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.”