Kings 24:1-20 - Taken into Captivity

2 Kings 24:1-20

Judah Overrun by Enemies

1 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 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. 3 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, 4 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.

5 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? 6 So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

7 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.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin (2 Chronicles 36:9, 10)

8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done.

10 At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. 11 And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. 12 Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

13 And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house, and he cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. 14 Also he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except the poorest people of the land. 15 And he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. 16 All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah (2 Chronicles 36:11–14; Jer. 52:1–3)

17 Then the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place, and changed his name to Zedekiah.

18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19 He also did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. 20 For because of the anger of the LORD this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

At the command of the LORD, the people of God were taken into captivity out of their nation into a foreign land due to their heinous sins.  The inward (Romans 7:23) journey into captivity is the bondage of sin within that turns away from God to pursue idolatry and immorality as Israel and Judah had done long before we who now face the same captivity from birth as slaves of sin.  Judah followed the evil examples of their leaders such as Manasseh mentioned prominently here (2 Kings 21:2, 4-5, 6) who had erected idols in God’s house (a warning of present day statues in some assemblies), killed innocent people (as in the early days of the modern reformation under corrupt Roman church rule), and seduced the citizens to worship other gods (2 Kings 21:9) in direct rejection and disobedience to the very first foundational commandment.  He had brought (2 Kings 21:14) the wrath of God down on the people who followed this and other evil leaders who brought accountability to them all in the attacks of their enemies that culminated in this removal of the remnant of His inheritance from the promised land to be carried away into Babylon.  The lack of repentance and continual rejection of the LORD will also exclude those who reject the gospel at the last day in the same way, except the bondage of sin that carries them there will be permanent and eternal in their captivity.  There can be no return (Hebrews 9:27-28, ) in that final judgment for those who follow evil of their own account under evil leaders or good if they imitate the wrong ones and turn their backs on the Lord and (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17) His gospel of reconciling forgiveness and grace.  He who leads others into captivity will himself be led into captivity as it is written (Revelation 13:10) for all who lead and deceitfully teach (James 3:1, 2 Peter 2:1, 4, 18, 19) others to rebellion and disobedience to the gospel.  Judah was taken physically captive and their temple was dismantled and taken away in pagan hands to Babylon for evil without regard for the Lord through repentance; how many people throughout history have since turned true worship into idolatry and murdered innocents who proclaimed reconciliation and holiness to the Lord in the name of the Holy Church while ignoring the scriptures and will of God by substituting another Mediator and praying to the dead instead of the Living God alone?  We who know Him approach the throne of grace and not any man to forgive our sins that we may worship in spirit and truth to enter into eternity out of the captivity (2 Timothy 2:25-26) and bondage of sin we have been freed from.