May 1
II Kings 23:35–I
Chronicles 1:32
FINALLY AN ACT OF KINDNESS
II Kings
25:27-28
"And it came to
pass in the . . . that Evilmerodach king of Babylon. . .
. did lift up . . . out of prison, and set his throne
above the kings."
Over and over, we see
that kings took the throne in JUDAH, and over and over
we see that those kings did evil in the sight of the
LORD. Some became king after
the natural deaths of their fathers, while others took
the throne after servants or relatives killed their
fathers. Over and over, the king’s mother’s names were
recorded.
Egypt’s KING
PHARAOHNECHOH seemed to favor one of JOSIAH’s sons and
gave him the name of JEHOIAKIM.
In so doing–under Egypt’s thumb, Josiah’s
son gave silver and gold to the Pharaoh. JEHOIAKIN’S
reign of subservience was eleven years in Jerusalem. It
was a shame of a kingship!
Suddenly we readers
see the name of NEBUCHADNEZZAR.
He is a king we have heard about since childhood. It was
to NEBUCHADNEZZAR that JEHOIAKIM became a servant for
three years with some rebellion. At his death, his
eighteen-year-old son JEHOIACHIN became an evil king of
JUDAH. At this time, the LORD sent bands of Chaldees,
Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Judah to
destroy it. This was retaliation for the innocent blood
that was shed during MANASSEH’s reign. That bloodshed
could refer to the thousands of babies killed in
abortion and in sacrifices.
With the rise of
NEBUCHADNEZZAR came the besieging of Jerusalem.
What a hopeless time! Besides
carrying away ten thousand captives, all the treasures
of the Solomon’s Temple were scooped up--along with the
craftsmen and the mighty men, as well as the princes of
the land. JEHOIACHIN and his mother and wives were
captives, too. Among those taken captive were Daniel and
his friends–many of whom were made eunuchs to serve the
Babylonian kings. Only the poorest of the poor and those
with no skills or intelligence were left. It was a sad,
sad day! It was the day of which prophets had warned. It
was a day of reckoning and rebuke from the hand of the
LORD God!.
Meanwhile back in the
land of Judah, the mighty king of Babylon made
twenty-one year-old ZEDEKIAH king of what was left of
the homeland. His reign in
Jerusalem was for eleven years. He was as evil as
JEHOIAKIM! Somewhere at this time, ZEDEKIAH rebelled
against Babylon. He tried to protect Jerusalem and hold
on to his land. To no avail! In the ninth year of his
reign, NEBUCHADNEZZAR surrounded Jerusalem for one year.
The pursuit of ZEDEKIAH and his army ended in the plains
of Jericho. He was taken captive and judged in Riblah.
Right before ZEDEKIAH’S eyes his sons were murdered.
Then Zedekiah’s eyes were put out. He was taken to
Babylon! Then Jerusalem was burned. Only the poor
farmers were left to till the ground. The chief priest,
his assistants, and the temple’s door keepers were taken
(they were killed in Riblah), along with all the brass
and anything of value that was left in the temple. A man
named GEDALIAH was left to rule the motley few
remaining. He, too, was killed with some Jews and
Chaldees at Mizpah. Such a bloody mess!
Now KING
EVILMERODACH of Babylon comes upon the scene.
He is kind to KING JEHOIACHIN of
Judah. Removes him from prison! He puts him on a throne
in Babylon with other kings that, I suppose, he had
captured. He removed his prison garb and dressed him in
fine array, and gave him a kingly allowance for the rest
of his life. For some reason, EVILMERODACH had a
kindness and tender heart for those of royalty that had
been captured by his predecessors–a good trait for any
man.
What can we learn
from all of this? One fact is
that when God says he will punish for sin, he means it.
Israel and Judah had all the opportunity in the world to
do right–but they refused to worship only the true God!
(ysw)
"EACH DAY IS HOLY"
(Nehemiah 8:10)
"This day is
holy unto our Lord:
Neither be ye
sorry."
Take each day as
from His sovereign hand.
Accept its joys
and sorrows.
He has allowed
all that comes this day,
And He knows
before hand all about our days!
(GGS)
