King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 5 notes
Read 2 Chronicles 36 in the app
1Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father’s stead in Jerusalem.
2Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
3And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
5Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God.
6Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
7Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
8Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
9Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD.
10And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
And he was later to be released some 30+ years later.
Now a thought came to mind about prophecies, for example Jeremiah's 70-year prophecy of the return.
Now how did God know this would happen, and how did he ensure it happened?
How did he scheme things to work out such that Israel was released some 70 years later?
I believe when the prophecy came, the scribes of heaven wrote it down and mapped up a plot and strategy to cause it to happen according to the pleasure of the king 👑 Jehovah.
11Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.
12And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the LORD.
13And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the LORD God of Israel.
14Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
So even the chief priests were partakers in idolatry and abominations...
No wonder they were slain and killed.
15And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:
I noticed that even though GOD prophesied death and gloom to these people, he still provided for them a way of escape.
It sometimes sounded like GOD was going to kill them and destroy them without mercy, but even in their rebellion and idolatry he would tell them, at the very time of his final judgements on them, to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar so they escape cruel death.
You can see that he did not really want to kill or destroy them. Even when they failed to repent and worship him, he still gave them a chance to continue being alive in their idolatry, but they would not listen.
GOD is a good father. Indeed, no father will allow his son to go wayward, and even in his waywardness will not want him dead, but at least alive, even if still in rebellion.
The death of the wicked, it seems, is always the last resort of judgement, not the very first.
GOD always seeks to have men repent so he forgives them.
16But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
The grave end is coming upon them, you can sense.
Even the house of the Lord was being used for idolatry... Their cup was becoming full, and that quickly.
I fear for the church ⛪ also of today. Judgement will come.
17Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand.
18And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon.
19And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
20And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Sabbath is the seventh day, and in symbolism of sabbath the land kept 70 sabbaths, a sabbath per year.
22Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.