Exile

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2 Kings 25:8–21, “And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which is the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, unto Jerusalem: And he burnt the house of the LORD, and the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and every great man’s house burnt he with fire. And all the army of the Chaldees, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down the walls of Jerusalem round about. Now the rest of the people that were left in the city, and the fugitives that fell away to the king of Babylon, with the remnant of the multitude, did Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carry away. But the captain of the guard left of the poor of the land to be vinedressers and husbandmen. And the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, did the Chaldees break in pieces, and carried the brass of them to Babylon. And the pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the firepans, and the bowls, and such things as were of gold, in gold, and of silver, in silver, the captain of the guard took away. The two pillars, one sea, and the bases which Solomon had made for the house of the LORD; the brass of all these vessels was without weight. The height of the one pillar was eighteen cubits, and the chapiter upon it was brass: and the height of the chapiter three cubits; and the wreathen work, and pomegranates upon the chapiter round about, all of brass: and like unto these had the second pillar with wreathen work. And the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest, and Zephaniah the second priest, and the three keepers of the door: And out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war, and five men of them that were in the king’s presence, which were found in the city, and the principal scribe of the host, which mustered the people of the land, and threescore men of the people of the land that were found in the city: And Nebuzaradan captain of the guard took these, and brought them to the king of Babylon to Riblah: And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.”

Nebuchadnezzar sent one of his senior generals back to Jerusalem after he established himself at Riblah. Riblah was in Syria near the Babylonian border. The general went back to Jerusalem and took everything that he thought might be useful to that Babylonians and he broke down the city walls so that it could not be used as a centre for rebellion. There was so much brass in the Temple area, from the huge basins used to store water for washing and many other instruments used in the ceremonies that no one even bothered to weigh it. The senior priests and soldiers were taken back to Riblah as well. The priests and the soldiers were all executed. The Babylonians left the very poorest people behind in Judah so that they could care for the Land when no one else was there. Good land has to be worked to keep its value otherwise it will just fall away into a useless landscape and become barren.

Zedekiah

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2 Kings 25:1–7, “And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it; and they built forts against it round about. And the city was besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And on the ninth day of the fourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land. And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night by the way of the gate between two walls, which is by the king’s garden: (now the Chaldees were against the city round about:) and the king went the way toward the plain. And the army of the Chaldees pursued after the king, and overtook him in the plains of Jericho: and all his army were scattered from him. So they took the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they gave judgment upon him. And they slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him with fetters of brass, and carried him to Babylon.”

Zedekiah, the king of Judah, found that the Babylonians besieged the city of Jerusalem after he had been king for nine years. The siege was severe and after about eighteen months Zedekiah found that everyone in the city was starving so he decided to escape with some of his army. They went towards the Jordan Valley but the Babylonians followed them and caught up beside the river. The soldiers were scattered in the battle and the king was captured along with all his family. The Babylonians were very cruel. They forced the king to watch while his entire family was killed and then they put out his eyes. They did this so that he would remember that the last thing he saw was the massacre of his family.

Jehoiachin

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2 Kings 24:8–20, “Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. And his mother’s name was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his father had done. At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, and his servants did besiege it. And Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers: and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, even ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land. And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, until he had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”

Jehoiachin was fairly young when he began to reign as king in Judah. There were other kings who were much younger than he was but this doesn’t change the fact. He followed in the footsteps of his father. King Nebuchadnezzar had established himself as king in Babylon and came back to conquer the kingdoms that he had not been able to before. He knew that there was great wealth in Jerusalem and wanted that for himself. Nebuchadnezzar’s armies besieged Jerusalem in order to take the city. Jehoiachin decided to surrender to the Babylonians and he went to meet them with his whole family. He was captured along with all the senior people in his government and they were all taken away to Babylon as captives. The Babylonians had a different strategy to the Assyrians. Nebuchadnezzar left another king to rule in Jehoiachin’s place. His uncle Mattaniah was made king but his name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah reigned as king under Babylonian authority for eleven years. During this time he followed the evil practices of his father and grandfather. Eventually he decided to rebel against the Babylonians.

Jehoiakim

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2 Kings 24:1–7, “In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant three years: then he turned and rebelled against him.  And the LORD sent against him bands of the Chaldees, and bands of the Syrians, and bands of the Moabites, and bands of the children of Ammon, and sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servants the prophets. Surely at the commandment of the LORD came this upon Judah, to remove them out of his sight, for the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he did; And also for the innocent blood that he shed: for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; which the LORD would not pardon. 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? So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead. And the king of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the king of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the king of Egypt.”

Nebuchadnezzar had gone down to Egypt and defeated the Egyptians. This was the last time that Egypt was an independent, sovereign nation ruled by the ancient Egyptians. After the Babylonians took control of Egypt, the Persians followed them and then the Greeks. The modern Egyptians are descended from other conquerors and the ancient Egyptians, the Copts, are a persecuted minority. In fact, Egypt is actually a Greek word. Nebuchadnezzar came back to Judah and took control of the nation. When Nebuchadnezzar went back to his own kingdom, Judah was attacked by bands of marauders from the surrounding nations. The Lord began to impose the most severe penalty clauses of the contract. Jehoiakim, the king, eventually died and was replaced by his son Jehoiachin. A record of this reign was kept in the official archives of the kings of Judah.

Jehoahaz

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2 Kings 23:31–37, “Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaohnechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. And Pharaohnechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, of every one according to his taxation, to give it unto Pharaohnechoh. Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Zebudah, the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.”

Jehoahaz replaced his father on the Judean throne. He didn’t follow the Lord like his father but followed in the ways of this grand father and great grand father. After Pharaohnechoh was defeated, along with the Assyrians, at Carchemish, he hurried back to Egypt. He decided to punish Jerusalem because Josiah had come to fight him while he was on his way to Carchemish. However, Josiah was no longer on the throne and his son Jehoahaz was taken away to Hamath, north of Damascus. Pharaohnechoh forced Judah to become a vassal state and pay him regular taxes. Pharaohnechoh put another king on the throne, Jehoiakim, Jehoahaz’s brother. Jehoiakim was another evil king and he remained on the throne for eleven years.

Josiah's death

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2 Kings 23:25–30, “And like unto him was there no king before him, that 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; neither after him arose there any like him. Notwithstanding the LORD turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal. And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there. Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him. And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s stead.”

Even though Josiah was a righteous king before the Lord, he still couldn’t make up for the multitude of sins committed by his father and grandfather. They had led Israel so far away from the Lord that Judah resembled the Amorites, who were in the Land before the Lord gave it to Israel. However, the king was not entirely responsible for Judah’s spiritual state. In Deut 13: 6-11, the Lord told Israel that every individual was responsible for the spiritual state of the nation. When one person heard another person leading someone else astray that person was responsible to immediately deal with that sin. It didn’t matter if one person heard their most loved partner or child saying these things that person was still responsible for dealing with the sin. This means that the kings of Judah were only able to lead Judah astray because the people of Judah let it happen. Josiah may have led a revival but the whole nation had tolerated the sin of their kings for many years and had done nothing about it. The Lord sent prophets but they were persecuted by the general population who were too much in love with their idols and their ways. On the other hand, the Lord made sure that there was an up to date and understood copy of the Book of the Law in Judah before they were taken away into exile so that they could have access to that book and begin the process of revival. When they returned from their exile they had that book with them to rebuild and seek to restore the contract. Josiah went to fight against the Egyptian Pharaoh who was on his way to fight against the Babylonians at Carchemish. This is where the Babylonians defeated the Assyrians and took away their empire. When the Babylonians came down to take possession Egypt they found an ungodly king in Jerusalem because the Egyptians had killed Josiah. The Lord promised Hezekiah that these people would take away Jerusalem’s wealth. (2 Kings 20: 12-19)

Josiah's faithfulness

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2 Kings 23:4–24, “And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel. And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven. And he brought out the grove from the house of the LORD, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people. And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove. And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man’s left hand at the gate of the city. Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren. And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech. And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron. And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile. And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men. Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove. And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the LORD which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words. Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the LORD to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel. And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men’s bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem. And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the LORD in Jerusalem. Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.”

Not only did Josiah ask his people to listen to the words of the Book of the Law, he read them carefully himself and made sure that everything that had been written down was carefully followed. He made sure that he desecrated all the places and things that were dedicated to the worship of other gods. There was a site called Topheth, in a valley that belonged to the sons of Hinnom, where people went to sacrifice their children to strange gods, which he made into a garbage disposal place. This place was know for it fires and was equated to hell at a later stage, it was then called Gehenna. Josiah also destroyed the altar that Jeroboam had built in Bethel when he first led Israel astray with the golden calves. This had been prophesied nearly three hundred years before (See 1 Kings 13:2) Josiah also celebrated the Passover. This one was celebrated properly according to all the regulations in the Law. On the other hand, Hezekiah had celebrated a Passover as well but he didn’t have the Book of the Law when he did it. (compare 2 Chron 30: 13-20)