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2Kings 24-25

Thursday Evening Bible Study

April 24, 2013

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved?

After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two nations.

The northern kingdom would be known as “Israel”.

The southern kingdom was known as “Judah”.

We’ve been in that part of history where the northern kingdom has been wiped out and scattered through the Assyrian empire.

Tonight we will see the end of the southern kingdom as they are wiped out by the Babylonians.

Last week we looked at the death of King Josiah as he tried to take on the Egyptians on their way north to help out the Assyrians.

When Josiah died in the battle, at first his son Jehoahaz was put on the throne, but the Egyptians felt like they wanted control over who reigned in Judah, so they put a different son of Josiah on the throne, Jehoiakim.

The current king of Judah is Jehoiakim, a son of Josiah.

24:1-7 Jehoiakim’s Rebellion

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

:1 Nebuchadnezzar …came up

In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar finally defeated the Egyptians in a battle at Carchemish.

Later that year, he came through the land of Judah to make sure that his new conquest, all of Egypt’s territories was in control.

The beginning of the end has started.

Josiah the good king is dead, and now, three years later, the serious trouble begins.

Nebuchadnezzar not only makes Jehoiakim his “vassal” (pays taxes), but he takes some captives with him back to Babylon, including Daniel (Dan. 1:1-4)

(Da 1:1–4 NKJV) —1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. 3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, 4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

Lesson

Contending with horses

The prophet Jeremiah began his ministry during the days of Josiah. Even from the beginning of his ministry, things were tough for Jeremiah because he brought a message of warning, a message of repentance. God spoke to Jeremiah:

(Je 12:5 NKJV) “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?

If Jeremiah was getting tired out in his ministry in the beginning, how would he ever handle it when the persecution comes, when the city would be under siege, when people would die from Nebuchadnezzar’s armies?

We go through tough times and think we can’t handle any more.

Yet God is building endurance in us. Endurance only comes from enduring hard times.

You don’t learn to swim unless you get in the water. You don’t learn to endure unless you endure.

:1 he turned and rebelled

For three years Jehoiakim continues to pay his taxes to Nebuchadnezzar, and then he stops paying. Perhaps he had gotten a promise of help from his old friends in Egypt.

And trouble comes.

:2 And the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets.

:2 raiding bands of Chaldeans

According to Eupolemus (Gill), this army consisted of Medes and Babylonians, and, besides 10,000 chariots, there were in it 180,000 footmen, and 120,000 horsemen.

:3 Surely at the commandment of the Lord this 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 because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

:3 at the commandment of the Lord

God was behind this difficult time.

God is a God of judgment. He will one day make things right.

God had warned His people that if they ever started disobeying Him, that there would be a gradually increasing set of judgments coming against them, aimed at turning them back to God, but eventually leading to …

(Le 26:33 NKJV) I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate and your cities waste.

Lesson

Judgment is coming

Peter wrote,

(2 Pe 3:10–11 NKJV) —10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

What kind of persons ought this awareness of judgment make us?

:3 because of the sins of Manasseh

Even though Manasseh himself repented of his sins, and though he found forgiveness from God, his sins were so grievous and so many that they had a snowball effect on the nation, sending them into a downward spiral from which they never truly recovered.

Be careful about thinking to yourself, “Oh I will just do this one thing, then ask for forgiveness, and everything will be okay.”

We may find forgiveness, but there are still consequences to our actions.

: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 rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

:6 Jehoiakim rested with his fathers

The writer here is a bit vague, but Chronicles tells us more. He actually died in Babylon, in chains.

(2 Ch 36:6–7 NKJV) —6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.

A few years earlier, God had warned Jehoiakim through the prophet Jeremiah about his greed and his temper. Included in the prophecy was this:

(Je 22:19 NKJV) He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, Dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.

It’s possible that he actually died in chains in Babylon (2Chr. 36:6-7)

There would be no lamenting for Jehoiakim when he died.

:7 And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

:7 Egypt did not come out … anymore

Even though Josiah had fought against Egypt, his son, Jehoiakim, was a friend of Egypt, having been made king by Pharaoh Neco.

It is thought that when Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, he did it hoping that the Egyptians would come to his rescue.

Lesson

Friends can’t always bail you out.

The kings of Judah too often were counting on others to bail them out.

What they needed to do was to repent and get right with God.

Solomon wrote:

(Pr 18:24 NLT) There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.

David wrote:

(Ps 34:4 NKJV) I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.

24:8-9 Jehoiachin’s reign

:8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.

:8 Jehoiachin

He is also known as “Coniah”. I think he had a late night TV show.

:9 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

Another king gone bad.

24:10-16 The Second Captivity

The “First” captivity took place in 605 BC when Daniel and his friends were taken to Babylon. We’re now looking at the “Second” Captivity which took place in 597 BC.

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

:11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it.

:11 came against the city

This is most likely in response to Jehoiachin’s father (Jehoiakim) refusing to pay his taxes (24:1).

:12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

:12 Jehoiachin…his mother, his servants

Jehoiachin wisely surrenders to Nebuchadnezzar.

Jehoiachin surrendered the city to the Babylonians on March 16, 597 BC.

Jeremiah had prophesied about Jehoiachin:

(Je 22:26 NKJV) So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die.

:12 in the eighth year of his reign

This is the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

This means that Daniel has been in Babylon for eight years.

:13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said.

:13 all the treasures

This time, Nebuchadnezzar takes everything that’s valuable out of the kingdom.

It seems he doesn’t want the nation to have anything to make treaties with other countries with.

:13 as the Lord had said

One of the prophecies that had been given concerning this came in the days of Hezekiah, over a hundred years earlier.

Hezekiah had thought he’d impress these men, and in his pride, gave the visitors a tour of all his wealth, showing them everything he had.

I wonder if those very emissaries reported to their king, who had it recorded in their archives about all the wealth in the kingdom of Judah.

Isaiah had told Hezekiah that it would all one day be taken to Babylon (2Ki. 20:14-18)

(2 Ki 20:14–18 NKJV) —14 Then Isaiah the prophet went to King Hezekiah, and said to him, “What did these men say, and from where did they come to you?” So Hezekiah said, “They came from a far country, from Babylon.” 15 And he said, “What have they seen in your house?” So Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shown them.” 16 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the Lord: 17 ‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and what your fathers have accumulated until this day, shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left,’ says the Lord. 18 ‘And they shall take away some of your sons who will descend from you, whom you will beget; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.’ ”

:14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land.

:15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.

:16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

:14 ten thousand captives

Among those taken to Babylon in this second group is the prophet Ezekiel, who was one of the priests.

His prophetic ministry will start in five years when he gets to Babylon (Eze. 1:2-3)

(Eze 1:2–3 NKJV) On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity, 3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.

The prophets at work during the Babylonian captivity:

Jeremiah was in Jerusalem, ministering to the people in Judah.

Daniel was in the government of Babylon.

Ezekiel was in Babylon speaking to the Jews who were in captivity.

This time of the Babylonian captivity was one of the most important times in the history of the nation Israel.

It was the thing that finally got the Jews free from worshipping other gods.

Lesson

Purity through fire

(Heb 12:11 NKJV) Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

The Jews were being “spanked”, and they learned “righteousness” from it, they learned to get rid of their idolatry.

Are you in the fire right now? Are there lessons you are supposed to be learning?

24:17-20 Zedekiah

:17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

:17 Mattaniah … Zedekiah

Mattaniah = “gift of Yahweh”

Jehoiachin’s uncle is now made king.

Mattaniah is now the third son of Josiah to rule over Judah.

He apparently is the youngest son of Josiah

He is now only 21 years old.

Eleven and ½ years ago, when his father died, he would have been 10 years old, while his older brother Jehoahaz (the first to become king) was 23 years old, and his half-brother Jehoiakim (the next to become king) was 25 years old.

Zedekiah = “Yahweh is righteous”

We’ve seen Pharaoh Necho changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. We’ve seen Nebuchadnezzar give new names to Daniel and his three friends.

This is a display of a king’s authority, changing a person’s name.

Zedekiah is a major player in the book of Jeremiah.

His name appears 48 times. God has lots to say to this man!

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

:18 His mother’s name was Hamutal

Zedekiah is the full brother of Jehoahaz (2Ki.23:31) making him a full brother of the king that had first taken the place of Josiah before being replaced by the Egyptian choice.

(2 Ki 23:31 NKJV) Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

He has a different mother than Jehoiakim, whom the fellow the Egyptians put in place (2Ki.23:36).

(2 Ki 23:36 NKJV) —36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

:19 He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.

One last bad king.

:20 For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

:20 Zedekiah rebelled

This rebellion will be the last straw for Nebuchadnezzar.

25:1-22 Jerusalem Falls

:1 Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around.

:1 in the ninth year of his reign

The ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, not Nebuchadnezzar’s.

It is now 588 BC. There are two years left until the fall.

:1 built a siege wall against it

This will keep anyone from entering of leaving Jerusalem.

The goal of a siege wall is to starve the city into submission.

:2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.

:2 until the eleventh year

The siege wasn’t a straight two year period.

There was actually a brief break where Jeremiah records:

(Je 37:5 NKJV) Then Pharaoh’s army came up from Egypt; and when the Chaldeans who were besieging Jerusalem heard news of them, they departed from Jerusalem.

But the break was very brief, and Nebuchadnezzar came back, just as Jeremiah warned he would (Jer.37), and besieged Jerusalem again.

During the siege, Jeremiah was busy at work, giving warnings to king Zedekiah in Jerusalem (Jer. 32:1-5; Jer. 27:12; Jer. 38:17)

Lesson

Lots of warnings

God always gives warnings. The problem is we don’t often pay attention to them.

I have a friend who is self-destructing right now.

He has ignored all the warnings of those around him.

I am not looking forward to what’s up ahead for him.

Illustration:

There once was a farmer who heard that a great flood was coming.

First the police came by and told him to evacuate, but he said he’d try to stick it out, he was trusting God.

Then when the water began to get higher and higher, a boat came by, but he refused it, and said he’d stick it out, he was trusting God.

Then finally as the water was getting to the top of the house, a helicopter came by.

But he said no, he’d stick it out, he was trusting God.

Finally, the man drowned.

“God, why did you let me drown?” he asked. God replied, “I sent the police, the boat, and the helicopter, what more do you want?”

:3 By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

:3 the famine had become so severe

This is one of the goals of Nebuchadnezzar.

He isn’t trying to kill all the people. He’s just trying to make them weak enough that when he comes in to take the city, they won’t be able to put up a fight.

:4 Then the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And the king went by way of the plain.

:4 the city wall was broken through

The city was broken into on July 16, 586 BC

Jeremiah fills in a few details in his own personal account (Jer. 39:2-4). The chief Babylonian officials came and set up their thrones, and Zedekiah and the army all fled.

(Je 39:2–4 NKJV) —2 In the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, on the ninth day of the month, the city was penetrated. 3 Then all the princes of the king of Babylon came in and sat in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sarezer, Rabmag, with the rest of the princes of the king of Babylon. 4 So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the plain.

:4 the king went by way of the plain

The plain of the Jordan, to the northeast.

Play Jerusalem destroyed clip

:5 But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him.

:5 they overtook him

This is another prophecy that’s being fulfilled, but one that’s given from Babylon by the prophet Ezekiel (Eze. 12:10-14) saying that the king would try to escape and be captured.

(Eze 12:10–14 NKJV) —10 Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “This burden concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are among them.” ’ 11 Say, ‘I am a sign to you. As I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall be carried away into captivity.’ 12 And the prince who is among them shall bear his belongings on his shoulder at twilight and go out. They shall dig through the wall to carry them out through it. He shall cover his face, so that he cannot see the ground with his eyes. 13 I will also spread My net over him, and he shall be caught in My snare. I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there. 14 I will scatter to every wind all who are around him to help him, and all his troops; and I will draw out the sword after them.

:5 All his army was scattered

When the king is captured, all his men desert him.

:6 So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him.

:6 at Riblah

Play Riblah map clip

This was the city 200 miles north of Jerusalem, where Pharaoh Neco used as a temporary headquarters after killing Josiah, and making Jehoahaz captive there (2Ki.23:33)

At this same time, Nebuchadnezzar is also conducting campaigns against the city of Tyre, and other cities in Judah, according to some ancient documents known as The Lachish Letters.

:7 Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, put out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

:7 put out the eyes of Zedekiah

Play Zedekiah capture video clip

This was to be part of the punishment of a rebellious king, in which the last thing he sees with his own eyes is his children being killed in front of him.

For the rest of his life, the last thing his eyes recorded would be in front of him, the death of his own children.

Strangely enough, several contradicting prophecies are coming into play:

We read that Zedekiah would see the king of Babylon with his eyes:

(Je 32:4 NKJV) …shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye;

We also read that though he would be taken to Babylon as a prisoner, he wouldn’t actually “see” it.

(Eze 12:13 NKJV) …I will bring him to Babylon, to the land of the Chaldeans; yet he shall not see it, though he shall die there.

Lesson

Contradictions

There are times when we come across seemingly contradictory passages, and we can’t understand how they can both be true.

But don’t worry, God will work it all out in the end!

God says:

(Is 55:9 NKJV) “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.

God isn’t limited to your ability to understand or see the bigger picture.

Aren’t you glad?

:8 And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.

:9 He burned the house of the Lord and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire.

:8 in the fifth month …

For us, August 16, 586 BC.

It’s been about a month since the wall of Jerusalem had been broken into, and now it’s time to bring an end to the city.

:9 He burned the house of the Lord

Solomon’s temple is destroyed.

:10 And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

:10 broke down the walls

This is what protected an ancient city from its enemies.

This is the same wall that Nehemiah would one day rebuild.

They are removing Jerusalem’s protection, making it more difficult for anyone to live there in peace.

Lesson

Sin removes defenses

The nation has been in rebellion against the Lord, and now their defenses are all gone.

One of Satan’s tactics is to tell us that if we just give in this one time to sin, that the pressure will be over, God will forgive you, and you can go on with life.

But what he doesn’t tell you is that a little more of your wall has just been torn down.

And the next time that Satan attacks you, you have even less resistance against him.

(Jas 4:7 NKJV) Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

:11 Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude.

:11 carried away...the rest of the people

This is the third and final group taken to Babylon.

The first group, a smaller group, was taken in 605 BC included Daniel.

The second group was larger, included Ezekiel, and taken in 597 BC.

Now the last batch is taken at the final fall of Jerusalem, 586 BC.

:12 But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.

Nebuchadnezzar’s plan was not to allow the land to be ruined, but to stay productive.

:13 The bronze pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and the carts and the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and carried their bronze to Babylon.

The pillars were broken in pieces so they could be carried to Babylon. They were huge.

:14 They also took away the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered.

:15 The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away.

Some of these things are going to go into storage in the vaults of Babylon. King Belshazzar would take out some of these same gold and silver vessels and use them in a big party (Dan. 5:2).

:16 The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure.

:17 The height of one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

:18 And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers.

:18 Seraiah the chief priest

This was an ancestor to Ezra who would restore Temple worship, possibly his father or grandfather. (Ezr 7:1)

(Ezr 7:1 NKJV) —1 Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia, Ezra the son of Seraiah, the son of Azariah, the son of Hilkiah,

:19 He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, five men of the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city.

:20 So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah.

:21 Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

:21 put them to death at Riblah

These were all the leaders that were left in the city that could have the potential of gathering the remaining people together and mounting resistance against Nebuchadnezzar’s army.

They are executed at Nebuchadnezzar’s field headquarters, the same place Zedekiah was blinded.

25:22-26 Governor Gedaliah

:22 Then he made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left.

Gedaliah is not from the royal lineage of King David, and he is only appointed governor, not king over Judah.

Nebuchadnezzar is not taking any more chances allowing someone with the authority of a king to rule over the people in Judah.

:23 Now when all the captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men.

:23 they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah

Play Mizpah map clip

We think this “Mizpah” is a village located about 8 miles north of Jerusalem.

This will become the new temporary regional government seat. Jerusalem is in ruins.

:23 Ishmael … Johanan

These two fellows will play a role coming soon.

:24 And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

:24 Do not be afraid of …the Chaldeans

Gedaliah is only telling them what the Lord has spoken through Jeremiah, yet this isn’t what these guys want to hear.

You can read more about Gedaliah in Jeremiah 40-43.

:25 But it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah.

:26 And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

:26 arose and went to Egypt

Jeremiah details the whole story of how they end up in Egypt (Jer. 40-43)

Johanan will lead the people to Egypt thinking they will be safe there. They force Jeremiah to come with them.

:26 they were afraid of the Chaldeans

Going to Egypt would be a terrible mistake. Jeremiah would be warning them against going to Egypt. But they would do it anyway.

Lesson

Fear and bad judgment.

Solomon wrote:

(Pr 29:25 NKJV) The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

Some of the biggest mistakes in the Bible happened because of the fear of man:

Abraham was afraid of Abimelech, and his wife Sarah was taken into Abimelech’s harem! (Gen.20)

Aaron was afraid of the people, and so he made a golden calf, leading the people into idolatry (Ex.32)

Saul disobeyed God’s command to wipe out the Amalekites because he feared the people (1Sam.15)

Peter was afraid of the Jews and denied the Lord three times (Mat 26)

What are the decisions you are facing right now?

Are some of the choices you face ones that are driven by fear?

Be careful about them.

Jesus said:

(Mt 10:28 NKJV) And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

It’s the fear of God that should drive our decisions, not the fear of man.

25:27-30 Jehoiachin Released

:27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison.

:27 the thirty-seventh year

Jehoiachin was 19 years old when taken captive, and this would now make him 56 years old. It’s March of 560 BC.

:27 Evil-Merodach king of Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar’s son.

:28 He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon.

:29 So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life.

:29 Jehoiachin

Jeremiah prophesied about him:

(Je 22: 30 NKJV) Thus says the Lord: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’ ”

Jehoiachin, would die in captivity, and though he did have sons, none of his sons becoming kings of Judah.

Ironically, part of Jesus’ genealogy is actually traced back to Jehoiachin. Isn’t He a “king”?

Joseph could trace his lineage back to the kings, through Jehoiachin, giving Jesus a legal right to the throne.

Does this break the prophecy?

No, even though Jesus was legally Joseph’s son, He wasn’t biologically Joseph’s son.

Jesus’ only human parent was Mary, who traced her genealogy back to David through David’s son Nathan instead of Solomon.

:30 And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

:30 all the days of his life

The process of restoration is starting.

The story didn’t end when all the people were taken to Babylon.

Lesson

Restoration

The goal of God’s plan is always restoration, not to destroy God’s people.

And they will turn around.

You may feel like you’re on the road to Babylon, on the road to prison.

But in God’s eyes, you’re on the way toward restoration.

We need to remember we are a part of the plan:

(Ga 6:1 NKJV) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

If you see someone fallen, don’t count them out.

There may be a time when they are ready for God’s work of restoration.