2 Kings 23:28-24:20

2 Kings 23:28-24:20

Josiah’s life came to an end quite tragically when Pharaoh Neco out of Egypt killed him unexpectedly. It appeared as if Josiah had no idea of what Neco’s intentions were when he went out to meet Neco (possibly for trade or alliance purposes). Nevertheless, Neco took Josiah’s life, and Judah began to drift from God again, forgetting all that they had learned under Josiah’s leadership.


Jehoahaz was Josiah’s son, and he inherited the throne after Josiah’s death, but Jehoahaz only reigned for three short months. He did not follow God, leading Judah away from Him. Neco was not pleased with Jehoahaz either, so he captured Jehoahaz and promoted another one of Josiah’s sons, Eliakim, to the throne. Neco changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim and allowed him to rule over Judah, although Neco really had control. Anything he wanted, he received, as Jehoiakim did whatever Neco commanded.

Egypt had become a major power at the time, but that was not the nation God was going to use to ultimately bring an end to Judah. For many decades God had been building up the Babylonians, preparing them for this moment. Then, during Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, God allowed the Babylonians to begin to take control of Jerusalem and ultimately Judah. Jehoiakim rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, but the he and Judah had no chance against the powerful Babylonian army and their allies (Syria, Moab, and Ammon). God had given Judah over into the hands of the Babylonians.

Jehoiakim died, and his son Jehoiachin took the throne, reigning for only 3 months. Jehoiachin was the king of Judah when Babylon made their first attack. He was taken into captivity along with many of the leaders of Judah. The Babylonians cleaned out Jerusalem and only left behind the poorest people of the nation, commanding them to take care of the land (with farming and the like). They selected a king from among the Judahites, Mattaniah (also known as Zedekiah), and he received the throne from the Babylonians. He was basically a puppet of the Babylonians as they had gained control of Judah. He reigned for just 11 years before he rebelled against the Babylonians, and that rebellion marked the end of Judah as they knew it.

God had promised since before Josiah’s reign that this day would come. Due to the disobedience of kings like Manasseh, God was ready to wipe out the nation of Judah, punishing them for their disobedience. He used the Babylonians to accomplish this task. The only reason Judah had not been destroyed sooner was due to Josiah’s obedience and his attempt to turn the nation back toward God. But sadly, it appeared as if Josiah was only one of the few who had truly turned to God in that time. After his death, the nation was quick to turn away again, following the lead of their new king. This says a lot about their level of commitment, and is something we should consider as well. It is easy to follow God when we are surrounded by people who are doing the same. But how would we act if we were not surrounded by Christians every day, if we did not have a great support system at church, or if we were not privileged enough to have a church we could go to freely? Would we still follow God, even if it was not as easy to do any longer? The Judahites turned from God when life got hard, allowing a new king’s influence to sway them. We must consider how deep our commitment to God really is. Are we just going through the motions with those around us, or do we really have the desire to follow Him daily?

Matt