6/29/2011
8:58:37 AM
SPIRITUAL DIARY
My Worship Time Focus: The lost their land
Bible Reading
& Meditation Reference: 2Ki. 23:34-24:7; 2Chron. 36:5-8
Message of the verses: “34
Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah
his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away and
brought him to Egypt, and he died there. 35
So Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land
in order to give the money at the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and
gold from the people of the land, each according to his valuation, to give it
to Pharaoh Neco. 36 Jehoiakim was
twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in
Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.
37 He did evil in the sight of the LORD,
according to all that his fathers had done.
“1 ¶ In his days Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then
he turned and rebelled against him. 2
The LORD sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands
of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy
it, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoken through His servants
the prophets. 3 Surely at the command of
the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins
of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood which he
shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not
forgive. 5 Now the rest of the acts of
Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the
Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 6 So
Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his
place. 7 The king of Egypt did not come
out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to
the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.”
“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 with
bronze chains to take him to Babylon. 7
Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the
LORD to Babylon and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and the
abominations which he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are
written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son
became king in his place.”
The
things that happened during the end of the kingdom of Judah are kind of sketchy
especially the death of King Jehoiakim.
Jehoiakim was an evil king not like his father Josiah and he was made
king after his brother reigned for only three months. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven years and when
he died, although the details of his burial are not written about the prophet
Jeremiah prophesied that he would be buried like a donkey and not like a king
so it must be assumed that this was how he was buried. “18 Therefore thus says the LORD in regard to
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, "They will not lament for him:
’Alas, my brother!’ or, ’Alas, sister!’ They will not lament for him: ’Alas for
the master!’ or, ’Alas for his splendor!’ 19
"He will be buried with a donkey’s burial, Dragged off and thrown
out beyond the gates of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 22:18-19).”
The
history that took place over these eleven years of Jehoiakim’s reign were that
Egypt would be engaged in a war with Babylon and this would end without a
victory for either nation. Egypt would
not have the influence over Judah, but Babylon would gain influence over Judah
so while this war was going on Jehoiakim would stop paying tribute to
Nebuchadnezzar and then Nebuchadnezzar would send some of his puppet nations
against Judah and this was of the Lord because of the cruelty of this
king. Jehoiakim would die in December of
598 and Nebuchadnezzar arrived in Jerusalem in March of 597BC. Jerusalem would fall in 586BC, but there were
people that were taken from Jerusalem as early as 605BC. Daniel and Ezekiel were among those taken by
Nebuchadnezzar in 605BC.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: God’s providence is seen in these verses,
along with God’s judgment. His love and
mercy can be seen in this to for they are a part of His Attributes. Even though Jerusalem and Judah would fall
God’s covenant with David would not, for the line of David would remain until
Messiah was born in Bethlehem some 500 + years later. Even though my life is very difficult at this
point in time God is still in control and will work out the things He desire
for me.
6/29/2011
9:38:00 AM
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