2 Chronicles 36:1-4
2 Kings 23:31-37
2 Chronicles 36:5
Jeremiah 22:1-23
Jeremiah 26:1-24
2 Kings 24:1-4
Jeremiah 25:1-14
After the good King Josiah died, his son Jehoahaz took the throne. He
was immediately deposed and taken captive by Neco, the Pharaoh of Egypt
(probably as repayment for his father’s attack on him at Megiddo). Neco placed
Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim on the throne, changed his name to Jehoiakim, and,
then, used him as a puppet to pay him money.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and, instead
of following in his father Josiah’s footsteps, he did what was evil in the
Lord’s sight and, therefore, hastened the destruction of Judah. It was during
Jehoiakim’s reign that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon sieged Jerusalem and
carried away the people into exile.
While the fall of Judah had been prophesied for decades, no one had
ever predicted the length of time that God’s people would be in exile. Jeremiah
was the first to do so. He announced that their punishment would last seventy
(70) years (25:11, 12). After that period, God would punish and enslave the Babylonians for
their sins. “I will punish them in proportion to the suffering they cause My
people” (25:14).
Right here towards the end of Judah’s existence, the prophets
Jeremiah, Uriah, and Ahikam, came in full force to prevent its fall, to beg the
king and the people to turn from their ways, but the people would have none of
it. The Lord said through Jeremiah, “When you were prosperous, I warned you,
but you replied, ‘Don’t bother me.’ Since childhood you have been that way. You
simply would not listen! I have sent them again and again to you, but you
would not listen to them... I will destroy this Temple and I will make Jerusalem an object of
cursing for every nation on earth” (22:21; 26:4-6).
Daily Reflection
What was it about God’s people that they would not listen to Him? Was
He not concerned for their future? Was He not trying to preserve their nation?
Did He not have their best interests in mind? Of course, but it didn’t matter.
The people wanted to do what they wanted to do; and, instead
of seeing God as a help, they saw Him as a hindrance. They would rather
fulfill their desires and suffer the consequences than turn from their ways and
prevent disaster.
Does this describe you at all, hard of hearing?
Perhaps it’s not that you are hard of hearing but simply
hard headed. You want to do what you want to do, and you don’t want anyone, not
even the Lord, to get in your way. You would rather suffer the consequences of
your sin than turn from it and prevent disaster.
Why are we like that? Why are you like that? Ignoring God’s voice reveals
a deeper problem. What is it?
Satan is crafty; he will deceive you. He will tell you that you can’t
help your desires, that you are not hurting anyone, or that no one will know
what you are thinking or doing. He will pull you into his trap and, before you
know it, you are stuck. His ways may seem right at first, but they only lead to
death.
Is God warning you? Are you stubbornly repeating your offenses,
ignoring His voice, or refusing His pleas? Are you trying to drown out His warnings
to do what you know is wrong to do? A hard head is a symptom of a hard
heart.
BiAY.org | Day 216 — 149 Days to Go
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