The Last Days Of The Kings Of Judah

by L. Bowman | Category: Lessons From The Last Days | Jul 1962

As in the things of men so in the things of God, difficult times

invariably produce great men. The last days of the kings of Judah

were black indeed, but they were illumined by the lives of two outstanding men, viz.: Josiah the king and Jeremiah the prophet, who shone as lights in the darkness. They were men of similar age and both showed great devotion to God when still very young. Jeremiah lived through the reigns of the last five kings of Judah, viz.: Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah and Zedekiah, speaking God's message to the people during a period of over forty years.

In the thirteenth year of Josiah's reign (i.e., when the king was only 21 years of age) God revealed His purpose for Jeremiah who pleaded unfitness because of his youth (see Jeremiah 1). Five years later the young prophet witnessed one of the greatest revivals that had taken place in the history of God's people. Josiah in his zeal for God and God's house was responsible for this. "While he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David" (2 Chronicles 34.3). It was increased by Josiah hearing the ;word of God being read (2 Chronicles 34.19-21). Real revival always begins in this way. It is the result of the effect of the word of God upon the individual heart. After reading to the people the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD, Josiah caused them to follow his example and pledge themselves to be obedient to the covenant as their fathers had done at Sinai. Previously he had purged the land from evil and had repaired the house of the LORD, and then he kept the passover in a way that had not been equalled since the days of Samuel. Yet God revealed it unto Jeremiah that such a revival was not whole-hearted on the part of the people but feigned (i.e., not sincere) (Jeremiah 3.10). Things may not always be what they appear to be on the surface. It is how God sees His people that counts, for He looks not on the outward appearance, but on the heart. He knows the condition of each heart today, for all things are naked and laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do (Hebrews 4.13). We are also told that our Lord walketh in the midst of the churches and He knows the condition of each (Revelation 2).

Josiah was not like the people over whom he reigned, for God bears witness to the reality and completeness of his devotion, he

"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" (2 Kings 23.25).

Alas, that God's people may have godly leadership and yet be far away in heart from Him, and alas, too, that wise and able leadership should cease because there is no one to carry it on ! After Josiah's godly influence was withdrawn, the real state of the people became manifest. The mourning of the people over his untimely death had scarcely ceased when Jehoahaz, his son who succeeded to the throne, was removed by Pharaoh-necoh as a captive to Egypt after a short reign of only three months. Concerning this Jeremiah spoke, saying "Weep ye not for the dead (Josiah) ... but weep sore for him (Jehoahar) that goeth away; ... he shall see this land no more" (Jeremiah 22.10-12).

These were but the beginning of a series of sad happenings, for in the third year of Jehoiakim, the next king, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, beseiged Jerusalem and carried away captive some of the choicest of Judah's youths, including Daniel, and some of the vessels of the house of God (Daniel 1.1, 2). It is a cause for grief when young lives of promise are taken away by the enemy, but sadder still when things vital to the service of God's house are also lost. Eight years later Nebuchadnezzar returned to Jerusalem and deposing Jehoiakim because he rebelled, bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon. Jeconiah his son was given the throne, but after three months he, too, was taken to Babylon along with other goodly vessels of the house of the LORD. These truly were sad days for the throne of Judah and the house of the LORD. Following Jeconiah's removal Zedekiah the last king of Judah ascended the throne. He was a son of Josiah, but was as unlike his father as his two brothers had been. He was a proud, stiff-necked and hard-hearted man, who although he was privileged to hear God speaking through Jeremiah on frequent occasions, yet gave no heed to the message, nor did he profit from the events which happened in his days, although they were calculated to turn him to the LORD.

In the eighteenth year of his reign, after besieging the city for eighteen months, Nebuchadnezzar's army made a breach in the wall, Zedekiah, on seeing the enemy enter the city, tried to flee, but was overtaken and afterwards slain. Some of the people also died by the sword and many others were taken as captives to Babylon. One month after the fall of the city, the Babylonians set the city on fire, burning the house of the LORD, the king's house and other great houses. They also brake down the walls of the city and reduced Zion to desolation. As Jeremiah witnessed these things he might well weep and cry,

"Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow."

(Lamentations 1. 12).

God also saw those happenings, and how grievous it must have been to Him to see the mount Zion which He loved and His sanctuary being made desolate! He saw too the remainder of the vessels being carried away by the enemy. Jeremiah, as caused to write by the Holy Spirit, mentions each thing separately-the pillars of brass, the bases and the brazen sea were broken to pieces. The smaller articles of less consequence were also taken, pots, shovels, snuffers, basons and spoons, all used in the service of God's house. They belonged to Him, and He attached an importance to each. Even so today, God values each one who is in His house and it is grievous to Him if any is carried away by the enemy. Thus the house of God ceased to exist and the throne of Judah was vacated. The house was built again, but the throne has never again been filled, yet the Lord of the royal line of David shall yet reign over the house of Jacob for ever. When He sits upon His throne He shall be both Priest and King, and in those days the nations shall go up to the LORD's house to worship the King, the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 14.16).

Responsibility for what happened cannot be laid entirely upon the

men who sat upon the throne, although they must take a major share of the blame, but there were others also, and we think particularly of the priests. Those men had responsibility in connexion with the holy things of God's sanctuary, yet how sadly they failed! Instead of observing the true worship of Jehovah as given to them through Moses, they led the people in copying the heathen practices of the nations around. The outcome of this was that things were allowed in to pollute the house which God had hallowed (2 Chronicles 36.14).

In the days of the spiritual house a similar thing happened, for ungodly men crept in privily and brought evil practices with them (Jude 4). There were others also who, though believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, became false teachers; who brought in destructive heresies and lascivious doings, and many followed them (2 Peter 2). Thus God's dwelling place became defiled. How solemn is the responsibility of those who are leaders to guard against the entrance of evil persons, practices or teachings, which if allowed to enter would pollute God's house today! Evil may find its way in, but He has given instructions in His word how to deal with it. If such instructions are obeyed the holy character of the divine dwelling will be preserved, but if evil is allowed to remain unpunished God may eventually forsake His dwelling, whether it be the individual assembly or the house as a whole. He will not stay in a polluted house.

God has been compelled to take the action of leaving His house on several occasions. He forsook the tabernacle in Shiloh (Psalm 78.60), and also the temple at the time of the captivity, and again in the days of our Lord the house was left desolate. From the spiritual house of apostolic days the Divine Presence was also eventually withdrawn. Thus the solemn conclusion is that where divine testimony has been in existence on earth, it has been brought to an end in the same way. The present testimony must also come to an end, but how? It must either be by the coming of our Lord from heaven or by God forsaking His house, as happened in former times. God grant that it shall be by the former. It is well that we should pray for this, but prayer itself is not sufficient as David realized in his day when he said,

"One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life" (Psalm 27.4).

Human responsibility must play its part in this important matter of the continuance of divine testimony.

ERRATA

Zedekiah was not "slain"; he was carried captive to Babylon and died there, a blinded captive. See 2 Kings 25.1-7; Jeremiah 32.4, 5; 52.11.

L. Bowman | Jul 1962
Lessons From The Last Days