Jehoiakim- Send, Amend, The End
I Send
II Amend
A. God testifies for Repentance.
B. Man testifies for Submission.
C. The Judge gives Sentence.
III The End
A. Jehoiakim’s End.
B. Jehoiachin’s End.
1. Jehoiakim- Send, Amend, The End
2Kgs 24; Jer 35
"The beginning of the end" can be dated from
Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion when "Nebuchadnezzar
King of Babylon came up" against Jehoiakim, "and
Jehoiakim became his servant three years" (ver. 1).
When a vessel of iron and one of clay have a collision, it’s
not difficult to predict the outcome.
2Kgs 24:1-2
1 In his days Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon came up,
and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he
turned and rebelled against him.
2 And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees,
and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and
bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against
Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD,
which he spake by his servants the prophets.
Jer 35:15
15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets,
rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now
2. every man from his evil way, and amend your doings,
and go not after othergods to serve them, and ye shall
dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your
fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened
unto me.
I Send
Jer 22:13-17
For three years Jehoiakim bore the heavy yoke of the King
of Babylon, as before he had with Nechoh.
During that period his character underwent no
improvement.
He still proved himself the tyrant and oppressor of his
people,
He was obstinate and headstrong,
He sought the life of God’s prophets.
He built magnificent palaces by forced labor. (Jer 22:13-
17)
Jer 22:13-17
13 Woe unto him that buildeth his house by
unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that
useth his neighbour's service without wages, and
giveth him not for his work;
3. 14 That saith, I will build me a wide house and large
chambers, and cuttethhim out windows; and it is
cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion.
15 Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyselfin
cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do
judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
16 He judged the cause of the poorand needy; then it
was well with him:was not this to know me? saith
the LORD.
17 But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy
covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for
oppression, and for violence, to do it.
When Jeremiah’s roll was read to him, he cut it up with a
penknife, and threw it in the fire. (Jer 36:20-23)
He slew Urijah the prophet, and wanted to put Jeremiah
to death as well. (Jer 26:12-24)
Under his reign sin had a great revival,
the moral condition of the people rapidly deteriorated.
Judah, like Israel, had become a hopelessly corrupt
carcass,
nothing remained but to remove it from the face of the
earth.
4. God’s “sending” was answered by more sinning; but God’s
mercy has one more message…
II Amend
The nation was too proud to submit itself.
Neither king nor people had any intention of putting up
with the loss of independence or becoming loyal
Babylonian subjects.
Jehoiakim sought revolt from the moment of his
subjection;
and within three years rebelled openly.
Five years of war followed.
Prompted by Nebuchadnezzar, "the nations set against
him on every side", (Eze 19:8; 2Ki 24:2)
A.God testifies for Repentance.
Jeremiah gave constant voice to God’s call, but it was
ignored.
Rom 1:22 Professingthemselves to be wise, they
became fools,
Rom 1:24 Wherefore God also gave them up to
uncleanness…
5. Rom 1:26 For this cause God gave them up unto vile
affections…
Rom 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God
in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate
mind…
Rom 1:31-32 Withoutunderstanding,
covenantbreakers…
32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they
which commit such things are worthy of death, not
only do the same, but have pleasurein them that do
them.
Jer 8
Jehoiakim was given up to the delusions of his own
foolishness, and the people cherished false hope based
solely on their possession of the temple and the Law.
(Jer 8:8; 7:4)
Jer 8:8 How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of
the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he
it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.
Jer 7:4 Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The
temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The
temple of the LORD, are these.
6. The templeand the law were given to CHANGE a man;
not an added ritualto the dailychores.
Jer 7:5
Neither the temple nor Law will benefit those who
refuse to "thoroughly amend" their "ways" and their
"doings". (Jer 7:5, 7)
Jer 7:5 For if ye throughly amend your ways and
your doings; if ye throughlyexecute judgment
between a man and his neighbour;
Jer 7:7 Then will I cause you to dwell in this place,
in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and
ever.
B. Man testifies for Submission.
2Kgs 24:2
And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees,
and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites,
and bands of the children of Ammon…
Nebuchadnezzar did not attack Jehoiakim personally;
but gave command to bordering bandits
to harass Judah and give Jehoiakim no peace.
7. God’s call to Repentance was ignored; so, now he
surrounds Judah with humans demanding submission.
C.The Judge gives Sentence.
2Kgs 24
It was the "Lord" who sent these hostile bands
2Kgs 24:2
And the LORD …sent them against Judah to destroy it,
according to the word of the LORD, which he spake
by his servants the prophets.
Nebuchadnezzar is on a mission from God.
Jer 27:5-7 I have made the earth, the man and the
beast that are upon the ground, by my great power
and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto
whom it seemed meet unto me.
6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand
of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my
servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him
also to serve him.
7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and
his son's son, until the very time of his land come:
and then many nationsand great kings shall serve
themselves of him.
8. From strictly a human standpoint, Nebuchadnezzar
seems to be a cruel, power hungry, self-appointed
scourge of nations.
Because Judah would not amend her ways, in
obedience to God; Nebuchadnezzar would be the bailiff
to do God’s bidding.
There is no fatalism more sure than of a people wedded
to their sins in the unholy matrimony of Rebellion
against God’s authority.
Ezek 18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb
concerningthe land of Israel, saying, The fathers have
eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on
edge?
Ezek 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son
shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the
father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of
the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of
the wicked shall be upon him.
It was not because the fathers had eaten sour grapes
that the children’s teeth were set on edge; but because
the children refused to amend their own ways.
9. III The End
A. Jehoiakim’s End.
Jer 22
Jehoiakim lived as a bruit beast estranged from God and
died the same way.
Jer 22:18-19 18 Therefore thus saith the LORD
concerningJehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah;
They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother!or,
Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord!
or, Ah his glory!
19 He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and
cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.
B. Jehoiachin’s End.
2Kgs 25
Jehoiachin succeeded to the throne of his father, but,
like Jehoahaz, he only held it for three months. Of him
is recorded he "did evil."
He is, possibly, the "young lion" of Eze 19:5-9, whom
the nations took in their net, and brought to the King of
Babylon.
10. There seem to have been some elements of repentance
in his nature, and, after a long captivity, he became the
friend and companion of the Babylonian king who
succeeded Nebuchadnezzar. (2Ki 25:27-30)
2Kgs 25:27-30 27 And it came to pass in the seven and
thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah,
in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of
the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year
that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin
king of Judah out of prison;
28 And he spake kindly to him, and set his throneabove
the throneof the kings that were with him in Babylon;
29 And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread
continuallybefore him all the days of his life.
30 And his allowance was a continual allowancegiven
him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of
his life.
How will heaven record your life story?
That is dependententirely on the speed with which you
submit to the authority of God.
Josiah- submitted to the word of the Lord at the hand of the
priest.
11. Jehoahaz- Never submitted, end was in chainsand tribute to
Egypt
Jehoiakim- Never submitted, end was killedby Neb. Cast out
unburied
Jehoiachin- turned at the end and was given reprieve from
punishment at the end of his days.
Jehoiakim- Send, Amend, The End
I Send
II Amend
A. God testifies for Repentance.
B. Man testifies for Submission.
C. The Judge gives Sentence.
III The End
A. Jehoiakim’s End.
B. Jehoiachin’s End.