Bible in one year 6/21/2022 2Kings Chapter23-25 Judah went into captivity by the King of Babylon
By
Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce
Christian
Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry &
Counseling
2Kings Chapter 23 Josiah ordered to celebrate Passover to the
Lord according to the Book of the Covenant, eighteenth year of King Josiah,
this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.
King of Judah Josiah renewed the covenant in the presence of the
Lord to follow the Lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all
his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written
in this Book of the Covenant, then all the people pledged themselves to the
covenant.(vv.2-3).
Josiah ordered Hilkiah the high priest, the priests next in
rank and the doorkeepers to remove all the articles made for Baal and Asherah
and all the starry host from the temple of the Lord. And burned them outside
Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron Valley and took the ashes to Bethel.(v.4).
He tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes which were in the
temple of the Lord and where women did weaving for Asherah.(v.7).He broke down
the shrines at the gates, desecrated Topheth, which was in the Valley of Ben
Hinnom, so no one could use it to sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to
Molech.(v.10). The Hill of
Corruption(v.13), The Mount of
Olives, where heathen temples then stood. The presence of the bones of the dead
made these places unclean, thus assuring that they would not be used for Hebrew
religious purpose. Josiah ransacked the sepulchers of idolatrous priests and
burned the bones on the heathen altars before demolishing them (v.16; 1Kings
13:2).
Josiah gave order to all the people “celebrate the Passover to the
Lord your God, as it is written in the Book of Covenant.”(v.21). Not since the
day of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of
Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed. But in the
eighteenth years of King Josiah, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in
Jerusalem.(vv.22-23). None had been observed in strict conformity to the law
since the days of the judges, though the Passover was observed by Hezekiah,
2Chron.30.Further details of this Passover are recorded in 2 Chron.35.
While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt (609-594)
went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria against
Nabopolassar, king of Babylon. King Josiah marched out to meet him in the
battle, but Pharaoh Neco faced him and
killed him at Megiddo.(v.29). Josiah’s body was buried in his own tomb, his son
Jehoahaz became king in place of his father.
Jehoahz reigned in Jerusalem three months, did evil in the eyes of
the Lord. Praraoh Neco put him in chains at Riblah in the land of Hamath so
that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and he imposed on Judah a levy of a
hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.(vv.32-33).
The reign of Jehoiakim (Eliakim;609-597; 2 Chron.36:5-8)
Paraoh Neco made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father
Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz and
carried him off to Egypt and there he died. Jehoiakim became a vassal to Egypt
for four years, exacting the tribute from all the people (though he built a
luxurious palace for himself,(Jer.22:13-14; Jer.25:1; Dan.1:1) Jehoiakim was
twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven
years.
2Kings Chapter 24 The sins of Manasseh resulted Israelites be removed from the Lord’s presence by sent Babylonian, Aramean,
Moabite and Ammonite raiders Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon took Jehoiachin
captive to Babylon.
Jehoiakim reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the
land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. After the battle of
Carchemish in 605 (which ended the rule of Egypt), Nebuchadnezzar entered
Jerusalem, made Jehoiakim a vassal, and took Daniel and others to Babylon. The
Lord sent Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite and Ammonite raiders against him. He
sent them to destroy Judah, according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove
them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done.
Including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent
blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.(vv.2-4).
The Reign of Jehoiachin (597;2Chron.36:9-10)
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and
he reigned in Jerusalem three months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord. At
the time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem
and laid siege to it, and Nebuchadnezzar himself cam up to the city while his
officers were besieging it. (vv10-11). In the eighth year of the reign of the
king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner, as the Lord had declared,
Nebuchadnezzar removed all the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from
the royal palace, and took away all the gold articles that Solomon king of
Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. He carried into exile all
Jerusalem: all the officers and fighting men, and all the craftsmen and
artisans a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were
left. (vv.12-14). The second invasion of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, in 597.
(refer to introduction to Jeremiah for the chronology). Nebuchadnezzar took
Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the
king’s mother, his wives, his officials and the leading men of the land. The
king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand
fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand craftsmen and artisans. He
made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place an changed his name to
Zedekiah.(vv. 15-17).
The Reign of Zedekiah
(Mattaniah:597-586;2Chron.36:11-210)
Zedekiah was twenty-one
years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did
evil in the eyes of the Lord, just as Jehoiakim had done. Zedekiah rebelled
against the king of Babylon. It was because of the Lord’s anger that all this
happened to Jerusalem and Judah and in the end he thrust them from his
presence.(v.19).
2Kings Chapter25 Rebellion against Babylon and destruction of the Temple
The final siege of Jerusalem began in January 588 and
lasted a year and a half. In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth
day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem
with his whole army. By the ninth day of the fourth month famine in the city
had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the
city wall was broken through, the whole army fled at night through the gate
between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were
surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah.(v.4). Toward the Arabah.(v.4) the Jordan Valley, King Zedekiah was
captured at Jericho(v.5). The Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him
in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and
scattered. And he was captured. And was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out Zedekiah’s
eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.(vv.5-7). Jeremiah had warned
Zedekiah. That he would see Nebuchadnezzar (Jer.32:4;34:3), but Ezekiel
predicted that he would not see Babylon (Ezek.12:13) How accurately both these
prophecies were fulfilled.
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth
year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial
guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to
the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the house of Jerusalem.
Everything important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army, under
the commander of the imperial guard, broke down the walls around
Jerusalem.(vv.8-10).
Nebuzaradan the commander of the guard
carried into exile the people who remained in the city, along with the rest of
the populace and those who had gone over to the king of Babylon. But left behind
some of the poorest people of the land to work the vineyards and fields. The
Babylonians broke up the bronze pillar, the movable stand and the bronze Sea
that were at the temple of the Lord and they carried the bronze to Babylon. The
bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had
made for the temple of the Lord.(v.16). The commander of the guard took as prisoners
Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah, the priest next in rank and the three
doorkeepers, the officer in charge of the fighting men and five royal advisers.
Also took the secretary who was chief officer in charge of conscripting the
people of the land and sixty of his men who were found in the city. Nebuzaradan
the commander took them all and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.
There in the land of Hamath, the king had them executed.(vv.18-21) These
men had probably been ringleaders in the revolt against Nebuchadnezzar or had
been leaders in defending the city. So Judah went into captivity, away from their
land. (v.21).
Gedaliah, the puppet
Governor (586)
Nebuchadnezzar king of
Babylon appointed Gedaliah son of Ahikam, to be over the people he had left
behind in Judah as governor. Gedaliah took an oath to reassure them and their
men, “ Do not be afraid of the Babylonian officials, settle down in the land
and serve the king of Babylon, and it will go well with you.”(v.24). In the
seventh month, however, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, who was of royal blood, came
with ten men and assassinated Gedaliah and also the men of Judah and the
Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah. Gedaliah. (v.22) a friend of Jeremiah
(Jer.39:14), he was a worthy governor but was assassinated because he placed
trust in unworthy men (v.23; Jer.40:14).
In the thirty –seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of
Judah, in the year Evil-Merodach became king of Babylon, he released Jehoiachin
from prison on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month. He spoke kindly to
him and gave him a seat of honor higher than those of the other kings who were
with him in Babylon. Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as
long as he lived.(vv.27-28,30). Babylonian tablets confirm that Jehoiachin, his
sons, and others received rations from Nebuchadnezzar’s stores. After the death
of Nebuchadnezzar, Evil –Merodach, attempting to gain favor with the captive
Jews, released Jehoiachin from prison and treated him well.
Bibliography,
Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago,
IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986
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