February 23, Jeremiah 22
”And many nations will pass by this city, and every man will say to his neighbor, 'Why has the LORD dealt thus with this great city?’ And they will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the covenant of the LORD their God, and worshiped other gods and served them.'" - Jeremiah 22:8-9
In Ecclesiastes Solomon wrote, "Better is the end of a thing than its beginning." I think that comparison is like many other proverbial sayings. It states a general principle that may not always be true in every case. Another example might be, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." A soft answer does not always turn away the wrath of some people about some real or imagined offense. In the same way, the end of a thing is not always better than its beginning.
Jeremiah 22 is about the end of the Davidic dynasty. It began with the reign of David. He was a man after God’s own heart. David shepherded God's people and led them to victory on the battlefield in one conflict after another. The dynasty ended with the reigns of Jehoiachin and Jehoiakim. These last descendants in the direct line of the Davidic kings were terrible leaders, and the only remarkable thing about their reigns was that the nation was destroyed and the people taken away into captivity during their years on David’s throne.
God offered the nation one last chance to repent and return to him. He called them back to basic covenant morality, and ordered them to treat the poor and other helpless people with dignity and respect instead of taking advantage of them. He sent a promise and a threat along with the command to return. He promised the dynasty would continue if they turned back and obeyed him. But if they failed to listen to the prophet’s words, he would destroy their temple and leave their city an uninhabited ruin. God had been very patient with this dynasty and this nation. He had blessed them just as he told David that he would. But the time had finally come for God to keep the dark, negative side of the conditional covenant. Their disobedience and repeated wickedness would destroy them. Their destruction would be so complete and drastic that passers-by would see the ruins and wonder aloud how it could have happened. And their neighbors would answer that their disobedience and idolatry had brought down the wrath of God on their evil king and rebellious kingdom.
Jehoiachin was evil and ruthless. He had no regard for God or God's law. He was the opposite of his father, King Josiah. Josiah is best remembered as the boy king. But he grew up to be the last good king that Israel/Judah ever had on the throne. His son and grandson were the final two Davidic kings. God told Jehoiachin (also known by his family name Shallum) that being a king was not about building fine buildings. Instead, a good king over God's people should honor God instead of worshiping idols. He should protect God's people instead of oppressing and abusing them. Jehoiachin only looked for opportunities to do evil. His son Jehoiakim (or Coniah) would be king for only a short time after the Babylonians carried Jehoiachin away. Then the king and his nation would be taken away to Babylon where they would die, never to see their homeland again.
When Coniah died without an heir to succeed him on the throne, the Davidic dynasty came to an end. God didn't break his promise to David. The covenant king and his people failed to meet the conditions to receive God’s favor instead of his wrath. The tragic end was both well-deserved and entirely preventable if the kings and the people had honored and obeyed God.
The Messianic promises God made to David and Abraham would not fail. Messiah would still be born of Abraham's descendants, and from David's descendants, too. From Luke's genealogy of Jesus that goes backward to Adam, we learn that Jesus came through Nathan, son of David. The legal genealogy in Matthew 1 traces the birth of Jesus through the line of the Davidic kings. But that line of kings ended at Jehoiakim.
God promises to save and bless his people when they obey him. But his promises to curse and punish those who disobey him are just as sure as the blessings promises. Through the prophet Amos, God said he would destroy the “vile kingdom.” Hosea revealed that the kingdom would “cease.” The sad events of Jeremiah 22 fulfill those dark prophecies.
Copyright © 2024 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today in God's Word—February 2024
East Tallassee Church of Christ
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