We Need a Better King

We Need a Better King

2 Kings 23:31–25:30

Main Idea: Second Kings closes with a rapid downfall of four kings in Jerusalem, which magnifies the need for a better King.

Ralph Davis likens these final chapters to the dilemma hairy men have when forced to remove a Band-Aid. Removing a Band-Aid is a big problem for men, like me, who are hairier than Chewbacca. There’s no easy way to remove it, especially when it feels like it’s stuck to your hairy arm with superglue. You could take it slowly, prolonging the agony, or you can just pull it off with one howl-inducing jerk. When it comes to finishing this story about God’s removal of Judah, the writer seems to take the quick-rip method. There’s no easy way to write this section (or preach it!). The writer could prolong the agony and give lots of detail. But he decides instead to bring the story to an end quickly, giving us the impression that he wants to hurry (and the Chronicler even more quickly, covering these events in one chapter). Our writer’s message is simple: “Jerusalem is toast” (Davis, 2 Kings, 335).

Our writer moves rapidly through the reign of four kings who reigned for a total of 22 years. Two kings reigned for three months each: Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin. Two kings reigned for 11 years each: Jehoiakim and Zedekiah. Unfortunately, everything post-Josiah goes from bad to worse. In these two chapters the writer tells us of the fall of Jerusalem. Babylon takes Judah into exile. The temple gets destroyed. The treasures are taken away. Solomon’s glory departs. The book of Kings covers about 400 years of history: from Solomon’s golden age, through the divided kingdom, to the fall of Israel, and finally to this sad conclusion.

As we finish our study, I would like to consider these final chapters while also trying to reflect on the book of Kings as a whole. I have tried to magnify one dominant theme in the study: We need a better king! Even the best of kings proved to fall short. That theme is reemphasized here. Allow me to make two points related to this dominant theme.

We Need a Better King Because We Live in a Fallen World

2 Kings 23:31–25:26

In the beginning of our study, I noted that 1 Kings is about decline and 2 Kings is about a fall. These books highlight the reality that we live in a fallen world and we need a Redeemer. We have to realize this fact. Consider some of the effects of the fall in these final chapters and in the wider context of Kings.

Four Evil Kings

Consider the particular kings mentioned in these final chapters. Jehoahaz (23:31-35) reigned for three months in 609 BC. We read little about him, other than the fact that he “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (v. 32). Despite having a godly father, Josiah, Jehoahaz rebelled against God, doing evil.

You don’t have to teach a child to rebel. “Foolishness is tangled up in the heart of a youth” (Prov 22:15). You have to teach a child the gospel. One time I got in trouble for calling kids “midget demons.” I had to apologize for my statement because “midget” offended someone. I never use the term anymore. But what was curious is that no one got upset that I called their kids little demons! Parents know their kids are little rebels who need to change, and that change ultimately comes through the power of Christ our Redeemer.

We also see once again that just because you have a godly father, this doesn’t mean you will be godly. You must respond to the gospel. Jehoahaz’s dad is Josiah, yet he turns from God’s ways. Be diligent in teaching the gospel in the home; perhaps your child will not depart from the way he should go.

The circumstances of Jehoahaz’s imprisonment aren’t described, but what is clear is that Pharaoh (Judah’s overlord at the time) doesn’t like him, so he replaces him with his brother, Eliakim, whose name he changes to Jehoiakim (23:33–24:6). The new king is a puppet king, who installs a new tax program to pay the tribute to Egypt.

Jehoiakim reigned for 11 years, from 609 to 598 BC. We read that he too “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” During Jehoiakim’s reign the first deportation took place (24:1-7), which is referenced during Daniel’s time (Dan 1:1-4). Judgment came on the land because of their evil. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar used foreign raiders (24:2) because his army had just encountered the Egyptians in a war, so they are an interim solution (Davis, 2 Kings, 338). But the writer of Kings gives the real reason they went against Judah: “The Lord . . . sent them,” and it happened “according to the word of the Lord.”

We know more about the rebellion of Jehoiakim (aka Shallum) from Jeremiah’s prophecy. Jeremiah prophesied in the days of Josiah through Zedekiah. Consider the prophet’s words:

For this is what the Lord says concerning Shallum son of Josiah, king of Judah, who became king in place of his father Josiah: “He has left this place—he will never return here again, but he will die in the place where they deported him, never seeing this land again.”

Woe for the one who builds his palace through unrighteousness, his upper rooms through injustice, who makes his fellow man serve without pay and will not give him his wages, who says, “I will build myself a massive palace, with spacious upper rooms.” He will cut windows in it, and it will be paneled with cedar and painted with vermilion. Are you a king because you excel in cedar? Didn’t your father eat and drink and administer justice and righteousness? Then it went well with him. He took up the case of the poor and needy, then it went well. Is this not what it means to know Me? This is the Lord’s declaration.

But you have eyes and a heart for nothing except your own dishonest profit, shedding innocent blood and committing extortion and oppression. (Jer 22:11-17)

We find that the king had built a sweet palace of his own while his people suffered. He also refused to compensate the builders (Jer 22:13). A true king would deliver the oppressed and do justice (Jer 22:15; cf. v. 3). Such a king doesn’t sit on the throne at this time; this king doesn’t know the Lord like his father did (Jer 22:15-16). Jeremiah says because of his evil reign, “They will not mourn for him” (Jer 22:18).

Further, Jehoiakim rejects God’s word. We read later in Jeremiah that God in His mercy reveals His word, with an offer for repentance (Jer 36:1-3), but Jehoiakim rejects it (Jer 36:20-26). Instead of listening and turning, he burns Jeremiah’s scroll (Jer 36:23).

What a picture of human depravity: oppression, indulgence, and Bible burning! If God in His kindness should give you His Word, then you should treasure it like Josiah and repent, not burn it like Jehoiakim. What are you doing with your “scrolls”?

The point is clear: repent while you can. Don’t persist in unbelief. For what is coming in the end is worse than Judah’s exile. The good news of the gospel is that you don’t have to be abandoned (2 Kgs 21:14) because Christ became the abandoned One for us. Jesus cried out on the cross, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46). Either God’s judgment will fall on you, and you will be removed from His blessing and face His wrath, or you can look to Christ as your substitute. You can be forgiven and redeemed through faith in Him. You can live every day with this promise: “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Heb 13:5).

Jehoiachin reigned for three months in 597 BC. During this time the second deportation happens (see also Ezek 1:1-3). The writer reports the awful time using the phrases “took captive,” “carried off,” and “deported” (2 Kgs 24:10-17). Jehoiachin basically reigns long enough to hand the kingdom over to Babylon. He’s no Hezekiah. Remember how Hezekiah turned to God in desperate prayer when oppressed by the Arameans? Instead of that response, Jehoiachin “surrendered to the king of Babylon” (v. 12). As a result, thousands are carried away.

From that 597 scene, the writer takes us to 587 with Zedekiah. Once again a foreign king selects Judah’s king, changing his name from Mattaniah to Zedekiah. He reigns for 11 years, and he’s the fourth consecutive king who “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight.” The writer adds, “Because of the Lord’s anger, it came to the point in Jerusalem and Judah that He finally banished them from His presence” (v. 20). God’s patience had run out. God’s wrath comes on Zedekiah and the people with full force during his reign. Before the destruction of Jerusalem, the writer reports the Babylonian siege (25:1-2). This was just the beginning of the suffering for Judah during Zedekiah’s reign (read more about him in Jer 37–39).

More is said about Zedekiah elsewhere. The Chronicler adds, he “did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet at the Lord’s command” (2 Chr 36:12). Zedekiah also “hardened his heart against returning to Yahweh” (36:13), refusing to repent. The priests were also unfaithful, as they followed “the detestable practices of the nations” (36:14). Then he says that God, in amazing compassion, continued to send messengers, but they mocked them and despised their words, bringing God’s wrath (36:15-16; cf. Jer 25:4).

Four Applications

All four kings in the final chapters “did what was evil in the Lord’s sight” (23:32,37; 24:9; 24:19). Kings resembling Hezekiah or Josiah don’t appear again. These final kings are faithless and unreceptive to Scripture. So what can we glean from their lives in light of the rest of Kings?

Notice the need for godly leadership. Why did Judah fall? They fell because God was vindicating His holy name. God would not tolerate their rebellion (24:3-4,20; Jer 22:8-9). And poor leadership led to this rebellion and consequent judgment. We read of the shedding of blood, absence of concern for the poor, oppression, greed for gain, lack of trust in God, and rebellion against the word of God. The results are disastrous.

Nations and churches and families need good leadership. The book of Kings closes with four terrible leaders, which illustrates this basic point. Under those leaders Judah “abandoned the covenant of Yahweh their God and worshiped and served other gods” (Jer 22:9). The good news is that Jeremiah 23 follows Jeremiah 22. The messianic King, the Righteous Branch, is promised. He will “administer justice and righteousness” (Jer 23:1-8).

Realize that rebellion is boring. One of the results of a fallen world is that nothing can satisfy our hearts outside of the gospel. If you struggle through these remaining chapters of 2 Kings, then recognize that it isn’t the author’s fault. There isn’t anything exciting about doing evil! Kings shows us that an ungodly life is a boring life.

Davis says regarding these final chapters,

Drip . . . drip: four times we read, “He did evil in Yahweh’s eyes.” Nothing bracing or refreshing here, just the same stale stuff. None of the trembling of Hezekiah or enthusiastic obedience of a Josiah that gives spice and flavor and drama to kingdom life. . . . Actually, only holiness stirs and only godliness fascinates. (Davis, 2 Kings, 336–37)

I agree. A life chasing after evil will never satisfy. Oh, it might provide some “short-lived pleasure” (Heb 11:25), but it is nothing in comparison to the riches of knowing Christ and being on mission with Him. Contrast these four kings with the prayer life of Elijah or the faith and compassion of Elisha. Which is more exciting?

Only in pursuing Christ and His kingdom will you find ultimate excitement and joy. Read the book of Acts, and you find statements about great joy experienced by those fulfilling Christ’s mission (Acts 13:52). There isn’t anything dull about Paul’s journeys (2 Cor 6:3-10). J. Campbell White said it well:

Most men aren’t satisfied with the permanent output of their lives. Nothing can wholly satisfy the life of Christ within His followers except the adoption of Christ’s purpose toward the world He came to redeem. Fame, pleasure and riches are but husks and ashes in contrast with the boundless and abiding joy of working with God for the fulfillment of His eternal plans. The men who are putting everything into Christ’s undertaking are getting out of life its sweetest and most priceless rewards. (“Layman’s Missionary Movement,” 22)

The book of Kings shouts this: Don’t waste your life. Make it count by surrendering your life to the mission of God. There you will find meaning, and there you will find joy. There’s great joy in waking up every morning saying, “What do You have for me today, Lord?”

We need a better King, for apart from Jesus our hearts are restless and dissatisfied. Only in Christ can we find the “life that is real,” which Paul speaks of here:

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God, who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real. (1 Tim 6:17-19)

Even if you have wealth and toys, those things still won’t bring ultimate delight. Set your hope in the glory of Christ, and you will find life.

Give attention to your heart. Notice the writer’s focus on the heart throughout Kings. Even though Kings is a historical document, the writer doesn’t focus on every historical detail. We noted that several kings went down in history as accomplishing great military or economic achievements, but the author of Kings reports few of these acts (e.g., Jeroboam II, Omri). Why? His purpose is to highlight something more important about a man or woman: What was the heart focused on? Did they please God? For example, he is quick to report that Abijam “was not completely devoted” (1 Kgs 15:3), but “Asa’s heart was completely devoted to the Lord” (15:14). The line of David was to walk before Yahweh with “their whole mind and heart” (1 Kgs 2:4; cf. 2 Kgs 23:25). They were to trust in God and to worship God alone (Deut 17:14-20). David gave Solomon such a charge (1 Kgs 2:3-4). Josiah was commended because his “heart was tender” (2 Kgs 22:19).

Because of this focus, we read whether or not the kings did “right in the Lord’s sight” up to the last king. Why? We live out of the overflow of the heart. Personal godliness is what matters. None of the kings in the northern kingdom received a positive evaluation, while the evaluation of Judah’s kings is mixed. Two of them are exemplary, Hezekiah and Josiah. Six of them received qualified commendation. They did what was “right in the Lord’s sight” but “the high places were not taken away.”

As we read through Kings, we should be asking, Am I taking care of my heart? Am I dealing with pride? Am I dealing with anger, lust, or some other besetting sin?

With these final four kings we read about sins of greed (Jer 22:17), fear (2 Kgs 24:12), pride (2 Chr 36:12), and coldness toward the needs of others (Jer 22:3,15). All of these sins can also creep into our hearts.

If you haven’t turned to Christ in repentance of faith, then begin there. You need a new heart. You need new affections. You need your heart of stone turned into a heart of flesh. If you’re a believer, you need, in the words of Luther, to live a constant life of repentance. Are you dealing with fear, pride, coldness of heart, and greed?

Allow me to illustrate with one of my heroes, Tim Keller. He confesses his personal practices of dealing with his heart. In an interview he explains how he watches his heart:

I try to do petition in the morning. I try to do repentance in the evening. So I try to pray in the morning and in the evening. In the evening I look back on what I did wrong and repent. But in the middle of the day I try to catch myself and I look for four kinds of emotions. I always pray in the morning, “Lord make me happy enough in the grace of Jesus to avoid being proud, cold, scared, and hooked.” Now, by proud I mean what you think, too self-congratulatory. And maybe disdainful of people who I don’t think have it together. Cold means I’m just too absorbed in my concerns to really be compassionate and gracious and warm and joyful to the people around me. Scared means I’m just obviously too anxious and worried. Hooked means . . . when you’re overworked, it means for me . . . eating. Eating things I shouldn’t eat just because it’s a way of keeping my energy up, and also because it’s a way of rewarding myself. Or looking at women more than once. So: proud, cold, scared, hooked.

Now, in the middle of the day I get it out and say, “Have I been proud, scared, cold, or hooked in the last 3–4 hours?” And the answer usually is, “Yeah.” And then I say, “How do I bring the gospel to bear on that? How does the grace of God deal with it?” And you try to catch yourself in those feelings. So basically finding problem feelings and inordinate desires, catch them when they’re happening, try to deal with them with the gospel right there.

I call that “Quick Strike” on my idols around noon, if I can remember it. And repentance at night and petition in the morning. So I try to get into God’s presence three times a day. (Interview by Steve McCoy, “Tim Keller on Preaching to Himself,” emphasis in original)

I’m not necessarily recommending Keller’s approach. I just want to show you how he realizes the importance of dealing with his own soul daily through prayer and repentance. He does what many ministers fail to do, namely, sit under their own preaching. Our hearts are prone to be proud, cold, scared, or hooked. We must cultivate a life of repentance and preach the gospel to ourselves to combat this problem.

Remember that idolatry leads to destruction. If Christ isn’t at the center of our hearts, something else will be. And the result of substitute gods is destruction. You never win when you prefer idolatry.

Idolatry is a dominant theme in Kings. The idolatry of Manasseh brings the judgment of God, as mentioned in these final chapters. Jeremiah says the devastation would be so great that people from other lands would ask, Why has this happened? The only explanation would be that they had forsaken the covenant and worshiped other gods (Jer 22:8-9; cf. ch. 25).

We have read about all sorts of idols that the kings and the people have embraced, replacing the true and living God who brought them out of the land of Egypt. The writer reports the false worship of Baal and Asherah because whom you worship is the big question. The book of Kings reminds us of the critical need of answering this worship question rightly, as the people at Mount Carmel did after Elijah prayed the fire down. They said, “Yahweh, He is God! Yahweh, He is God!” (1 Kgs 18:39). Unfortunately, none of these final four kings make any effort to direct the nation to God.

An idol is anything you rely on to give you what only Christ can give you—hope, joy, security, meaning. Your idol may be drugs, peer approval, success, or sexual perversion. Sin problems are ultimately worship problems. As one young man said in our small groups, “Addiction is a worship disorder.”

Within an idolatrous culture, no one thinks idolatry is a problem. The writer of Kings begs to differ. It most definitely matters. In the final evaluation of your life, your god is the most important matter. You can live like Omri, accomplishing many great things in this life, but if you aren’t a worshiper of the Redeemer, then you have wasted your life and forfeited your soul.

You were made to worship the living God of the Bible. If He isn’t at the center of your life, then something else is. Everything other than Christ is a cheap substitute.

The Fallen City

In chapter 25 we read the sad account of the destruction of the holy city, Jerusalem, the place where God chose to put His name (21:4). The fall of Jerusalem takes place in 587 BC. During this time Zedekiah’s sons are slaughtered in front of him, and then his eyes are gouged out, making this episode the last event he sees. We also read of the third and final deportation and the execution of some Judeans.

In verses 22-26 we read of Gedaliah, grandson of Shaphan. He becomes governor of Judah under the authority of Babylon. But he doesn’t survive because one among the royal family, Ishmael, kills him.

The city of Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed. We’re reminded of the words of Hebrews: “For we do not have an enduring city here; instead, we seek the one to come” (13:14). The people of God await a better city. We await the new heavens and the new earth (Rev 21:1-8).

We need a better King because we aren’t home yet. Kings reveals the reality of suffering in a fallen world. We read about all types of problems in Kings: dying children, droughts, wars, cannibalism, conspiracies, alliances, corrupt governments, injustice, violence, and oppression. This isn’t how it should be. The Christian story involves a God who knows about suffering and enters into it. Jesus suffered on the cross and promised to make all things new.

The Bible is an honest book. It isn’t a fairy tale. It doesn’t hide the fact that we will toil and struggle all the days of our lives (Gen 3). Jesus told us, “You will have suffering in this world” (John 16:33). Don’t mistake this life for heaven. We aren’t home yet. Instead, look to God in trials with desperate prayer, and set your hope on the glory that will be revealed to believers when the crucified and reigning King returns (Rom 8:18).

We Need a Better King . . . and We Have One!

2 Kings 25:27-30; MattHEW 1:1-17,22-23

Kings doesn’t have a happy ending, but it does have a hopeful ending. Yahweh hasn’t forgotten His people who are in exile. The last scene takes place 26 years after the fall of Jerusalem. Jehoiachin, the last surviving successor of David (as far as we know), is now 55 years old and sits amply provided for in Babylon (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 280). His story is contrasted with Zedekiah, the “mutilated man deprived of heirs” (ibid.). Here’s the interesting epilogue, the final words in the book of Kings:

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he pardoned King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. He spoke kindly to him and set his throne over the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and he dined regularly in the presence of the king of Babylon for the rest of his life. As for his allowance, a regular allowance was given to him by the king, a portion for each day, for the rest of his life. (2 Kgs 25:27-30)

Nebuchadnezzar died, and his son, Evil-merodach, reigned in his place in Babylon. The former passed sentence on Zedekiah (25:6); the latter “spoke kindly” to Jehoiachin (25:28) (Olley, Message of Kings, 371). He receives a seat of honor; like Joseph he puts off his prison clothes (Gen 41:14); he dines every day at Evil-merodach’s table.

God Fulfills His Word

Why is this epilogue important? It shows that the line of David is continuing during the exile. The writer calls Jehoiachin the king of Judah twice in verse 27 (Davis, 2 Kings, 350). Provan notes that his reappearance is reminiscent of Joash after that earlier destruction of the royal family (1 and 2 Kings, 280). Jehoiachin survives miraculously in the midst of the wreckage.

The phrase “according to the word of the Lord” appears throughout the chapters. We continually say that God’s Word proves true. Solomon’s benediction says it all: not one promise has failed (1 Kgs 8:56). Prophets have appeared throughout Kings announcing God’s word. Olley provides the following summary, demonstrating the trustworthiness of God’s word, with the prediction on the left, and the fulfillment on the right (Olley, Message of Kings, 31):

1 Samuel 2:21-36 1 Kings 2:27

2 Samuel 7:12-13 1 Kings 8:20,24

1 Kings 11:29-39 1 Kings 12:15

1 Kings 13:1-3 2 Kings 23:16-18

1 Kings 13:20-22 1 Kings 13:26

1 Kings 14:6-16 1 Kings 14:18; 15:29

1 Kings 16:1-4 1 Kings 16:12

Joshua 6:26 1 Kings 16:34

1 Kings 17:14 1 Kings 17:16

1 Kings 21:21-24,27-29; 2 Kings 9:4-10 2 Kings 9:30-37; 10:17

1 Kings 22:17 2 Kings 22:35-38

2 Kings 1:6,16 2 Kings 1:17

2 Kings 21:10-15 2 Kings 24:2

Does this list not amaze you? You should go back and read these examples of how God sovereignly fulfills His word. He promises to raise up Solomon, to preserve David’s throne forever, to split the kingdom, to raise up Josiah to crush Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel, and to sweep away the houses of Jeroboam and Baasha. He promises that the widow’s oil and flour will not run out. He promises with particular detail to execute Ahab, his family, and Jezebel for their evil. All of this is utterly amazing.

A few implications related to God’s Word should be considered. First, God’s Word is trustworthy. What He says, He will do. Do you believe the promises of Scripture? Build your life on His Word.

Second, God’s Word is powerful. God was controlling the events through His word, not through human leaders. God’s Word cannot be thwarted.

Third, God’s messengers will face opposition. In the New Testament prophets are referred to as examples of persecution, with Jesus being the ultimate example of the righteous Man suffering (Matt 5:10-12; Jas 5:10). A prophet’s life wasn’t easy; just ask those who were hidden away during Jezebel’s day, or ask Elijah and Elisha. Be prepared to suffer as you go forward in culture speaking God’s Word.

Fourth, God’s Word must be obeyed, or judgment will be the result.

We have already noted how God promised to keep “a lamp in Jerusalem” (1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19; 21:7). Now we see that not even the Babylonians could stop God’s purpose of bringing the ultimate King. Even a king named “Evil” could not stop it. This messianic hope isn’t based on the goodness of Jehoiachin, for nothing seems to change in terms of his heart. This hope is simply rooted in the mercy and faithfulness of God (Jer 22:24–23:9).

Skipping ahead several hundred years, we find that Matthew picks up the story, demonstrating God’s breathtaking mercy and faithfulness by describing the years before and after this exiled king:

Then David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

Then after the exile to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus who is called the Messiah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations. (Matt 1:6-17; emphasis added)

Matthew reminds us in this famous Christmas sermon that Jesus is the ultimate Son of David (Matt 1:1), descended through the line of “Jechoniah [that is, Jehoiachin] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon” (Matt 1:11; see also v. 12). Matthew goes on to write that over against the statement in Kings that the Lord “banished them from His presence” (2 Kgs 17:20; 24:20), Jesus is “Immanuel: God with us” (Matt 1:23) (Olley, Message of Kings, 373). This ultimate King would go to the cross and be crucified under a sign reading, “King of the Jews” (Matt 27:37). And in His death Jesus was reconciling to Himself not only Jews but also all the nations who would believe.

A Living Hope

You might call 2 Kings 25:27-30 by itself a whisper of hope, but we know the rest of the story. The first readers didn’t know how God’s purposes would work out; only the Chronicler (who wrote later) reports Cyrus’s edict to return and rebuild the temple (2 Chr 36:22-23). Further, they didn’t know what would happen beyond that, when Jesus would embody the final words of the Chronicler, going up to Jerusalem Himself (2 Chr 36:23; cf. Matt 20:17-18) in order to bring salvation.

We have a “living hope” (1 Pet 1:3) because a lamp in Judah continued to burn through the years. God kept His promise to seat David’s Son on the throne, and Jesus kept perfectly the covenant that none of the kings were able to keep.

How should you respond to this hope? You should trust in this crucified, risen, and reigning King. Jesus is the King to end all kings. Put your trust in Him. He alone can lead us out of the exile of the grave and bring us to His heavenly kingdom. We have seen a few good kings in our study, but the point is clear: we need a better king. We have what we need in Jesus! Trust in Him. Adore Him.

Second, you should live with hope in this difficult life. Centuries after the Babylonians, Christians faced persecution under mighty Rome (Olley, Message of Kings, 372). How might you encourage a church facing terrible persecution? John gives them a vision of the new Jerusalem:

I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. (Rev 21:22-23)

John’s words present no faint whisper of hope. He gives a sure, unshakable word of hope. Our King has come, living the life we could not live, dying the death we should have died, rising from the dead, defeating our ultimate enemies. And our King is coming again, and we will be with Him forever. Right now we’re in between the times. Let’s not lose heart as we wait for the day in which King Jesus returns to establish his eternal, shalom-filled kingdom. We need a better King, and praise God, we have One! “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).

Reflect and Discuss

1. Why is it startling to many that God would bring such affliction on His people?
2. Describe how the people of God may have felt during this time.
3. How can Jesus’ crucifixion startle people today?
4. Can sadness and mourning lead people to repentance? How?
5. What do you think the people of God longed for during this time?
6. What are some other biblical stories that sound similar to Jehoiachin’s restoration?
7. How might Jehoiachin’s restoration have given hope to the people of God?
8. How does Jesus’ resurrection give hope to the people of God today?
9. Do you ever doubt that God will fulfill His promises?
10. In what ways have you seen God’s faithfulness to His people?