THE LAST FIVE KINGS OF JUDAH Lesson 3 for October 17, 2015

Josiah (640-609) Jehoahaz (609) Jehoiakim (609-598) Jeremiah was called as a prophet in the 13th year of Josiah’s reign (627 BC), so he could support Josiah’s religious reformation. After Josiah’s death, Jeremiah tried to make the last four kings of Judah leave their evil ways. Nevertheless, his efforts were in vain and Jerusalem couldn’t be saved from being destroyed. Josiah (640-609) The last good king of Judah. Jehoahaz (609) He was deported to Egypt. Jehoiakim (609-598) First deportation to Babylon [Daniel]. Jehoiachin (598-597) Second deportation to Babylon [Ezekiel]. Zedekiah (597-586) Jerusalem is destroyed. (All dates BC)

First phase of reformation: abandoning sin. 2 Chronicles 34:3-7. JOSIAH “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (2 Chronicles 34:1-2) At 8 He was crowned. His father and grandfather were idolatrous kings. At 16 He began seeking God. At 20 He stopped idolatry throughout Israel and Judah. At 21 Jeremiah began prophesying. He was a little younger than Josiah. At 26 He cleansed the temple. He read the Law and made a covenant with God. First phase of reformation: abandoning sin. 2 Chronicles 34:3-7. Second phase of reformation: a covenant with God; keeping the law and following the teachings from in Bible. 2 Chronicles 34:31.

JEHOAHAZ “Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 36:1-2) Josiah died in a battle while he was fighting Pharaoh Necho II. His son Shallum (Jehoahaz) reigned after him. Three months after his campaign against Babylon, Pharaoh Necho brought Jehoahaz to Egypt and crowned Jehoiakim—who supported Egypt. Pharaoh Necho was trying to stop Babylon that way. God used Jeremiah to announce that Jehoahaz would never return from Egypt (Jeremiah 22:11-12).

Two grave sins blotted his reign: JEHOIAKIM “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. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.” (2 Kings 23:36-37) Pharaoh Necho lost the battle of Carchemish against Nebuchadnezzar. Then, Jehoiakim had to surrender to Babylon in 605 BC. Two grave sins blotted his reign: Idolatry and rejecting God (Jeremiah 22:20-21). Social injustice: “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and gives him nothing for his work.” (Jeremiah 22:13). Those two sins often come together. Therefore, God invites us through the Bible to do good to those around us and to treat everyone with fairness.

JEHOIACHIN “‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off.’” (Jeremiah 22:24) Jehoiachin (also known as Coniah and Jeconiah) reigned for about three months. The main leaders and craftsmen were deported because he resisted Nebuchadnezzar. He and his family died as prisoners in Babylon. God had a message of hope for his people in those hard times. That’s our message, too: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11). After some time, God’s grace was shown in Jehoiachin. Evil- Merodach—king of Babylon— delivered him and gave him a place at court (Jeremiah 52:31-34).

“Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 36:11-12) Zedekiah Zedekiah and the people chose to do “all the detestable practices of the nations” (2 Chronicles 36:14 NIV). They didn’t surrender their hearts to God, and they didn’t repent of their sins. They systematically rejected Jeremiah’s message (Jeremiah 38:17). Finally, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed. We are called to preach an unpopular message, just like Jeremiah was. We must encourage the world to stop “all the detestable practices” and to repent of their sins.

THE REMNANT “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” (Jeremiah 23:3) Many nations have disappeared and have been forgotten. Israel was going that way, but God didn’t abandon His people. He kept a faithful remnant. A remnant would return to Jerusalem to meet God again after all those years of apostasy. God is gathering a faithful remnant today, after many centuries of apostasy. We are called to come back to the biblical roots of faith. We are called to preach the last repentance message. Jesus is coming again to bring His people to the everlasting New Jerusalem. Let’s listen and obey His prophets.

Read the next quote carefully. How could you put it into practice? “In his testimonies to the church, Jeremiah constantly referred to the teachings of the book of the law that had been so greatly honored and exalted during Josiah’s reign. He emphasized anew the importance of maintaining a covenant relationship with the all-merciful and compassionate Being who upon the heights of Sinai had spoken the precepts of the Decalogue. Jeremiah’s words of warning and entreaty reached every part of the kingdom, and all had opportunity to know the will of God concerning the nation.” E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 35, pg. 422)