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THE FALL OF JUDAH
Bible study by Pat Gaines
LESSON 5
Scriptures for this lesson are taken from: 2 Chronicles 36, Daniel 1, 2 Kings 24 and Jeremiah 25.
In Lesson 4, God promised King Josiah that Jerusalem would not be destroyed in his lifetime. In lesson 5 we will study the death of King Josiah, and the failure of his sons to follow God as the Kingdom of Judah is taken by the Babylonians.
[2 Chronicles 36: 20-24] (20) After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet him in battle. (21) But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.” (22) Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo. (23) Archers shot King Josiah, and he told his officers, “Take me away; I am badly wounded.” (24) So they took him out of his chariot, put him in his other chariot and brought him to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried in the tombs of his ancestors, and all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
At this time, King Josiah was paying tribute (taxes) to the Assyrians. God is using the Babylonians to weaken and destroy Assyria. Necho, Pharoah of Egypt is also at war with Assyria. Being a vassal of Assyria, Josiah felt it his duty to fight with Assyria against Egypt so he took his army to Megiddo where he was mortally wounded. Following Josiah’s death, his son, Jehoahaz was made king over Judah.
[2 Chronicles 36:1-3] (1) And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father. (2) Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. (3) The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. (4) The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
Following the death of Josiah, Egypt is controlling events in Judah. After only three months on the throne, Egypt replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Eliakim and renamed him Jehoiakim. They have levied a heavy tax of one hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold to be paid by the people of Judah to Egypt. A talent weighed about 60 pounds. So you have 6,000 pounds of silver and 60 pounds of gold. They also have taken Jehoahaz captive into Egypt. After this Egypt had no control over political events in Judah.
[2 Kings 24:7] (7) The king of Egypt did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
[2 Chronicles 36:5-7] (5) Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God. (6) Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon. (7) Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the Lord and put them in his temple there. (8) The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon has conquered Jehoiakim of Judah. The year is 606 B.C. He has taken the temple treasures, golden bowels and goblets, etc. that were used in the worship of Jehovah as well as young princes of Judah including Daniel. Jerusalem is conquered by Babylon at this time but not destroyed.
[Daniel 1:1-2] (1) In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. (2) And the Lord delivered Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the articles from the temple of God. These he carried off to the temple of his god in Babylon and put in the treasure house of his god.
Nine years later in 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar took more treasures, he took King Jehoiachin and 10,000 leaders in Judah, princes, officers, leaders of the country captive to Babylon.
[2 Kings 24:10-16] (10) At that time the officers of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon advanced on Jerusalem and laid siege to it, (11) and Nebuchadnezzar himself came up to the city while his officers were besieging it. (12) Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his attendants, his nobles and his officials all surrendered to him. In the eighth year of the reign of the king of Babylon, he took Jehoiachin prisoner. (13) As the Lord had declared, Nebuchadnezzar removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. (14) He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans — a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left. (15) Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. He also took from Jerusalem to Babylon the king’s mother, his wives, his officials and the prominent people of the land. (16) The king of Babylon also deported to Babylon the entire force of seven thousand fighting men, strong and fit for war, and a thousand skilled workers and artisans. (17) He made Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, king in his place and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Nebuchadnezzar has now taken from Jerusalem anyone who could lead the people in revolt against Babylon. He has taken the leaders, prominent people and a large army of fighting men.
But he still has not destroyed the city. He has left Jehoiachin’s uncle to be king and changed his name to Zedekiah. But during this time following the death of Josiah, God sent his prophet Jeremiah to prophecy in Jerusalem that He would destroy the city and the nation if they did not repent and follow him.
But he still has not destroyed the city. He has left Jehoiachin’s uncle to be king and changed his name to Zedekiah. During all this time following the death of Josiah, God had his prophet, Jeremiah in Jerusalem telling the people that God would destroy Jerusalem and drive His people into exile if they did not repent of their idolatry and follow His laws.
[Jeremiah 25:8-11] (8) Therefore the Lord Almighty says this: “Because you have not listened to my words, (9) I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring them against this land and its inhabitants and against all the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlasting ruin. (10) I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, the sound of millstones and the light of the lamp. (11) This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
The people did not listen and continued in their sinful ways. God is not patient forever. He is loving and kind and gives His people every opportunity to be obedient but He does have a limit. How much time do we have left before God sends His punishment?
In Lesson 6 the Babylonians will destroy Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity will begin.
Lesson 1 • Lesson 2 • Lesson 3 • Lesson 4 • Lesson 5 • Lesson 6 • Lesson 7