Jehoiakim-the Impious

by J.C. RADCLIFFE | Category: Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings | Aug 1932

"Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God" (2 Chronicles 36. 5).

We pass by the very short reign of Jehoahaz the son of Josiah who reigned for three months it is recorded of him, he did "evil in the sight of Jehovah, according to all that his fathers (note the word fathers, not father) had done (2 Kings 23. 32).

Jehoiakim was the eldest son and the rightful heir to the throne, Pharaoh-necoh making him king instead of Jehoahaz. The latter was evidently the people's nominee, being younger than Jehoiakim as appears from the ages of each given to us in Scripture.

For one or two reasons the names of the kings of Judah in this last chapter of their history are rather confusing. It appears to be the only period when there is not a regular succession in the royal line from father to son. In the four last kings we find three of them sons of Josiah and only one (Jehoiachin) a son in succession to Jehoiakim.

Then again, the names are somewhat confusing, for in Jeremiah 22. 11, Jehoahaz is called Shallum-and also in 1 Chronicles 3. 15. Jehoiakim's original name appears to have been Eliakim (2 Kings 23. 34), which Pharaoh changed to Jehoiakim (the one connected with the divine title EL, translated God, and the other with JEHOVAH, the title connected with covenant relationship). Then again, Jehoiachin is named Jeconiah, in Jeremiah 24. 1, and Coniah, in Jeremiah 22. 24, 28.

It will be observed that as regards the king under our consideration now, we have to refer to the book of Jeremiah for the greater part of our information.

It was in the earlier part of this king's reign that the cream of the royal line of Judah was carried away into Babylon, amongst them being Daniel and his companions.

Egypt's power was tottering, and Nebuchadnezzar at the head of the Babylonian Monarchy was making himself master of practically the whole of the Eastern World. Jehoiakim was but a vassal under the autocratic power of one of the greatest monarchs the world has ever known. Jehoiakim's perfidious character and rebellious spirit in the breaking of the covenant with the king of Babylon, and the consequent results, are brought before us by the prophet Ezekiel in chapter 17. of that book.

As before briefly mentioned, it was in the third year of this king's reign that according to Daniel 1. 1, certain of the children of Israel, even of the seed royal and of the nobles were carried away into Babylon, amongst whom was the outstanding figure of Daniel the prophet. This was apparently 19 years before the final overthrow of the city of Jerusalem at the close of Zedekiah's reign; so that with this reign begins a very important, and, withal sad, period in the history of God's ancient and beloved people.

The Captivity appears to be dated from this time, so that this will account for the return of the remnant many years before the 70 years would have terminated, dating with the end of the monarchy under Zedekiah.

By far the most impressive event, however, in the life of Jehoiakim, is associated with the impious and profane act of his treatment of the Word of God by cutting the scroll with a penknife and casting it into the fire in the brasier burning before him, as recorded in Jeremiah 36.

Other kings, as we have seen, had little of the fear of God before them-giving themselves up to idolatry and all kinds of evil, yet for audacious impiety this king stands unrivalled, committing an act unparalleled in the history of God's ancient people.

Jehoiakim is but the prototype of many since his day; true, not cutting up the Bible with a material penknife, but with the penknife of the carnal human intellect. Satan's great aim is to destroy the Scriptures, no matter what way this can be achieved, for in the destruction of the Scriptures he is destroying the testimony as to Christ Himself-as Luther rightly said, "all his assaults are against Christ Himself."

THE DEITY OF CHRIST is thus his main objective, for upon

this hangs all that is vital to Christianity. We have this demonstrated in no uncertain way to-day, inasmuch as the Deity of Christ is denied on all hands-not always overtly, it is true, but perhaps oftener in a covert way; and this has succeeded very rapidly and very markedly on the teaching and propaganda of so-called "higher criticism" during the last half of the nineteenth century.

Whosoever seeks to mutilate God's precious book, by whatsoever means employed, is only fighting against the eternal God, who, like His book, is infinite in wisdom, majesty and glory.

As the waves of angry ocean

Beat against the mighty rock,

But unmoved and undiminished,

It repels their every shock;

So the Word of God remaineth,

While its enemies have fled,

And it lives, and shall for ever,

While they lie among the dead.

The two-edged sword of God's Word either convicts the humble-as Josiah; or draws out the latent hatred of the ungodly-as Jehoiakim.

We see that it had a similar effect in the early days of the present dispensation: some on the day of Pentecost were "pricked to the heart" and repented; whereas when certain heard the preaching of Stephen they were "cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him (Stephen) with their teeth."

We have the same principle expressed in the following Scripture-"But thanks be unto God, which always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savour of His knowledge in every place. For we are a sweet savour of Christ unto God, in them that are being saved, and in them that are perishing; to the one a savour from death unto death; to the other a savour from life unto life" (2 Corinthians 2. 14-16).

We should make a great mistake, however, if we thought for a moment that it is only the "higher critics" who mutilate the Bible. We had a spectacular display quite recently demonstrating this fact, when (as some have computed) about a million persons were devoutedly falling down before a "piece of dough" as their God, and not only that, but according to their own teaching crucifying the Son of God afresh, as witness this-"If any one say that in the mass a true and proper sacrifice is not offered to God: or that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given to eat: let him be anathema."

This indeed is making void the Word of God by their tradition. It is of the greatest importance to notice that it has pleased God to give us the use of our senses in discerning what is of Himself in this world of fraud and deceit. The Lord Jesus Himself appealed to the use of the senses-"See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold Me having. And when He had said this, he shewed them His hands and His feet" (Luke 24. 39, 40). Romanists see the force of this

argument and have invented a system of philosophy to meet it. They teach that the appearance and the taste and the smell and the feeling of the consecrated bread are only accidents and not realities. So that what is white is not white, but only an appearance. What is round is not round, but only an appearance; and so forth.

We might add much more, but this should suffice to shew the awful depths of Satan-what further proof is necessary when one reads the following words given as instruction to those who are carrying on propaganda work in connection with the Church of Rome in the Market Places and so forth, of the country: "It is advisable to remind them that we do not take our religion from the Scriptures except in a very subordinate sense-in other words, that we are emphatically not as they are, Bible Christians."

Nothing seems to shew out the serpent-like tortuous ways of the great adversary more than this, that the very "higher criticism" is turned to account and made to become in certain eases, a feeder, for that monstrous system of religious fraud-Rome; the higher-critics have so mutilated the Bible that it ceases to be a certain guide for those who desire something definite as to the great eternity which all of us are facing; many such consequently turn to the Church of Rome, which claims to be infallible-" The wiles of the Devil"; "The deep things of Satan" surely.

Whether it be the destruction of the material Book as in the days of old; or the open blasphemy of Voltaire, Paine, or Ingersoll; or the subtle reasoning of the "higher criticism," or the superstition and philosophy of the Church of Rome, it is all one and the same in principle and object with the audacious act of Jehoiakim; and evinces an innate hatred to the truth of God, laying bare the evil propensities of man, and shewing him up in his true character.

We are reminded of "the falling blows of the hammer on the anvil." "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know," said the blacksmith.

Just so, I thought, the anvil of God's Word

For ages sceptics blows have beat upon,

But while the noise of fallen blows was heard,

The anvil is unharmed, the hammers gone.

J.C. RADCLIFFE | Aug 1932
Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings