www.gmahktanjungpinang.orgAdapted from : www.fustero.es Lesson 3 for October 17, 2015

Josiah (640-609)• The last good king of Judah.

Jehoahaz (609)• He was deported to Egypt.

Jehoiakim(609-598)• First deportation to Babylon [Daniel].

Jehoiachin (598-597)• Second deportation to Babylon [Ezekiel].

Zedekiah (597-586)• Jerusalem is destroyed.

(All dates BC)

Jeremiah was called as a prophet in the 13th year of Josiah’s reign (627 BC), so he could support Josiah’s religious reformation. After Josiah’s death, Jeremiah tried to make the last four kings of Judah leave their evil ways. Nevertheless, his efforts were in vain and Jerusalem couldn’t be saved from being destroyed.

JOSIAH

“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.” (2 Chronicles 34:1-2)

At 8

He was crowned. His father and grandfather were idolatrous kings.

At 1

6

He began seeking God.

At 2

0

He stopped idolatry throughout Israel and Judah.

At 2

1

Jeremiah began prophesying. He was a little younger than Josiah. At

26

He cleansed the temple. He read the Law and made a covenant with God.

First phase of

reformation:

abandoning sin.

2 Chronicles

34:3-7.

Second phase of reformation: a

covenant with God; keeping the law

and following the teachings from in

Bible. 2 Chronicles 34:31.

“Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 36:1-2)

God used Jeremiah to announce that Jehoahaz would never return from Egypt (Jeremiah 22:11-12).

Josiah died in a battle while he was fighting Pharaoh Necho II. His son Shallum (Jehoahaz) reigned after him.Three months after his campaign against Babylon, Necho brought Jehoahaz to Egypt and crowned Jehoiakim—who supported Egypt. Necho was trying to stop Babylon that way.

JEHOAHAZ

“Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.” (2 Kings 23:36-37)Necho lost the battle of Carchemish against Nebuchadnezzar. Then, Jehoiakim had to surrender to Babylon in 605 BC.Two grave sins blotted his reign:1. Idolatry and rejecting God (Jeremiah

22:20-21).2. Social injustice: “Woe to him who

builds his house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses his neighbor’s service without wages and gives him nothing for his work.” (Jeremiah 22:13).Those two sins often come together. Therefore, God invites

us through the Bible to do good to those around us and to treat everyone with fairness.

JEHOIAKIM

“‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off.’” (Jeremiah 22:24)

Jehoiachin (also known as Coniah and Jeconiah) reigned for about three months.The main leaders and craftsmen were deported because he resisted Nebuchadnezzar. He and his family died as prisoners in Babylon.God had a message of hope for his people in those hard times. That’s our message, too:

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11).After some time, God’s grace was shown in Jehoiachin. Evil-Merodach—king of Babylon—delivered him and gave him a place at court (Jeremiah 52:31-34).

JEHOIACHIN

“Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 36:11-12)

Zedekiah and the people chose to do “all the detestable practices of the nations” (2 Chronicles 36:14 NIV). They didn’t surrender their hearts to God, and they didn’t repent of their sins.They systematically rejected

Jeremiah’s message (Jeremiah 38:17). Finally, Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.

ZEDEKIAH

We are called to preach an unpopular message, just like Jeremiah was. We must encourage the world to stop “all the detestable practices” and to repent of their sins.

“I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number.” (Jeremiah 23:3)Many nations have disappeared and have been forgotten. Israel was going that way, but God didn’t abandon His people. He kept a faithful remnant.

Jesus is coming again to bring His people to the everlasting New Jerusalem. Let’s listen and obey His prophets.

A remnant would return to Jerusalem to meet God again after all those years of apostasy.God is gathering a faithful remnant today, after many centuries of apostasy. We are called to come back to the biblical roots of faith. We are called to preach the last repentance message.

THE REMNANT

E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 35, pg. 422)

Read the next quote carefully. How could you put it into

practice?