THE LAST FIVE KINGS OF JUDAH
Pharaoh Neco of Egypt, exercising his newly established control of Judah after the death of JOSIAH, replaced the legitimate king, JEHOAHAZ, with his brother Eliakim, changing his name to JEHOIAKIM (2 Kgs. 23:34-35).
Egypt's power in Judah was short-lived. Babylon invaded, Jehoiakim submitted for three years, then declared his independence, and so King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem (2 Kgs. 24:1-2).
After the death of his father, JEHOIACHIN took the throne. However, within three months he surrendered to the Babylonians and was exiled (2 Kgs. 24:10-16).
After removing Jehoiachin from the throne of Judah, the Babylonians replaced him with ZEDEKIAH, Jehoiachin’s uncle (2 Kgs. 24:17).
In his ninth year as king, Zedekiah rebelled. King Nebuchadnezzar led his army in a siege against Jerusalem (2 Kgs. 25:1-2). The siege lasted three summers. At its end, when the food supply was exhausted (Lam. 4:4-5,8-10), the cowardly Zedekiah and his men made a night-time escape. But he was soon captured and tried for treason. His sentence was cruel - his sons were killed, right before his eyes - and then his eyes were gouged out (2 Kgs. 25:3-7).
THE THREE DEPORTATIONS TO BABYLON
Far from My sight; Far from My sanctuary - On Mount Sinai, God gave Moses the blueprint for building the tabernacle so that He may dwell among the people (Exo. 25:8). But as a result of the golden calf incident, God decided not to go with the people to the Promised Land because the sinful people would not survive in the presence of the holy God (Exo. 33:2-3). This decision seemed to cause great distraught in Moses and he pleaded with God. He argued that it is God’s presence that distinguished the nation of Israel from all other nations (Exo. 33:15-16). God relented and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle (Exo. 40:34-38). Years later, the glory of the LORD filled the temple that Solomon built (2 Chron. 5:13-14).
Because of the sins of King Manasseh, the southern kingdom Judah would be removed from God’s sight, taken into captivity just like the northern kingdom Israel (2 Kgs. 23:26-27). And because of the temple had been defiled with the idol of jealousy, God would withdraw His presence and depart from the temple (Ezek. 8:3-6).
Ezekiel saw in his vision the glory of God rise from the golden cherubim (of the Ark of the Covenant) and move to the threshold (doorway) of the temple building (Ezek. 10:4). He then saw God move from the doorway and stood above the (living) cherubim (Ezek. 10:18) – a picture of God mounting His throne-chariot – which He rides to the east gate of the temple (Ezek. 10:19). Then the glory of God departed from the temple gate and from the city of Jerusalem to the mountain east of Jerusalem i.e., Mount of Olives (Ezek. 11:22-23). The departure of God signaled the end of His patience with His sinful people and it opened the way for His judgment to fall on them – captivity in Babylon.
By the river of Babylon, the people of God wept (Psa. 137:1) as they now have no home, no land, no temple and no “presence of God”.
Has God rejected Israel and Judah? Did the sins of the Jewish people and the consequent exile negate God’s promises to Abraham ... promises of a land, many seeds and a blessing to all families?
PROMISE OF RETURN FROM EXILE