2 Kings chapter 24

Nebuchadnezzar targets Judah. Evil Jehoiachin becomes king of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judah. Judah is taken into captivity. Evil Zedekiah is appointed king of Judah.

 


 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR TARGETS JUDAH

 

VERSE 1. In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. He began to reign in 605 BC.

Earlier that year Nebuchadnezzar had led his father’s army against the Egyptians under Pharaoh Neco and had defeated them.

Then that same year, Nebuchadnezzar invaded the land of Judah.

Daniel 1:1. In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.

Jehoiakim became his servant three years. Jehoiakim submitted to Nebuchadnezzar for three years.

Then he turned and rebelled against him. Then Jehoiakim revolted and unsuccessfully appealed to Egypt for help.

 

VERSE 2. The LORD sent against him bands of the Kasdim, bands of the Syrians, bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke by his servants the prophets.

bands of the Kasdim … Syrians …Moabites … Ammon. Judah was plagued by raiding bands from those places.

They took advantage of Judah’s weakened condition later in Jehoiakim’s reign.

 

VERSE 3. Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came on Judah, to remove them out of his sight for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did,

for the sins of Manasseh. In 2 Kings 21, we saw that Manasseh was the most evil of all the kings.

Manasseh instituted every evil practice forbidden by the LORD God. He transformed his own people into the most evil nation on earth.

The LORD God promised to wipe them like a dish.

 

VERSE 4. and also for the innocent blood that he shed; for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the LORD would not pardon.

 

VERSE 5. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

 

VERSE 6. So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

Jehoiakim slept with his fathers. That is, he died.

This was in 598 BC.

Jehoiakim did not receive a royal burial:

Jeremiah 22:19. He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”

 

VERSE 7. The king of Egypt didn’t come out of his land any more; for the king of Babylon had taken, from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates, all that belonged to the king of Egypt.

 

EVIL JEHOIACHIN BECOMES KING OF JUDAH

 

VERSE 8. Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

Jehoiachin. He began to reign in 598 BC.

he reigned in Jerusalem three months. This is a very brief reign.

 

VERSE 9. He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, according to all that his father had done.

He did that which was evil. Jehoiachin is yet another evil king in a very long line of evil kings.

 

NEBUCHADNEZZAR CONQUERS JUDAH

 

VERSE 10. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up to Jerusalem. Jehoiakim brought this upon himself and his people. That is because:

  • Jehoiakim continued to resist Babylon
  • Jehoiakim looked to Egypt to rescue them from Babylon

 

VERSE 11. Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to the city while his servants were besieging it,

 

VERSE 12. and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon—he, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign.

Jehoiachin … went out to the king of Babylon. That is, he surrendered.

 

VERSE 13. He carried out from there all the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the LORD’s temple, as the LORD had said.

He carried out from there. This was a terrible tragedy. And it was entirely preventable, had the kings walked with the LORD God.

The nation will lose everything that is precious to them. Everything, that is, except for the presence of the LORD God. And each other.

Those are the only things that really matter.

 

JUDAH IS TAKEN INTO CAPTIVITY

 

VERSE 14. He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths. No one remained except the poorest people of the land.

ten thousand captives. King Nebuchadnezzar took captive virtually all the military officers and 7,000 soldiers, as well as 1,000 craftsmen and artisans. And even the prophet Ezekiel.

 

VERSE 15. He carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, with the king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the chief men of the land. He carried them into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

 

VERSE 16. All the men of might, even seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

 

VERSE 17. The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother. Nebuchadnezzar removes king Jehoiachin from office, substituting Jehoiachin’s uncle Mattaniah.

 

EVIL ZEDEKIAH IS APPOINTED KING OF JUDAH

 

VERSE 18. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

 

VERSE 19. He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

He did that which was evil. Zedekiah is yet another evil king in a very long line of evil kings.

 

VERSE 20. For through the anger of the LORD, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

 


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2 KINGS

CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25

RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, Corrupt Leaders, Miracles, Horses and Chariots of Fire

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