Scripture: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23 (NKJV)
1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him
king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old
when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. 3 Now the king
of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem; and he imposed on the land a tribute of one
hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 Then the king of Egypt made Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim king over Judah and
Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his
brother and carried him off to Egypt. 5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old
when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did evil
in the sight of the LORD his God. 6 Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up
against him, and bound him in bronze fetters to carry him off to Babylon. 7
Nebuchadnezzar also carried off some of the articles from the house of the LORD
to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts
of Jehoiakim, the abominations which he did, and what was found against him,
indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. Then
Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in
Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD.
10 At the turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar summoned him and took him to
Babylon, with the costly articles from the house of the LORD, and made
Zedekiah, Jehoiakim’s brother, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven
years in Jerusalem. 12 He did evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and did
not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the
LORD. 13 And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him
swear an oath by God; but he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against
turning to the LORD God of Israel. 14 Moreover all the leaders of the priests
and the people transgressed more and more, according to all the abominations of
the nations, and defiled the house of the LORD which He had consecrated in
Jerusalem.
15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers,
rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and
on His dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His
words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against
His people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore He brought against them the
king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house
of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, on the aged
or the weak; He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the articles from the
house of God, great and small, the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the
treasures of the king and of his leaders, all these he took to Babylon. 19 Then
they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its
palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions. 20 And those who
escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants
to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the
word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her
Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy
years.
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by
the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his
kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:
All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD God of heaven has given me. And He has
commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among
you of all His people? May the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up!
Devotion
After Josiah’s death Judah reestablished her evil ways. Josiah’s sons, the
final four kings of Judah, did evil in the sight of the Lord. They had seen the
example of their father Josiah, yet rejected his reforms and turned to the
wisdom of the sinful flesh. The Lord sent prophets to turn the hearts of these
kings from their own wisdom to the worship of God, but each refused. Their
stubborn refusal led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the deportation of
many people. These kings are an illustration of what St. Paul writes in Romans
8:13, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die.” However, the Lord
is faithful to His Word even when His people are not. He remembers His promise
of restoration, which He spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, and brought His
penitent people out of captivity back into the Promised Land.
Living according to the flesh kills, but the Lord makes sinners alive through
repentance and faith. As God’s Christians we must daily repent of our sins when
confronted with the Word of God, lest we continue to live according to the
wisdom and lusts of the flesh and die. Our Lord is gracious to give us pastors
to preach God’s Law and Gospel to us, that though our sins are great, our
Savior’s merits and atonement are greater. Through faith God justifies the
penitent ungodly and releases us from the captivity to our sins and the devil.
We pray: Father, teach us Thy way of Law and Gospel, of judgment and
forgiveness, that we may daily repent of our sins and believe the Gospel for
our salvation, through Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Lutheran Herald is a publication of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of
North America. These daily devotions are authored by the bishop, pastors, and
deacons of the diocese. Daily posts are provided by The Reverend Jeffrey A.
Ahonen.
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