek God's help. (This is the first mention of Isaiah in 2 Kings.) The king's metaphor about birth is a picture of extreme danger. The child has come to the time of birth, but the mother hasn't strength enough to deliver it, so both mother and child are in danger of losing their lives. The king also knew that only a remnant of God's people from Israel and Judah were faithful to Him (19:4, 30), but for their sake and the sake of David, the Lord would be willing to work.
Some people rush into the Lord's presence whenever they face a problem, but the Lord never hears their voices at any other time. This wasn't true of King Hezekiah. He was a man who at all times sought the blessing of the Lord on His people. He sought to know the Word of God and the will of God, and this gave him power in prayer. Blessed is that nation whose leaders know how to pray!
Hezekiah the victor (19:20–37; 2 Chron. 32:20–22; Isa. 37:21–38) The Lord told Isaiah to get His message to the king, and the prophet obeyed. The answer to Hezekiah's prayer was threefold: (1) God would deliver Jerusalem, (2) God would defeat the Assyrian army and they would depart, and (3) God would care for the people and they would not starve. But God also had a message of rebuke to Sennacherib because of his pride and blasphemy. Hezekiah's faith was rewarded and his prayer was answered.
Isaiah told Hezekiah not to be afraid (Ps. 46:1–3) because the Lord had heard the blasphemy of the Rabshakeh and would deal with Sennacherib. The Assyrian king would hear a report, and the Lord would give him such a fearful spirit that he would return home. The report was that Tirhakah, king of Egypt,3 was coming to Judah, which meant Sennacherib would have to wage war on two fronts (19:9; 37:9). He didn't want to do that, so he temporarily abandoned the siege and went back to Lachish to prepare for war. However the field commander sent one last message to Hezekiah, this time a letter (19:8–13; 37:8–13) and simply repeated what he had already said.
Rebuke (19:20–28; 37:22–29). God had used Assyria to chasten the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Lord had given Sennacherib victory over other nations, but the Assyrian king had never given God the glory. In fact, his field commander had reproached the name of the Lord (19:4, 16, 22, 24; 37:4, 17, 23, 24) and blasphemed the God of Israel. But "the virgin, the daughter of Zion"—the city of Jerusalem—would toss her head in disdain and laugh at the defeat of Assyria. The Lord used the image of a virgin because the Assyrians would not be able to take the city and violate it the way pagan soldiers did to women taken captive. But the Lord would treat the Assyrians like cattle and put hooks in their noses and lead them.
Hezekiah the intercessor (19:14–19; 2 Chron. 32:20; Isa. 37:14–20) When the outlook is bleak, try the uplook. That's what King Hezekiah did when he received the blasphemous letter from the king of Assyria. Often in my own ministry I have had to spread letters before the Lord and trust Him to work matters out, and He always has.
Hezekiah looked beyond his own throne and the throne of the "great king" Sennacherib and focused his attention on the throne of God "who was enthroned between the cherubim" (19:15; 37:14 niv; see Ps. 80:1; 99:1). Since he was not a high priest, Hezekiah couldn't enter the Holy of Holies where the mercy seat sat upon the ark of the covenant, but he could "enter" by faith even as believers can today (Heb. 10:19–25). At each end of the mercy seat was a cherub, and the mercy seat was the throne of God on earth (Ex. 25:10–22). Not only is the Lord the King of Israel and the King of all nations, but He is the creator of the heavens and the
The Lord quoted back to the Rabshakeh and to Sennacherib the very words they had used in boasting about their victories. Chariots are made primarily for the flat lands, but they boasted that their chariots had ascended the high mountains of Lebanon. The dry lands and deserts didn't stop them, nor did the rivers. Other kings used barges to cross rivers, but they dried up the Nile and walked across on dry land. (Is this a
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reference to Israel at the Jordan, Joshua 4—5? There is no evidence that Assyria ever conquered Egypt.) They cut down cities and people the way a farmer mows the grass, and nothing stood in their way.
root" and become fruitful again. Not only would Sennacherib never enter the city, but he wouldn't even shoot an arrow at it, attack it, or build a siege mound next to it! In one night, God's angel killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers and that put an end to the siege of Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh had boasted that one of the Assyrian junior officers was stronger than 2,000 Jewish charioteers (36:8–9), but when the Lord wanted to wipe out 185,000 enemy soldiers, all He had to do was send one of His angels!
But it was the Lord who planned these conquests and enabled Assyria to succeed (37:26–27). The nation was His weapon to judge Israel and the other nations and to chasten Judah (Isa. 10:5–19). How foolish for the ax to boast against the woodsman, and how foolish for Sennacherib to take credit for what the Lord had done! Instead of honoring the Lord, Sennacherib raged against the Lord (19:27; 37:28–29) and exalted himself against the God of heaven. Whatever reasons or excuses world leaders may give for what they do, the basic cause is rebellion against God and His law (Ps. 2:1–6; Acts 4:23–31). But the Lord would treat the Assyrians like cattle, put hooks in their noses, and lead them away! The Assyrians were known for doing this to their prisoners of war, but now they would be the victims.
It was a humiliating defeat for the Assyrians, but the event brought great glory to the Lord and honor to Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:23; see Ps. 126:2–3). Sennacherib left the scene and went home, and there one of his sons killed him. His gods were unable to give him victory in Judah and they couldn't protect him from his own family in his own homeland. Why did God deliver His people? For the glory of His own name, of course, and for the sake of David whom He loved (19:34). Why does He bless His people today? For the sake of His own glory and because of His love for His own Son who died for us.
Provision (19:29; 37:30). The Assyrians had taken possession of Judah, pillaged the land and taken the fortified cities, and now they were besieging Jerusalem. How long could the food hold out? And even if Jerusalem did survive, how long would it take to restore the land, plant the crops, and get a harvest? The field commander warned that the people of Jerusalem would die of famine and thirst if they didn't submit to Assyria (2 Chron. 32:11). But the Lord of the harvest was in control. September and October were the months devoted to sowing, and March and April were devoted to reaping the harvest. The orchards and vineyards produced their harvest from July to September. No doubt the Assyrians came in the harvest season and confiscated the food. With the Assyrians in the land and Jerusalem under siege, the people couldn't work their farms, but God promised that when the Assyrians left, food would grow of itself until the men could work the fields, orchards, and vineyards. God would not permit His people to starve.
Death (2 Kings 20:20–21; 2 Chron. 32:27–33). "And Hezekiah prospered in all that he did," states 2 Chronicles 32:30 (nasb). Because of the blessing of the Lord, he had immense wealth, huge flocks and herds, and large storage buildings for grain and wine. "He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel" (2 Kings 18:5 nasb). "And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered" (2 Kings 18:7 nasb). He was a model of the "blessed man" in Psalm 1, the person who obeys the Word, meditates on it, and depends upon the power of God.
Hezekiah was not only in favor with God, but he was also beloved by his people. He was buried with the kings in Jerusalem, "and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death" (2 Chron. 32:33). Like all of us, Hezekiah had his lapses of faith and his failures, but was undoubtedly one of the greatest kings in Jewish history.
Notes 1 Expositions of Holy Scripture (Baker, 1974), vol. 3 [2 Kings 8— Nehemiah], 244. 2 As you study the field commander's speech, it's tempting to believe that the Assyrians had someone in Jerusalem. The Rabshakeh not only knew about the Egyptian party, but he also knew that Hezekiah had removed the pagan altars (18:22), and that Isaiah had warned the people not to depend on horses and soldiers (18:23; Isa. 30:15–17). 3 The KJV calls him "king of Ethiopia," which refers to the region of the upper Nile. He was commander of the army at that time and eventually became ruler of Egypt. 4 Many great events in Jewish history were for the purpose of exalting Jehovah's name before all the nations. These include the exodus (Ex. 9:16); the conquest of Canaan (Deut. 28:9–10); the entrance into Canaan (Josh. 4:23–24); the killing of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:46); and the building of the temple (1 Kings 8:42–43).
Some students have seen a relationship between this prophecy and Psalm 126, one of the "Songs of the ascents [degrees]." (See chapter 10, endnote 3.) The psalm speaks of a dramatic and sudden deliverance for Jerusalem, which certainly wasn't the case at the end of the Babylonian captivity. Could this have been Jerusalem's deliverance from the Assyrian army, when God killed 185,000 soldiers? If so, the prayer in Psalm 126:4 would certainly be applicable. As the men went out in the fields to sow, they would be weeping for joy that the land was delivered, but they might also weep because the seed they were sowing could have been made into bread for their children. Seed was scarce, yet God cared for His people.
Deliverance (19:28, 30–37; 32:21–22; 37:31–38). God promised that He would deliver His "remnant" from their enemies and they would "take
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Manasseh's wickedness (23:1–15; 33:1–10). He lived a most ungodly life and yet had the longest reign of any king in Jewish history. It was as though the Lord took His hand off the nation and allowed all the filth to pour out of people's hearts. In character and conduct, he was even worse than the Amorites whom Joshua defeated in Canaan, a nation with a reputation for brutality and wickedness (21:11; Gen. 15:16). All that his godly father, Hezekiah, had torn down, Manasseh rebuilt as he led the nation back into idolatry, including the worship of Baal. He also made a detestable idol which he placed in the temple of the Lord (21:3; 2 Chron. 33:7, 15), and he encouraged the people to worship "all the starry hosts" (21:3; 33:3, 5; see Deut. 4:19 and 17:1–7). There was to be but one altar in the temple court, but Manasseh added altars dedicated to various gods (see 16:10–16) and thus made Jehovah one "god" among many. Yet the Lord had put His name in only one place—the temple in Jerusalem (21:4, 7; Deut. 12:11; 1 Kings 8:20, 29; 9:3), and now a multitude of false gods shared that honor with Him. Manasseh followed the religion of Molech and caused his sons to pass through the altar fire (Lev. 18:21; 20:1–5), and he consulted spiritists and mediums (21:6; 33:6; Lev. 19:31; Deut. 18:11).
CHAPTER TWELVE 2 Kings 21:1—23:30 (2 Chronicles 33:1—35:27) THE END IS NEAR W
e live in the twilight of a great civilization, amid the deepening decline of modern culture," writes eminent theologian Carl F. H. Henry. "Those strange beast-empires of the books of Daniel and Revelation seem already to be stalking and sprawling over the surface of the earth."1
Similar words could have been written about Judah during the days of the three kings studied in this chapter—Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah. The Jewish nation had given the world a witness to the one true and living God, but now many of the people worshipped foreign idols. Israel gave the world the prophets and the Scriptures, but most of the leaders of Judah no longer listened to God's Word. Josiah was Judah's last good king. The Lord had covenanted to protect David's throne so that the promised Redeemer might one day come, but now the government of Judah was decaying and the very existence of the kingdom was in jeopardy. The future of God's plan of redemption for a lost world rested with the faithful remnant that resisted the inroads of pagan culture and remained true to the Lord.
In His mercy, the Lord sent prophets to warn the king and the people, but they refused to listen. Some of these witnesses were no doubt killed by the king (21:16), along with other godly people who opposed the worship of false gods. God reminded His people that their enjoyment of the land depended on their obedience to the law of the Lord. This was the basic requirement of the covenant God made with His people (Lev. 26; Deut. 28—29). God had promised to keep them in the Promised Land (2 Sam. 7:10), but now He warned them that they would be taken off the land and scattered among the nations (Deut. 28:64–68; Lev. 26:33–35). This judgment had already fallen on the northern kingdom with the invasion of the Assyrian army, and it would happen to Judah when the Babylonians came (606–586). Alas, Judah didn't learn from Israel's chastening.
God's promise hadn't changed: "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" (2 Chron. 7:14). Each of these three kings had to learn something about humility. It was almost too late when Manasseh humbled himself (2 Chron. 33:12, 19); Amon never did submit to the Lord (33:23); and Josiah truly humbled himself before the Lord and was used to bring a spiritual awakening to the land (34:19, 27). "True humility is a healthy thing," wrote A. W. Tozer. "The humble man accepts the truth about himself."2
We don't know which prophets delivered the message in 21:10–15, but nobody could misunderstand what they said. If Manasseh and the people didn't repent and turn from their evil ways, God would send judgment so severe that just hearing about it would make their ears tingle (21:12; 1 Sam. 3:11; Jer. 19:3). This describes a frightening response to news so terrible that it's like hearing a loud noise that makes your ears ring. The Hebrew word salal means "to tingle, to quiver," and is related to the word for cymbals and bells. When they heard the news of the approaching Babylonian army, it would be like hearing a sudden clash of cymbals! Wake up! Wake up! But it would be too late.
Manasseh—humiliated by affliction (21:1–18; 2 Chron. 33:1–20) That godly King Hezekiah should have such a wicked son is another one of those puzzles in biblical history. If Manasseh was born in 709, then he was seven years old when his father was healed and the miracle of the shadow occurred. He was eight years old when the 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were slain. Apparently these miracles made little impression on his heart. Many scholars think that Manasseh was coregent with his father for perhaps ten years (697–687), from ages twelve to twenty-two, and the son lived in close relationship with a godly father.3 But the remarkable thing is that Manasseh became the most wicked king in Judah's history, so much so that he is blamed for the fall of the Southern Kingdom (2 Kings 24:3; Jer. 15:1–4).
But God used a second image to awaken them. Like a careful builder, He would measure the nation with His plumbline, but it would be a measuring for tearing
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After a long life and reign, Manasseh died and was buried in the garden at his own house, not in the sepulchers of the kings (see 28:27).
down and not for building up. Everyone was familiar with bricklayers using plumblines to keep the walls straight as they built, but nobody measures a building in order to destroy it. (See Isa. 34:11 and Amos 7:7–9, 17.) God's judgments are just and He will give them what they deserve, just as He gave Israel (Samaria) what she deserved. The third picture comes from the kitchen: God would empty the kingdom of Judah of its people just as a person wipes all the water out of a dish after washing it. It's the image of depopulating a land by death or deportation and leaving it empty (Jer. 51:34). The word "forsake" in 21:14 means "to give over to judgment." God promised never to abandon His people (1 Sam. 12:22; 2 Sam. 7:23–24), but He also warned that He would chasten them if they disobeyed Him. God didn't break His promises; it was the people who broke His covenant. God is always faithful to His covenant, whether to bless obedience or punish disobedience.
Amon—hardened by disobedience (21:19–26; 2 Chron. 33:21–25) After his repentance, Manasseh tried to undo all the damage he had done to Jerusalem and Judah, but there was one place where he could make no changes—in the heart of his son Amon. The young man had been too influenced by his father's sins to take notice of his new life of obedience, and there were no doubt people at court who encouraged Amon to maintain the old ways. Whereas Manasseh humbled himself before the Lord, his son Amon refused to do so (33:23), and the longer he sinned, the harder his heart became.
"The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). Why Amon's own officials should assassinate him isn't made clear, but the reason probably wasn't spiritual. While it's true that the law of Moses declared that idolaters should be slain (Deut. 13), there was nobody in the land with the authority to deal with an idolatrous king. It's likely that the conspirators were more interested in politics. Amon was probably pro-Assyrian—after all, they had released his father from prison—while the officials were pro-Babylonian, not realizing that the rise of Babylon would ultimately mean the fall of Judah. Amon's son Josiah was definitely pro-Babylonian and even lost his life on the battlefield trying to stop the Egyptian army from assisting Assyria against Babylon. The fact that the people made Josiah the next king would suggest that they didn't want a pro-Assyria king.
Manasseh's repentance (33:11–13, 19). The writer of 2 Kings wrote nothing about the remarkable change in Manasseh's life, but we find the record in 2 Chronicles.4 Apparently he displeased the king of Assyria in some way and God allowed the Assyrian officers to come to Judah and capture the king. This was no respectable act of taking somebody into custody, because they put a hook in his nose and bound him with chains (33:11 niv). He was treated like a steer being led to the slaughter, and he deserved it. The city of Babylon was a second capital for Assyria at that time, and there they imprisoned him.
The whole experience was one of great humiliation for this wicked king, but the Lord used it to chasten him, break his pride, and bring him to his knees. He prayed to the Lord for forgiveness, and the Lord kept His promise and forgave him (2 Chron. 7:14). Even more, the Lord moved the Assyrians to set him free and allow him to return to Jerusalem to rule over the people. What a trophy of the grace of God! Manasseh humbled himself (33:12), but the Lord first humbled him (33:19). True repentance is a work of God in the heart and a willing response of the heart to the Lord.
Josiah—humbled by God's Word (22:1—23:30; 2 Chron. 34:1—35:25) Out of the twenty rulers of Judah, including wicked Queen Athaliah, only eight of them could be called "good": Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham, Hezekiah, and Josiah. There's no question that Josiah was a great king, for even the prophet Jeremiah used him as an example for the other rulers to follow. "He pled the cause of the afflicted and needy," said Jeremiah of Josiah, while the kings that followed Josiah exploited the people so they could build their elaborate palaces (Jer. 22:11–17). Josiah ruled for thirty-one years (640–609) and walked in the ways of the Lord because David was his model. No doubt his mother was a godly woman and guided her son wisely. He was only eight years old when they made him king, so the court officials were his mentors, but at age sixteen, Josiah committed himself to the Lord and began to seek His blessing.
Manasseh's reformation (33:14–18, 20). When he returned home, Manasseh proved the reality of his conversion by seeking to undo all the evil he had done. He fortified Jerusalem and other cities in Judah, he removed his idol from the temple (33:7, 15), and he removed from the temple all the altars he had put up to false gods. Having purged the temple, he then repaired the altar of the Lord that had been neglected, and he offered thank offerings to the Lord who had rescued him. He commanded the people of Judah to serve the Lord and he set the example. He allowed them to offer sacrifices in the high places, but not to pagan gods—only to the God of Israel. "Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance," John the Baptist told the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matt. 3:8 nasb), and that's exactly what Manasseh did.
Cleansing the land (34:3–7). Hezekiah had cleaned up after Ahaz, and Manasseh had cleansed up the consequences of his own evil practices, and now twenty-year-old Josiah had to undo the damage done by his father Amon. What a tragedy that all the leaders of Judah didn't maintain the law of the Lord and keep the nation honoring Jehovah. The four kings
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be lost in the temple! That would be like losing the Bible in a church building and not missing it for years. This scroll was probably all five books of Moses, but Shaphan "read in the book"; that is, he read the king-selected passages, perhaps from the book of Deuteronomy.6 Shaphan gave the king a report on the building program and then, almost as an afterthought, told him about the newly discovered book. It's to Josiah's credit that he desired to hear what the book said, and when he heard it read, he was smitten with fear and grief. How people respond to God's Word is a good indication of their spiritual appetite and the strength of their desire to please the Lord.
who followed Josiah undid all the good he had done and sold the nation into the hands of the Babylonians. Everything rises and falls with leadership, and young King Josiah provided aggressive spiritual leadership for the people. He had been seeking the Lord for four years, and now he was prepared to cleanse the land.
He purged the land of the high places and called the people back to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. He destroyed the idols and the altars dedicated to Baal and other false gods, and he defiled the places where the people worshipped these idols. After purging Jerusalem and Judah, he moved into northern Israel (Manasseh, Ephraim, Naphtali) and rid that area of idolatry. It's interesting that the king of Judah could go to these tribes in Israel (Samaria) and exercise such authority, but a great many people had come to Hezekiah's Passover feast from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun and returned home determined to please the Lord (2 Chron. 30:18). From 2 Chronicles 34:7, we learn that the king personally went on these trips and led the way in removing idolatry from the land.5
If indeed Shaphan read from the book of Deuteronomy, then what Josiah heard read from chapters 4—13 would convict him about the wicked things the nation had already done. Chapters 14—18 would disturb him because of what the people had not done, and the covenant spelled out in chapters 27—30 would warn him of what God would do if the nation didn't repent. In the terms of His covenant, the Lord made it clear that the nation would be punished severely if they disobeyed His law. So deeply moved was the king that he tore his robes and ordered the high priest and several officers to inquire of the Lord concerning Judah's spiritual condition. Josiah was only twenty-six years old and had been seeking the Lord for only ten years, yet his response to the Word of God was that of a mature believer.
Repairing the temple (22:3–7; 34:8–13). Josiah's eighteenth year as king was indeed a stellar one. He repaired the temple of the Lord where the book of the law was discovered; he made a covenant with the Lord; he carried on further reforms in the land; and he hosted a great celebration of Passover. He was twenty-six at the time. The man who expedited the king's plans for repairing the temple was Shaphan, the father of a remarkable family. His son Gemariah joined with others in urging King Jehoiakim not to burn Jeremiah's scroll, and his grandson Micaiah heard Baruch read Jeremiah's second scroll in the temple and reported it to the king's secretaries (Jer. 36:11ff.). His son Elasah carried Jeremiah's letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon (Jer. 29:1–23), and his son Ahikam was among the men who consulted Huldah the prophetess about the book of the law (1 Kings 22:12–20). Ahikam also interceded with King Jehoiakim not to kill the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 26:16–24). After the fall of Judah and Jerusalem, Shaphan's grandson Gadaliah was named governor of Judah. The only disappointing son of the four was Jaazaniah who worshipped idols in the temple of the Lord (Ezek. 8:11–12).
Hilkiah didn't consult Jeremiah about this matter, or even the prophet Zephaniah, one of Josiah's kinsmen (Zeph. 1:1), who was ministering at that same time. Perhaps Jeremiah was not in the city but at his family home in Anathoth, and Zephaniah may also have been out of Jerusalem. But the king's committee found a capable servant in Huldah the prophetess, whose husband Shallum was in charge of the royal wardrobe.7 Along with Huldah, the prophetesses in Scripture include Miriam (Ex. 15:20), Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Naodiah (Neh. 6:14), the wife of Isaiah the prophet (Isa. 8:3), Anna (Luke 2:36), and the four daughters of Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8–9).
Huldah's message was in two parts. The first part (22:15–17; 34:23–25) was addressed to "the man who sent you," meaning Josiah as a common man before the law of God, just like all the other people in Judah and Israel. The second part (22:18–20; 34:26–28) was addressed to "the king of Judah," that is, Josiah as an individual with spiritual needs and concerns. As far as the nation was concerned, God would indeed send His wrath because of their repeated disobedience, but as far as Josiah was concerned, he would be spared this impending judgment because of his godly life and humility before the Lord (see 2 Chron. 33:12, 23). Even though Josiah died as the result of wounds received in battle, he went to his grave in peace because Nebuchadnezzar and his army hadn't yet invaded the land. God called Josiah away before the terrible judgments fell.
The people had been contributing money for the upkeep of the temple (v. 4), so the king ordered Shaphan to tell Hilkiah the high priest to distribute the funds to the workers and start repairing the temple. It wasn't enough just to destroy the idol worship in the land; the temple had to be available for the worship of the true and living God. As with the temple reconstruction under Joash (2 Kings 12), the workers were faithful and there was no need to keep elaborate records. Leadership is stewardship, and leaders must see to it that the work is done with integrity and God's money is used wisely.
Discovering the Scriptures (22:8–20; 34:14–28). It seems remarkable that the book of the law should
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ings (16:1–4, 10–16; 21:3, 21–22), removed by Hezekiah and replaced by Manasseh. (See Jer. 19:13 and 32:29.) He also did away with the altars Manasseh had put in the temple court. All these things were smashed and thrown in the garbage dump in the Kidron Valley.
Covenanting with the Lord (23:1–3; 34:29–33). The delegation reported Huldah's message to the king, who immediately called the elders, priests, and prophets together, with the people of the land, and shared the message with them. Then he called them to enter with him into a covenant with the Lord. The "renewing of the covenant" was a familiar event in Jewish history. When the new generation was about to enter Canaan, Moses had them renew the covenant, as recorded in Deuteronomy. On two occasions, Joshua called for a renewal of the covenant (Josh. 8:34ff.; 24), and so also did Samuel (1 Sam. 7:2ff.; 12:1ff.). After Nehemiah and the people completed the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem, Ezra led them to rededicate themselves to Jehovah (Neh. 8—10). We must never assume today that because our churches are growing and our ministry prospering that God's people are necessarily at their best. There are times when corporate renewal of our dedication to Christ is the right thing to do.
On the southern slope of the Mount of Olives, Solomon had provided special altars for his heathen wives where they could worship their gods (1 Kings 11:5–7), and these altars and idols Josiah removed and destroyed. To make sure the area would never be used for idol worship again, he buried human bones there and defiled it (Num. 19:16). He even took his crusade into Samaria and destroyed the shrine at Bethel that had been established by King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:28–33). He took the remains of the dead priests of Bethel, buried nearby, and burned them on the altar, scattering the ashes to pollute the area. Thus he fulfilled the prophecy made three centuries before (1 Kings 13:31–32). When Josiah saw the grave of the man of God who had prophesied those very actions, he commanded that it be left intact.
The king stood by a pillar of the temple (see 11:14) and read the words of the law to the assembly. He covenanted with them to walk before the Lord in obedience and devotion. He set the example, for if the leaders don't walk with God, how can God give His people His best blessings? This meeting wasn't a demonstration of "civil religion" where everybody obeyed because the king commanded it. What Josiah pled for was a yielding of their hearts and souls to the Lord in sincerity and truth.
What Josiah did at Bethel, he did throughout the land of Samaria, destroying idols and the shrines dedicated to them, and slaying the idolatrous priests who served at their altars (Deut. 13:6–11; 18:20). Don't confuse the idolatrous priests of verse 20 with the disobedient priests of verse 8. The latter were allowed to live in Jerusalem but were not permitted to serve at that temple altar. Finally, Josiah removed the various kinds of spirit mediums from the land (23:24), people who were at one time encouraged by King Manasseh (21:6). But in spite of all the good that Josiah did, he couldn't stop the Lord from sending judgment to Judah. The sins of Manasseh had been so great that nothing could prevent the Lord from pouring out His wrath on His people.
Reforming the land (23:4–20; 34:33). The king then began to implement the terms of the covenant and obey the law of the Lord. First, he removed from the temple everything that belonged to idolatrous worship, burned it in the Kidron Valley and had the ashes taken to Bethel and scattered to defile the shrine of the golden calf that Jeroboam I had set up. He also broke down that shrine and destroyed everything associated with it (23:15; Hos. 10:5; Zeph. 1:4). He brought Manasseh's infamous idol out of the temple (see 21:7; 33:7), burned and pulverized it, and sprinkled the ashes on the graves of those who worshipped it so as to defile them. Josiah destroyed the houses of the sodomites (male religious prostitutes; 1 Kings 14:24 and 15:12), in obedience to Deuteronomy 23:17–18.
Celebrating the Passover (23:21–23; 35:1–19). In many respects, King Josiah was following the example of King Hezekiah in cleansing the nation of idolatry, repairing the temple and restoring the worship, and celebrating a great nationwide Passover in Jerusalem. While all the appointed feasts in Leviticus 23 were meaningful and important, the feast of Passover was especially significant. For one thing, Passover reminded the Jewish people of their national origin at the exodus when the Lord delivered them from Egyptian bondage. This was a manifestation of the grace and power of God. He took them to Himself as His own people and entered into a covenant relationship with them at Mount Sinai. They were God's chosen people, God's covenant people, a people to bring glory to His name.
He also removed the Levitical priests who ministered at the high places throughout Judah (23:8), from the northern border (Geba) to the southern border (Beersheba), desecrated those places, and brought the priests to Jerusalem. They were not permitted to serve at the temple altar, but they were allowed to share the food from the sacrifices. Then he went to Topheth, the place of human sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom, and defiled it. (See Isa. 30:33, Jer. 7:31–32, and 19:6, 11–14.) He removed the horses dedicated to the sun god and burned the chariots in the fire. Imagine stabling horses in the temple precincts! He pulled down and destroyed the altars to the heavenly host that had been placed by Ahaz on the roof of the temple build-
Hezekiah had celebrated his great Passover during the second month of the year, but Josiah celebrated during the first month. Note in 2 Chronicles 35 that there is an emphasis on the Levites and their important ministry during the Passover (vv. 2, 5, 8–12, 14–15, 18). According to 2 Kings 23:22 and 2
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but Neco's defeat of Josiah did give Egypt control of Judah for a few years (2 Chron. 36:3–4). Josiah was greatly mourned in Judah and Jeremiah even wrote laments to honor him (35:25; see Jer. 22:10). These laments have been lost and must not be confused with the book of Lamentations.
Chronicles 35:18, this Passover was even greater than the one celebrated in Hezekiah's time because "all Judah and Israel … were present" (35:18; see 30:18). Hezekiah's Passover lasted two weeks, but at Josiah's Passover the people offered almost twice as many sacrifices. At least 37,600 small animals were offered, plus 3,800 bulls. The priests and Levites were cleansed and sanctified, ready to serve, and there were many Levites who sang praises to the Lord and played instruments.
From the death of Josiah in 608 to the destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon in 586—a period of twentytwo years—four different kings sat on David's throne, three of them sons of Josiah but not imitators of his faith. Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin each reigned for only three months. It was a sad time for the people of God, but there was still a believing remnant that followed the Lord and helped seekers in each new generation to know the Lord.
Josiah obeyed what he had read in the law of the Lord.
What is the meaning of King Josiah's admonition to the Levites about carrying the ark (35:3)? Bearing the sacred ark had been the task of the Kohathites (Num. 4), but the nation was no longer a pilgrim people and the ark had been placed in the Holy of Holies in the temple. Inasmuch as the book of the law had been misplaced, and it was kept in the ark (Deut. 31:24–29), it has been conjectured that perhaps the ark had been taken out of the temple and hidden during the evil days of Manasseh and the ark and the book were separated. It's also been suggested that Manasseh replaced the ark with the image he had made and which he worshipped (23:4–6; 33:7). The Hebrew word translated "put" in 35:3 can be translated "leave," so the sense of his command might be, "Don't bring the ark—we don't need it at this time. We're no longer on the march." Some of the enthusiastic Levites might have wanted to add the presence of the ark to the great celebration, even though the law didn't require it.
Notes 1 Twilight of a Great Civilization (Crossway Books, 1988), 15. 2 God Tells the Man Who Cares (Christian Publications), 138. 3 If Manasseh was twelve years old in 697, then he was born in 709. He was coregent with his father from 697 to 687 and served alone for the next forty-five years. He was seven years old in 702 when his father had that severe illness, and he became coregent five years later (697). Since Manasseh was the heir to David's throne, his father surely taught him to obey the Word. 4 1 and 2 Chronicles were probably written and circulated when the Jews were captives in Babylon, so the Holy Spirit led the writer to emphasize the messages the exiles needed to hear. If God could forgive and restore such a wicked man as Manasseh, could He not also forgive and restore His captive people? King Manasseh is a living witness to the truth of God's promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14. 5 The emphasis in 2 Chronicles is on "all Israel," the uniting of the two kingdoms as the people of God. Many godly people from the northern kingdom had relocated to Judah so they would be under the spiritual leadership of God's Levitical priests in the temple dedicated to the Lord. The mention of Simeon in 34:6 reminds us that this tribe was politically a part of Judah (1 Chron. 4:24–43). 6 Some scholars claim that this whole episode was a "pious fraud" and that Hilkiah "found" the book in order to call Josiah's attention to the law of Moses and the covenant Israel made with the Lord. But why would they take such a devious approach with a king who openly displayed his love for the Lord? Under the long reign of Manasseh, the law of God was ignored and openly disobeyed, and it wouldn't have been difficult for the temple copy of the Scriptures to be hidden for protection and then forgotten. However, this one scroll wasn't the last and only copy of God's law in the land, for the high priest and other temple officials certainly had copies. This was the opportune time for Josiah to hear the law of God, and the Lord arranged for it to happen. 7 There's no evidence that this Shallum was the uncle of Jeremiah (Jer. 32:7). 8 The Authorized Version of 2 Kings 23:29 says that Egypt "went up against the king of Assyria," when the Egyptians were actually assisting Assyria against the Babylonians. The NASB reads "Pharaoh Neco … went up to the king of Assyria."
Josiah ruled at a time when Assyria was on the decline and Babylon hadn't yet reached its zenith, the times were more peaceful, and the people could travel in greater safety. The celebration was indeed a great rallying time for the Jewish people from both Judah and Samaria. God's people need occasions like this when together they can celebrate the Lord and His goodness and fellowship with one another.
Sacrificing his life (23:28–30; 35:20–27). Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, was taken by the Babylonians and the Medes in 612 BC, and Assyria was definitely on the decline. In 608, Pharaoh Neco led his army from Egypt to assist the Assyrians against the Babylonians.8 Josiah was pro-Babylon and wasn't too happy about the Egyptian forces marching along the western border of Judah, so he personally led the army of Judah against him. The two armies met at Megiddo, about fifty miles north of Jerusalem, and there Josiah was fatally wounded. His officers took him back to Jerusalem where he died and was buried with the kings.
Josiah had no mandate from the Lord to interfere in the dispute between Egypt and Babylon, yet Pharaoh Neco claimed that the Lord had commanded him to help Assyria. According to 2 Chronicles 35:22, this message was "from the mouth of God." Egypt and Assyria failed in their attempt to hold back Babylon,
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godly father, Josiah, Jehoahaz was an ungodly man and an evil king and deserved to be exiled.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN 2 Kings 23:29—25:30 (2 Chronicles 36) THE END HAS COME E
Jehovah called Israel to be a "people dwelling alone, not reckoning itself among the nations" (Num. 23:9 nkjv). Their faith was to be in the Lord alone, not in the treaties or compromises worked out by clever diplomats. Israel was God's "special treasure … a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:5–6 nkjv; see Deut. 7:6–11). It was Solomon who moved Israel from its separated position into the arena of international politics. He married seven hundred wives (1 Kings 11:3), most of whom represented treaties with their fathers or brothers who were rulers and men of influence. These treaties brought wealth into the nation and kept warfare out, but in the end, both Solomon and Israel were drawn into the idolatry of the nations around them (1 Kings 11:1–13).
very great nation fell by suicide." The British political leader Richard Cobden made that observation, and his statement is aptly illustrated in the history of the kingdom of Judah. Sudden political or military blows from the outside didn't destroy Judah. The nation committed suicide as it decayed morally and spiritually from within. These chapters tell the tragic story of the last years of a great nation. We can see the steps in their decline and the decisions of their kings who led the people downward to destruction.
Had the Jewish people obeyed the Lord and kept His covenant, He would have put them at the head of the nations (Deut. 28:1–14), but their disobedience led to their defeat and dispersal among the nations of the earth. Unfortunately, the church has followed Israel's bad example and entangled itself with the world instead of keeping itself separated from the world (2 Tim. 2:4; James 1:27; 1 John 2:15–17). Believers are in the world but not of the world, and this enables us to go into the world and share Jesus Christ with lost sinners (John 17:13–19). Campbell Morgan said that the church did the most for the world when the church was the least like the world. Be distinct!
They lost their independence (23:29–33; 2 Chron. 35:20—36:4) King Josiah was a godly man who sincerely wanted to serve the Lord, but he made a foolish blunder by attacking Pharaoh Neco. His meddling in Egypt's affairs was a personal political decision and not a command from the Lord. Josiah wanted to prevent Pharaoh Neco from assisting Assyria in their fight against Babylon, little realizing that it was Babylon and not Assyria that would be Judah's greatest enemy. Josiah was mortally wounded by an arrow at Megiddo and died in Jerusalem. With the death of Josiah, the kingdom of Judah lost her independence and became subject to Egypt. This lasted from 609 to about 606, and then Egypt retreated and Babylon took over.
They lost their land (23:34—24:7; 2 Chron. 36:5–8) Having deposed Jehoahaz, Pharaoh Neco selected Josiah's second son to be the next regent, changing his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. Both names mean "God has established," but the new name used the covenant name "Jehovah" in place of "El," the common name for God. By doing this, Neco was claiming to be the Lord's agent in ruling Judah. Of course, the new king had to swear allegiance to Neco in the name of Jehovah, and his new name would remind him of his obligations. In order to pay tribute to Neco, the new king taxed the people of the land. He reigned for eleven years and during that time, Judah got more and more in trouble with the surrounding nations.
According to 1 Chronicles 3:15–16, Josiah had four sons: Johanan; Eliakim, who was renamed Jehoiakim; Mattaniah, who was renamed Zedekiah; and Shallum, also known as Jehoahaz. We know nothing about Johanan and assume he died in childhood. When Josiah died, the people put Josiah's youngest son Jehoahaz on the throne and bypassed the other two brothers. His given name was Shallum (Jer. 22:11) and Jehoahaz was the name he was given when he took the throne. Jehoahaz and Zedekiah were full brothers (23:31; 24:18). It's obvious that the Jeremiah mentioned in 23:31 isn't the prophet Jeremiah since he was unmarried (Jer. 16:1–2).
Jehoiakim was a wicked man. When Urijah the prophet denounced him and then fled to Egypt, Jehoiakim sent his men to find him and kill him (Jer. 26:20–24). Jeremiah the prophet announced that Jehoiakim would not be mourned when he died but would have the burial of a donkey, not the burial of a king (Jer. 22:18–19). It was Jehoiakim who cut to pieces and burned to ashes the scroll of Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 36). Unlike his father, Josiah, he had no respect for the Lord or His Word (Jer. 22:1–23).
Jehoahaz reigned only three months. When Neco was returning to Egypt with his army, he deposed Jehoahaz, made Eliakim king, renaming him Jehoiakim, and placed a heavy tax on the land. It's likely that Jehoiakim was pro-Egypt in politics while Jehoahaz favored alliances with Babylon, as had his father, Josiah. Pharaoh met Jehoahaz at the Egyptian military headquarters at Riblah and from there took him to Egypt where Jehoahaz died. The prophet Jeremiah had predicted this event. He told the people not to mourn the death of Josiah, but rather to mourn the exile of his son and successor Shallum, for he would never see Judah again (Jer. 22:10–12). But unlike his
However, the new empire of Babylon was about to replace Egypt as Judah's great enemy and master. Nebuchadnezzar their king attacked Egypt, but the battle ended in a stalemate and Nebuchadnezzar
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years and then was released by Nebuchadnezzar's son and heir, Evil-Merodoch (2 Kings 25:27–30; Jer. 52:31–34). The false prophet Hananiah had predicted that Jehoiachin would be set free to return to Judah (Jer. 28), but the king remained an exile, though treated with kindness after his pardon. Whenever the king of Babylon displayed his special prisoners on royal occasions, he put Jehoiachin's throne above the thrones of the other captive kings. As Jeremiah had predicted, none of Jehoiachin's children sat on David's throne (Jer. 22:28–30), because Josiah's third son, Mattaniah (Zedekiah) was appointed king to replace Jehoiachin.2
returned to Babylon to reequip and strengthen his forces for a return engagement. From Babylon's "retreat," Jehoiakim falsely concluded that Egypt was strong enough to resist Babylon, so after three years as a vassal king, he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and refused to pay the annual tribute. Until he could arrive at Jerusalem in person, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the armies of some of his vassal nations to attack and raid Judah. These raids were but a prelude to the great invasion of Judah that would lead to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Isaiah had told King Hezekiah that this would happen (2 Kings 20:12–20), and King Manasseh had heard the same warning but not heeded it (21:10–15). Jeremiah had seen the vision of the boiling pot that faced the north, symbolizing the coming invasion from Babylon (Jer. 1:11–16; see 4:5–9; 6:22–26). The scenario of the death of King Jehoiakim must be put together from information given in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, and the book of Jeremiah. In 597, Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem to punish the rebellious king; but before he arrived, his officers had captured Jehoiakim and bound him to take him prisoner to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:5–6). We aren't told whether he died a natural death or was killed (2 Kings 24:6); the verse mentions only his death ("slept with his fathers") and not his burial. He died in December 598, before Nebuchadnezzar arrived on the scene in March 597 (2 Kings 24:10ff.). The prophet Jeremiah warned that Jehoiakim would have an ignominious death and no burial. When the king died, his body was probably thrown into some pit outside the walls of Jerusalem. He lived a disgraceful life and fittingly was buried in a disgraceful manner.
They lost their city and temple (24:18—25:21; 2 Chron. 36:11–21) Jehoiakim had reigned for only three months when he was exiled to Babylon, but his successor, Zedekiah, ruled for eleven years. He pretended to submit to Babylon while at the same time courting Egypt and listening to the pro-Egypt leaders in the government of Judah (Ezek. 17:11–18). Zedekiah took an oath in the name of the Lord that he would be faithful to the king of Babylon (2 Chron. 36:13; Ezek. 17:11–14). He maintained diplomatic contact with Babylon (Jer. 29:3) and even visited the court of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 51:59), but he also sent envoys to Egypt to seek the help of Pharaoh Hophra.
In 605, during the reign of Jehoiakim, the Babylonians had deported some of Judah's best young men to Babylon to be trained for official duty, among them Daniel and his three friends (Dan. 1:1–2). The second deportation was in 597 (2 Kings 24:10–16) when over ten thousand people were sent to Babylon. But Zedekiah still favored getting help from Egypt, and in 588, the political situation seemed just right for Zedekiah to revolt against Babylon (2 Kings 24:20; 2 Chron. 36:13). Nebuchadnezzar responded by marching his army to Jerusalem, but when the Egyptian army moved to help King Zedekiah, the Babylonians withdrew temporarily to face Egypt. Nebuchadnezzar knew it was unwise to fight a war on two fronts. God sent Jeremiah to warn Zedekiah that Nebuchadnezzar would return (Jer. 37), but Zedekiah's faith was in Egypt, not in the Lord (Ezek. 17:11–21). Zedekiah even called an "international conference" involving Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon (Jer. 27), hoping that these nations would work together to keep Babylon at bay. However, Nebu-chadnezzar stopped Egypt and then returned to Jerusalem and the punishment of Zedekiah.
They lost their wealth and their leading people (24:8–17; 25:27–30; 36:9–10) Nebuchadnezzar appointed Jehoiakim's son Jehoiachin (Jeconiah, Coniah) to be the new king, but he lasted only three months. He was eighteen years old at the time.1 When the Babylonian king, officials, and army arrived at Jerusalem in March, 597, Jehoiachin led the royal family and the leaders of the nation in surrendering to the enemy. Jeremiah had prophesied this humiliating event (Jer. 22:24–30).
The Babylonians took the king's treasures as well as treasures from the temple of the Lord. Some of the temple vessels had already been removed to Babylon (2 Chron. 36:7), but now the Babylonians stripped off all the gold they could find. Then they deported to Babylon over ten thousand key people, including members of the royal family, government officials, and valuable craftsmen. This is when the prophet Ezekiel was taken to Babylon (Ezek. 1:1–3). All of this was but a foretaste of the terrible events that would occur when Nebuchadnezzar would return in 588 and lay siege to Jerusalem for two years. (See Isa. 39:1–8, Jer. 7:1–15 and Ezek. 20:1–49.)
The siege of Jerusalem began on January 15, 588, and continued until July 18, 586, when the famine was so severe the people were cooking and eating their own children (Lam. 4:9–10). The invaders broke through the walls and took the city, looting and destroying the houses and finally burning the city and the temple on August 14, 586. The prophet Jeremiah had counseled Zedekiah and his officers to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar and thus save the city and the temple
Jehoiachin was a prisoner in Babylon for thirty-seven
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ple, but he knew that the word of the Lord had been fulfilled (2 Chron. 36:21). The people had not allowed the land to enjoy the rest God commanded (Lev. 25:1–7; 26:32–35), so now it would have a seventy-year "Sabbath" (Jer. 25:11–12; 29:10–14; Dan. 9:1–3). The Babylonians appointed Gedaliah governor of Judah. He was the grandson of godly Shaphan, who served under King Josiah, and the son of Ahikam, who faithfully supported Jeremiah (2 Kings 22:1–14; Jer. 26:24). Gedaliah assured the Jews who remained in the land that the Babylonians would treat them well if only they would cooperate, the same counsel Jeremiah had sent earlier to the Jewish exiles in Babylon (Jer. 29:1–9). Certainly the people knew the promise the Lord had given through Jeremiah, that the captivity would last seventy years and then the exiles would be allowed to return to Judah. God's purpose was to give them "a future and a hope" (Jer. 29:11), but they had to accept that promise by faith and live to please Him.
(Jer. 21; 38:1–6, 14–28), but they refused to obey God's word and had Jeremiah arrested as a traitor! The officers put him under court guard and even dropped him into an abandoned cistern where he would have died had he not been rescued (Jer. 38:1–13). The hypocritical and weak Zedekiah told Jeremiah to ask the Lord what he should do (Jer. 21), but the king refused to accept the prophet's answer. Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to pray for him (Jer. 37:1–3), but the king was a proud man who refused to humble himself and pray for himself (2 Chron. 36:12–13; 2 Chron. 7:14).
When the Babylonian soldiers finally entered the city, King Zedekiah fled with his family and officers, but they were intercepted in the plains of Jericho and taken into custody. Jeremiah's prophecy had come true (Jer. 34:1–7; see also chapters 39 and 52). Zedekiah faced Nebuchadnezzar at his headquarters at Riblah where he was found guilty of rebellion and sentenced to be exiled to Babylon. But first, to give the king one last tormenting memory, the Babylonians killed his sons before his eyes—and then gouged out his eyes! Ezekiel in Babylon also prophesied that the king would attempt to escape and be captured and taken to Babylon, but he would not see the city (Ezek. 12:1–13). How could Zedekiah see the king of Babylon (Jer. 34:3) but not see the city of Babylon? The answer was: after he had seen the king, Zedekiah was blinded by his enemies.
However, a group of insurgents led by Ishmael, who belonged to the royal family (2 Kings 25:25; Jer. 41:1), decided to usurp Gedaliah's authority. (See Jer. 40—41 for the details discussed below.) Several factors were involved in this vicious assassination plot. To begin with, Ishmael had designs on the throne and resented Gedaliah's appointment as governor and his submission to the Babylonians. (See James 4:1–6.) The army officers told Gedaliah that the king of the Ammonites had sent Ishmael to take over the land (Jer. 40:13–16),3 but Gedaliah refused to believe them. Had Gedaliah listened to this sound advice and dealt sternly with Ishmael, things would have been different for the remnant in Judah, but he was too naive to face facts. A third factor was the arrival in Judah of a large group of Jews who had fled to neighboring lands (Jer. 40:11–12). Their allegiance was questionable and perhaps they were too easily influenced by Ishmael. All the neighboring nations had suffered from Babylon's expansion and would have been happy to be set free.
After removing everything valuable from the city and the temple, on August 14, 586, the Babylonians finished breaking down the walls of the city and set fire to Jerusalem and the temple. The Babylonian officers captured the religious leaders of the city as well as the king's staff, the people who had opposed Jeremiah and given the king poor counsel, and had them slain before Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah. The priests had polluted God's house with idols and encouraged the people to break the covenant of God (2 Chron. 36:14; see Lam. 4:13 and Ezek. 8—9). The leaders of the nation had refused to listen to God's servants, so God sent judgment (2 Chron. 36:15–16). There was "no remedy" and the day of judgment had arrived. Only the poor people remained in the land (24:14; 25:12; Jer. 39:10; 40:7; 52:16) to take care of what was left of the vineyards and farms.
Ishmael killed Gedaliah and took the people captive, but Johanan and the other officers rescued the captives. Ishmael and eight of his men fled to the Ammonites. Johanan became the new leader of the remnant and decided that they should all flee to Egypt rather than obey Jeremiah's message and stay in the land and serve the Babylonians. In a show of hypocritical piety, Johanan and the leaders asked Jeremiah to seek the mind of the Lord about the matter, and he agreed to do so. The Lord kept them waiting for ten days and during that time proved that He could keep them safe and well in their own land.
King Zedekiah lived in Babylon until his death and, in fulfillment of the Lord's promise through Jeremiah (Jer. 34:4–5), was given a state funeral. He certainly didn't deserve such an honor, but the Lord did it for the sake of David, the founder of the dynasty.
They lost their hope (25:22–36; Jer. 40—44) The Babylonians treated the prophet Jeremiah with exceptional kindness and gave him the option of going to Babylon or remaining in the land (Jer. 40:1–6). Like a true shepherd, he chose to remain with the people, even though for the most part they had rejected him and his ministry for forty years. His heart was broken when he saw the ruins of the city and the tem-
Jeremiah's message to the remnant (Jer. 42:7–22) was in three parts. First, he gave them God's promise that He would protect them and provide for them in their own land (vv. 7–12). Then he warned them that it was fatal to go to Egypt (vv. 13–18). The sword of the Lord could reach them in Egypt as well as in their own land. There could be no temporary residence in
2 Kings & 2 Chronicles
cynical playwright George Bernard Shaw defined martyrdom as "the only way in which a man can become famous without ability." He was wrong. People who have suffered and died for the faith had the God-given abilities to trust Him, to put truth and character ahead of lies and popularity, and to refuse to "go with the flow" and be conformed to the world with its shallowness and sin.
Egypt and then a return to Judah, for none of them would return. Finally, Jeremiah revealed the wickedness in their hearts that led them to lie to him and pretend to be seeking God's will (vv. 19–22). These leaders were like many people today who "seek the will of God" from various pastors and friends, always hoping that they will be told to do what they have already decided to do. The Jews rejected God's message and went to Egypt, taking the prophet Jeremiah with them (Jer. 43:1–7). However, the biblical record doesn't end on this bleak note but records the proclamation of Cyrus that the Jewish remnant could return to their own land and rebuild Jerusalem and the temple (2 Chron. 36:22–23). The book of Ezra opens with this proclamation (Ezra 1:1–4) and tells the story of the remnant's return to the land. This decree was issued in 538 when Cyrus defeated Babylon and established the Persian empire. The Babylonians began their assault on Judah when their army invaded Judah in 606–05 and deported prisoners, among them Daniel and his friends. From 606 to 538 is approximately seventy years, the time period announced by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11–12; 29:10). Some students prefer to start the count with the destruction of the temple in 586. Seventy years later would take us to 516–15, the year the second temple was dedicated and the captivity officially ended.
At this critical time in history, God is seeking dedicated, distinctive people—not cookie-cutter, carbon-copy Christians. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4) and to love the world and trust it is to lose the love of the Father (1 John 2:15–17). We are to be "living sacrifices" for the Lord (Rom. 12:1–2), distinctive people whose lives and witness point to Christ and shine like lights in the darkness. "A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid" (Matt. 5:14). Faith is living without scheming. Start to explain away the clear teachings of the Bible about obedience to the Lord and separation from sin, and you will soon find yourself sliding gradually out of the light and into the shadows and then into the darkness, eventually ending in shame and defeat.
"He who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:17 nkjv).
Notes 1 Second Chron. 36:9 reads "eight years old," but the fact that he had wives (2 Kings 24:15) makes this very questionable, and it's unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar would appoint a young child to lead a vassal nation. After only a three months' reign, Jehoiachin was put in prison in Babylon (24:15), something the enemy wasn't likely to do to a child. Like ancient Latin, the Hebrew language uses the letters of the alphabet for numbers. The difference between eight and eighteen is the presence of a "hook" symbol over the letters for eighteen, and if the person who copied the manuscript failed to add the "hook," the error would be recorded and repeated. These occasional scribal errors in no way affect the inspiration of Scripture and do not touch upon any major teaching in the Bible. 2 The phrase "his father's brother" in 2 Kings 24:17 refers to Jehoiachin's father, Jehoiakim, whose brother was Mattaniah (Zedekiah) and therefore Jehoiachin's uncle. Zedekiah was the last king of the kingdom of Judah. Jeremiah's prophecy said that no son of Jehoiachin (Coniah) would occupy David's throne, and none ever did. After the exile, when the remnant returned to Judah to rebuild the temple, one of the leaders was Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:8; Hag. 1:1 and 2:20–23) who descended from Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) through Shealtiel (Matt. 1:11–12). However, though he came from David's line, he never sat on David's throne. Jeconiah never established a royal dynasty. 3 Perhaps the Ammonites hoped to restore the coalition described in Jeremiah 27 and revolt against Babylon. This, of course, would have been out of the will of God, but Ishmael would have jumped at the chance to become Judah's new leader.
As they had so often done during their history, the Jewish leaders lived by scheming instead of by trusting the promises of God. Jeremiah had given the people hope by promising that God was with them and would see to it they were protected and returned to their land (Jer. 29:11). But the leaders abandoned all hope when they fled to Egypt, for there they died and were buried. How tragic that the faithful prophet Jeremiah, who had suffered so much for the people and the Lord, should be buried in some forgotten place in Egypt.
As we come to the close of this record of the tragic decline and destruction of a great nation, we need to take some lessons to heart. No nation rises any higher than its worship of God. The nation of Israel was torn into two kingdoms because of the sins of Solomon who turned to idols in order to please his pagan wives. Because they worshipped idols and forsook the true God, the northern kingdom of Israel was taken captive by Assyria. It didn't take long for Judah to succumb and eventually be captured by Babylon. We become like the god we worship (Ps. 115:8), and if we refuse to worship the true and living God, we become as helpless as the idols that enthrall us.
The people who led Israel and Judah astray were conformers, weak people who followed the crowd and pleased the people. God warned them of their folly by raising up men and women who were distinctively different and sought to please the Lord, but these faithful witnesses were ignored, abused, and martyred. The