April 9, 2025, 2 Kings 23:36-24:7

April 9, 2025, 2 Kings 23:36-24:7

36  Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.  37  And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 24 In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him.  2  And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldeans and bands of the Syrians and bands of the Moabites and bands of the Ammonites, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servants the prophets.  3  Surely this came upon Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done,  4  and also for the innocent blood that he had shed. For he filled Jerusalem with innocent

blood, and the LORD would not pardon.  5  Now the rest of the deeds 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 slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.  7  And the king of Egypt did not come again out of his land, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.

 

The reign of Jehoiakim, proved to be no different from those who went before him.  He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord leading to the Babylonian invasion and Judah’s eventually exile.

 

What pattern do you see in these passages?  What warnings are we given against disobedience?  In what ways do you seek God’s guidance?  Do you see God as keeping His promises and being faithful?

 

Robin Adams