Zedekiah Becomes King

Nebuchadnezzar had defeated Judah, and carried Jehoiachin away as a hostage, along with much of the treasure in Jerusalem.  He made Matamiah, Jehoiachin’s uncle as king, giving him the name Zedekiah,  leaving a small army of occupation in Jerusalem to maintain order, as II Kings 24:17-18 tells us.  “And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father's brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.  Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.”

II Chronicles 36:12-14 describes the over all attitude ov Zedekiah and the nation of Judah at the time.  “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.  And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.  Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.”

Jeremiah had told Jehoiakim that God wanted them to surrender to the Babylonians and he would bless them.  In Jeremiah 27:12-22 he told Zedekiah and the people the same thing.  “I spake also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him and his people, and live.  Why will ye die, thou and thy people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD hath spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?  Therefore hearken not unto the words of the prophets that speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.

Also I spake to the priests and to all this people, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Hearken not to the words of your prophets that prophesy unto you, saying, Behold, the vessels of the LORD'S house shall now shortly be brought again from Babylon: for they prophesy a lie unto you.  Hearken not unto them; serve the king of Babylon, and live: wherefore should this city be laid waste?

But if they be prophets, and if the word of the LORD be with them, let them now make intercession to the LORD of hosts, that the vessels which are left in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah, and at Jerusalem, go not to Babylon.  For thus saith the LORD of hosts concerning the pillars, and concerning the sea, and concerning the bases, and concerning the residue of the vessels that remain in this city, Which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon took not, when he carried away captive Jeconiah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah from Jerusalem to Babylon, and all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem; Yea, thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning the vessels that remain in the house of the LORD, and in the house of the king of Judah and of Jerusalem; They shall be carried to Babylon, and there shall they be until the day that I visit them, saith the LORD; then will I bring them up, and restore them to this place.”

Many of the Jewish leaders were determined to try to break Babylon’s power over them.  Jeremiah warned them that God was behind that power and if the prophets who were encouraging them to fight were motivated by God, they would be praying for Judah to be able to keep their land instead of telling them they could win the fight.  To resist would only bring them further into slavery, but if they would yield, God would protect them and they would be allowed to keep their land.  Unfortunately, as Jeremiah 37:2 tells us, nobody paid much attention to Jeremiah.  “But neither he, nor his servants, nor the people of the land, did hearken unto the words of the LORD, which he spake by the prophet Jeremiah.” 

Considering what Jeremiah had saild about if the prophets were from God, Zedekiah Asked Jeremiah to begin praying for them, in Jeremiah 37:3-4.  “And Zedekiah the king sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest to the prophet Jeremiah, saying, Pray now unto the LORD our God for us.  Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people: for they had not put him into prison.”

Jeremiah’s Prophecy Fulfilled

Jeremiah gave the prophecy warning Jehoiakim and Judah to yield to the Babylonians shortly after Nebuchadnezzar attacked the Assyrian and Egyptian forces in Carchemish.  About three years later, Nebuchadnezzar officially took over Judah, Leaving Jehoiakim as king, as II Kings 24:1 describes.  “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.”

Jehoiakim hac destroyed the first copy of Jeremiah’s prophecy, and he ignored the message that if they would simply yield, they would be spared and allowed to keep their land, as Jeremiah 27:8-11 stated.  “And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.  Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish.  But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.”

Jehoiakim refused to acknowledge the sins of his grandfather or to listen to Jeremiah’s prophecies.  Three years after swearing allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, Jehoiakim led a rebellion against him, which was decisively suppressed, as II Kings 24:1-tells us.  “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.  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.  Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.”

Jehoiakim was killed in the fighting, and his son Jehoiachin became king as II Kings 24:6 tells us.  “So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.”   Jehoiachin continued what his father had started, refusing to surrender to God or to Nebuchadnezzar, as II Kings 24:8-9 tells us.  “Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother's name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.”

The war with Babylon was essentially over when Jehoiachin assumed the throne.   Jehoiachin only held the throne three months and ten day before Nebuchadnezzar dethroned him and took him as a hostage, in II Kings 24:10-12.  “At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged.  And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it.  And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign.”

By the eighth year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had conquered everything from the border of Egypt to to part of present day Turkey, and began moving their treasures to Babylon.  He took Jerusalem’s treasure, as well as ten thousand of their leaders and most skilled artisans, leaving only the least skilled behind, as II Kings 24:13-16 tells us.  “And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, 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 temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.  And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land.  And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king's mother, and the king's wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon.  And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.”

Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin’s refusal to obey produced exactly the results God warned them about. 

Historical notes  

Jehoiachin was also called Jeconiah or Coniah, He would remain a slave in Babylon for thirty seven years, before being freed by Evil Merodak or Amel Marduk, Nebuchadnezzar’s son.  The king we know as Nebuchadnezzar was in fact Nebuchadnezzar II.  Nebuchadnezzar I had lived five hundred years earlier. 

Daniel and Mordecai, Esther’s uncle were two of those who were carried away at this time. 

Jehoiakim Rejects Jeremiah’s Message

Because he was in prison, Jeremiah had dictated God’s prophecy to Baruch, who then went and read it to all the people.  At the time, Babylon had just take over the Assyrian Empire, and Jeremiah was warning them not to fight against it because it was God’s will.  Upon hearing what God said, Te leaders were concerned about how the king would react to the prophecy, in Jeremiah 36:11-19.  “When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and, lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.  Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them.  And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.  And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth?

Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.

Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be.”

Fearing Jehoiakim’s reaction the leaders advised Baruch and Jeremiah to find a safe place before they confronted him.  When Jehoiakim heard the prophecy, he destroyed the book Baruch had written, treating it as unimportant and ordering the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah again.  As Jeremiah 36:20-26 tells us.  “And they went in to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.  So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king.

Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.  And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.  Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.  Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.  But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them.”

Baruch and Jeremiah were protected by God, and were safe, but destroying the copy of the prophecy did not change it, only bringing more judgement on Jehoiakim for his refusal to listen, as Jeremiah 36:27-31 describes.  “Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?  Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.  And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.”

Concentrate on Obeying God

While we do not know the details of Jeremiah’s message in Jeremiah 26 that were so offensive to the political and religious leaders, it is not hard to understand their hatred of his prophecy in Jeremiah 27:1-10.  “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 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.

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.  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 nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him.  And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand.

Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. “

To political leaders amnd many religious leaders, such a prophecy would seem treasonous.  Jeremiah was encouraging the people to simply yield to Nebuchadnezzar and allow him to have his way.  the message was not onl to Judah, but to all the countries around.  At the time they were still under Egypt’s domination, but as we know from history, four years after Jehoiakim became king, the Babylonians would defeat both the the Assyrian and Egyptian forces, and seize control.  Jeremiah was advising them that god was allowing Babylon to take control, and that there would be no serious problems if they would recognize it as God’s will and simply yield. 

He also warned thast to fight against the Babylonians would result war, famine and disease and ultimately, the loss of their lands.  They should not listen to the politicians and prophets who encouraged them to stand up and fight, because following them would only result in destruction.   Like many people today, many of the leaders of Israel equated patriotism and godliness.  They are not the same thing.  While the Jews were to continue to follow the theachings of the Law, God had designated Nebuchadnezzar to rule the entire area, and fighting against him would amount to fighting against God’s will. 

In much the same way, Christians need to realize that while the move to create a global government is part of Satan’s plan for the Antichrist, God has said it is going to happen to fulfil his prophecies.  As Christians, we are not called on to prevent it happening, but rather to continue to stand for what is right as it happens.  If we try to stop it, we may well find ourselves fighting against God.   As we see this coming to pass, it becomes increasingly important that we stand for the moral and religious beliefs we find in God’s word. 

Revelations 2 and 3 talk about typical churches in the last days.   Christ had only compliments for two of those churches.  He told the church at Smyrna, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life,” in Revelation 2:10.   In Revelation 3:10-11, he told the church at Philadelphia, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.”  Instead of trying to prevent Satan from setting up his world government, we are to focus on doing what God has said and trust him to take care of Satan.   It is not our job to fix the world, but to obey God. 

God Had Warned Jehoiakim To Obey The Law

When Pharaoh Necho II first made Jehoiakim king, God sent Jeremiah to warn him to follow the Lord, in Jeremiah 26:1-6.  “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word from the LORD, saying,  Thus saith the LORD; Stand in the court of the LORD'S house, and speak unto all the cities of Judah, which come to worship in the LORD'S house, all the words that I command thee to speak unto them; diminish not a word:  If so be they will hearken, and turn every man from his evil way, that I may repent me of the evil, which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings.  And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the LORD; If ye will not hearken to me, to walk in my law, which I have set before you, To hearken to the words of my servants the prophets, whom I sent unto you, both rising up early, and sending them, but ye have not hearkened; Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the earth.  So the priests and the prophets and all the people heard Jeremiah speaking these words in the house of the LORD.”

Josiah had followed the Lord fully, and the people had followed Josiah, but they had little loyalty to the Lord himself.  When Jeremiah called on them to follow the Lord, they turned on him, aqccusing him of treason, as Jeremiah 26:8-11 describes.  “Now it came to pass, when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking all that the LORD had commanded him to speak unto all the people, that the priests and the prophets and all the people took him, saying, Thou shalt surely die.  Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the LORD, saying, This house shall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be desolate without an inhabitant? And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the LORD.

When the princes of Judah heard these things, then they came up from the king's house unto the house of the LORD, and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house.  Then spake the priests and the prophets unto the princes and to all the people, saying, This man is worthy to die; for he hath prophesied against this city, as ye have heard with your ears.”

Jeremiah pointed out that his message came from God, and if they would obey, God would bless them, but that killing him would only make things worse, in Jeremiah 26:12-15.  “Then spake Jeremiah unto all the princes and to all the people, saying, The LORD sent me to prophesy against this house and against this city all the words that ye have heard.  Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.  As for me, behold, I am in your hand: do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you.  But know ye for certain, that if ye put me to death, ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon yourselves, and upon this city, and upon the inhabitants thereof: for of a truth the LORD hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears. “

As so often happens, the priests and prophets were just going through the motions of serving God and they resented the implication that they were not sincere  The people recognized that he was right, and insisted theyhad no justification for killing him, as Jeremiah 26:16-19 tells us.  “Then said the princes and all the people unto the priests and to the prophets; This man is not worthy to die: for he hath spoken to us in the name of the LORD our God.

Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake to all the assembly of the people, saying, Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.  Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death? did he not fear the LORD, and besought the LORD, and the LORD repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus might we procure great evil against our souls.”

When a second man, Urijah, made similar prophecies, they proceeded to kill him, even having him extradited from Egypt, as Jeremiah 26:20- 23 describes.  “And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the LORD, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjathjearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land according to all the words of Jeremiah: And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death: but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt; And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.  And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.” 

When it became apparent, that there was serious support for Jeremiah’s prophecies, the political leaders began to crack down on what they viewed as rebellion.  Fortunately, Jeremiah had strong support from one very powerful political leader, as Jeremiah 26:24 tells us.  “Nevertheless the hand of Ahikam the son of Shaphan was with Jeremiah, that they should not give him into the hand of the people to put him to death.”

Conquered By Egypt, And Then By Babylon

Josiah had ben argueably the best king Israel or Judah ever had, following God to the best of his ability.  When he was killed, the people crowned his son Jehoahaz as king.  Jehoahaz deliberately turned away from God’s standards, copying his ancestors such as Amon, Manasseh, and Ahaz.  His reign only lasted three months, as II Kings 23:31-32 tells us.  “Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Having defeated Josiah’s forces a Meggido, Pharaoh had gone on to carchemesh, where he successfully thwarted the Babylonian invasion.  On his way back to Egypt, he took control of Judah, forcing them to pay tribute according to II Kings 23:35.  “And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.”

As proof of his power, Pharaoh named his brother Eliakim king, changing his name to Jehoiakim, and carrying Jehoahaz to Egypt as a hostage, as II Chronicles 36:4 tells us.  “And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.”

In order to retain power, Jehoiakim paid the tribute, taxing the people to make the payments.  He followed the same path his brother had taken, and most of the people went along with it.  He would reign for a total of eleven years. As we see in II Kings 23:35-37.  “And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh.  Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.  And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Four years after Pharaoh had successfully defended Carchemesh, the Babylonians attacked the city, seizing control of the Assyrian Empire and expelling the Egyptian forces and claiming their territory.   Eight years after being taken over by the Egyptians, Judah became a Babylonian territory.  Three years later, Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylonian rule, as II Kings 24:1 describes.  “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.”

This resulted in an invasion by the combined forces of the Babylonian Empire, fulfilling God’s prophecies, as II Kings 24:2-4 describes.  “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.  Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon.” Though they had stopped doing those sins for a time, they had never repented of them or asked forgiveness, just kind of pushing them under the rug and ignoring them.

During this time, God sent various prophets, including Jeremiah to warn the people not to rebel, but to trust God, as described in Jeremiah 25, 26, 27, 35, 36, and 37.  As a result of the rebellion, Jehoiakim was taken as hostage and his son Jehoiachim became king, as II Chronicles 36:6-8 describes.  “Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.  Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.”

With the taking of Judah, Basbylon controlled everything to the traditional border of Egypt, eliminating Egypt as a threat, as we see in II Kings 24:7.  "And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.”  Several years later, Nebuchadnezzar would invade and conquer Egypt as well.   

Josiah Is Killed

From the very beginning of his reign, Josiah sought to please God.  After they found a copy of God’s Law, he began a concerted effort to get all of Judah to follow God as well, even out doing David in his devotion, as II Kings 23:25 tells us.  “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.”

A great leader can influence peopl’s behaviou, but he cannot control their attitudes.  Although the people accepted Josiah’s leadership for over thirty years, destroying all the idols and stopping worshipping the false gods, they never truly confessed or repented of their idolatry under Manasseh and Amon.  As a result, they had never been forgiven for that sin, as II Kings 23:26-27 tells us.  “Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.  And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.” 

Thae Assyrian Empire was beginning to fade as the Babylonian Empire grew, and had been forced to withdraw to Charchemish on the Euphrates River, far north of israel and Judah.  The Egyptians claimed the city and went to their aid, apparently crossing Jewish territory.  Josiah refused to give them passage, as II Chronicles 35:20 tells us.  “After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him. “

Necho II, the Egyptian pharaoh attempted to negotiate with Josiah, insisting they had no intention of attacking Judah, but Josiah refused to listen, disguising himself, and leading an attack on the Egyptians in the valley of Meggido, as II Chronicles 35:21-22 describes.  “But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.  Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.”

The Egyptians were victorious, and Josiah was fatally injured in the fighting and was taken back to Jerusalem, as II Chronicles 35:23-24 explains.  “And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.  His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.”

Josiah had been the best king they ever had and all Judah mourned over his death at such a young age.  Jeremiah held a special memorial for him that was to be observed in the future, according to II Chronicles 35:25-27.  “And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.  Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD, And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.”

Because of their respect for Josiah, the people made his son Jehoahaz king as II chronicles 36:1 tells us.  “Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.”