After good king Josiah, were the last 3 kings of Judah good or evil? What was the final result for the nation? Is a descendant of Judah also our king? Let’s look at 2 Kings 24.
What was the legacy of evil king Jehoiakim and what were some of his sins?
In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. And the Lord sent against him raiding bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon. Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place. And the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates. (2 Kings 24:1-7 NKJV)
What was the legacy of evil king Jehoiakin and what were some of his sins?
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem. Jehoiachin did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his father had done. During Jehoiachin’s reign, the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came up against Jerusalem and besieged it. Nebuchadnezzar himself arrived at the city during the siege. Then King Jehoiachin, along with the queen mother, his advisers, his commanders, and his officials, surrendered to the Babylonians. In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. As the Lord had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar carried away all the treasures from the Lord’s Temple and the royal palace. He stripped away all the gold objects that King Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple. King Nebuchadnezzar took all of Jerusalem captive, including all the commanders and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and artisans—10,000 in all. Only the poorest people were left in the land. Nebuchadnezzar led King Jehoiachin away as a captive to Babylon, along with the queen mother, his wives and officials, and all Jerusalem’s elite. He also exiled 7,000 of the best troops and 1,000 craftsmen and artisans, all of whom were strong and fit for war. (2 Kings 24:8-16 NLT)
Who then became king of Judah? Was he a good or bad king? How will this affect the nation?
The king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s father’s brother, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of Yahweh, this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon. (2 Kings 24:17-20 WEB)
If only 8 of 20 kings of Judah were good and Judah broke their covenant with God, did God mercifully provide them with a new and better covenant?
If the first covenant had been without fault, it wouldn’t have made sense to expect a second. But God did find fault with them, since he says, Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a covenant with the house of Israel, and I will make a new covenant with the house of Judah. (Hebrews 8:7-8 CEB)
Does another righteous king come out of Judah, the final king?
When Christ Jesus comes as king, he will be the judge of everyone, whether they are living or dead. (2 Timothy 4:1 CEV)
After good king Josiah, were the last 3 kings of Judah good or evil? What was the final result for the nation? Is a descendant of Judah also our king? You decide!
