Following the death of Josiah, the downfall of the Kingdom of Judah became inevitable and rapidly approached. The history of Judah’s kings during the tumultuous period leading to the Babylonian exile is a poignant narrative of divine judgment, human defiance, and eventual restoration. The final four kings of Judah either served as vassals to foreign rulers or were captured and supplanted by other members of the royal lineage. Spanning multiple reigns, from Jehoahaz to Zedekiah, each king’s actions and decisions led the nation to its ultimate capture and exile in Babylonia by the mighty Chaldeans. The state of Judah during these final years serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of disobedience and rebellion against God. Yet, amidst the darkness of exile, there was a glimmer of hope—a promise of restoration for those who turn back to God.
Jehoahaz’s Brief Reign
We begin with Jehoahaz, also known as Shallum, who ascended the throne of Judah at the young age of twenty-three. His reign lasted a mere three months before Pharaoh Necho of Egypt deposed him and imposed heavy tribute on Judah. In a likely attempt to send a message to the people of Judah and exact revenge for his father’s revolt, Pharaoh Necho took Jehoahaz captive and placed him in shackles. He then installed a puppet king, who would both pay tribute and be accepted by the people. This marked the onset of foreign intervention and Judah’s gradual decline into vassal status under powerful neighbouring kingdoms.
Pharaoh Necho made Eliakim son of Josiah king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. – 2 Kings 23:34 (NIV)
Jehoiakim’s Defiance
Following Jehoahaz’s capture, his half-brother was appointed by Pharaoh Necho, who changed his name to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. The changing of names by captors was a common practice, often to select names that were easier for them to pronounce or to give glory to their gods rather than the God of the Israelites, as seen in the case of Daniel. Alternatively, Jehoiakim might have been his official name from the start. Regardless, it seems Pharaoh Necho was intent on establishing his authority and used the renaming as a psychological tactic to assert control.
This act could also have been a strategy to maintain stability in the region by giving the people a king with a culturally resonant name. The name Eliakim means “whom God has set,” while Jehoiakim means “whom Jehovah has set.” The latter name could have been intended to remind the people that it was Yahweh who had appointed Pharaoh Necho as their ruler, further emphasizing the psychological manipulation employed by the Egyptian king.
During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, initially invaded Judah, and Jehoiakim submitted as his vassal for three years. However, Jehoiakim later rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. As a result, the LORD allowed Babylonian, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders to attack Judah, fulfilling the prophecy of the LORD’s servants. Nebuchadnezzar subsequently captured Jehoiakim, binding him with bronze shackles and taking sacred articles from the temple of the LORD to Babylon.
Surely these things happened to Judah according to the LORD’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done… – 2 Kings 24:3 (NIV)
The downfall of Judah cannot be attributed solely to the sins of Manasseh, a man who had attempted to bring about reforms in the land. Jehoiakim, for instance, killed all the prophets who tried to warn him, a significant factor that is often overlooked in the author’s assessment of Judah’s decline. Similarly, in our own lives, we may sin and create a divide between ourselves and God. However, when faced with His wrath, we often shift the blame to our forefathers, ignoring the sins that we have fallen into.
The king of Egypt did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River. – 2 Kings 24:7 (NIV)
Babylon emerged as the new dominant power in the world, displacing the once-mighty Egyptians, who were no longer able to advance beyond their own borders after Babylon seized all their territory from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River.
Jehoiachin’s Babylonian Exile
Jehoiachin, the son of Jehoiakim, became king at the age of eighteen and ruled Jerusalem briefly for three months. Like his father, Jehoiachin displeased the LORD with his actions. However, his reign was cut short when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieged Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar personally led the siege, and Jehoiachin, along with his mother, attendants, nobles, and officials, surrendered to him.
In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, he captured Jehoiachin as foretold by the LORD. Nebuchadnezzar looted the treasures from the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, dismantling the gold articles made by Solomon for the temple. He exiled the entire population of Jerusalem, including all officers, soldiers, skilled workers, and artisans—amounting to ten thousand people. Only the poorest inhabitants remained in the land.
The poorest people would have had no role to play in the capital of the Babylonian empire; they were illiterate and unable to contribute to the economy of a highly developed nation like Babylon. Instead, they were left behind to tend to the desolate land left by the Babylonians. However, Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon and also deported the king’s mother, his wives, officials, and prominent individuals of the land. Additionally, he exiled seven thousand fighting men and a thousand skilled workers and artisans to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar then appointed Mattaniah, Jehoiachin’s uncle, as king in his place, renaming him Zedekiah.
Zedekiah: The Last King of Judah
Zedekiah, another son of Josiah, was installed by Nebuchadnezzar as a puppet king over Judah following the deportation of Jehoiachin. Initially compliant, Zedekiah later succumbed to pressure from his advisors and rebelled against Babylonian rule. This act sealed Jerusalem’s fate, prompting Nebuchadnezzar’s armies to besiege the city for years. The prolonged siege culminated in the breach of Jerusalem’s walls in 586 BCE.
During the fall of Jerusalem, Zedekiah witnessed the grim aftermath: his sons were executed before him, and he was subsequently blinded and taken captive to Babylon. This tragic sequence of events fulfilled the dire prophecies of Jeremiah and other prophets, who had warned of the city’s destruction and the exile of its people.
The capture of Jerusalem marked a pivotal moment in Judah’s history, signalling the end of its independence and the beginning of a period of exile and desolation. The temple, a symbol of Judah’s faith and national identity, was destroyed, and the elite of Judah were deported to Babylon, leaving behind a devastated homeland.
In the thirty-seventh year of Jehoiachin’s exile, under the reign of King Awel-Marduk of Babylon, Jehoiachin was unexpectedly released from prison, a gesture of kindness from the Babylonian king. Awel-Marduk elevated Jehoiachin to a position of honour above other captive kings in Babylon, allowing him to dine at the royal table for the rest of his days, supported by a daily allowance from the king. This act of clemency provided a brief glimmer of hope amid the despair of exile for Jehoiachin and the people of Judah.
Despite the devastation, the prophets continued to speak of God’s mercy and eventual restoration. Seventy years later, in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy, Cyrus the Great of Persia issued a decree allowing the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the temple. This marked a new chapter in Judah’s history, emphasizing God’s faithfulness even in times of judgment.
Rejecting God’s Leading
The decline of Israel was not solely due to the actions of its final kings, but it began when the people demanded a king and rejected God’s leadership, as they had requested from Samuel. They continually embraced the idolatrous practices of their leaders and their wives, ignoring the messages God delivered through the prophets. Persistently disobedient and rebellious, they turned away from the God who had carried them out of Egypt and led them to the promised land. Just as Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation and were expelled from the Garden, successive kings of Israel faced similar fates. Ultimately, the Israelites were exiled to foreign lands, and their temple, once a source of pride, lay in ruins.
Reflecting on Judah’s decline prompts us to examine our own responses to God’s leading and their impacts on our modern societies. We frequently reject God’s leading in favour of worldly ways, leading to worsening circumstances and growing distance from God. However, even during our own periods of exile, there remains a glimmer of hope—a promise of restoration and renewal for those who realign their paths with God.
Discussion Questions
- Was Judah’s downfall truly due to the sins of Manasseh, a man who had attempted to bring about reforms in the land?
- Why did the Babylonians leave behind the poorest people?
- What can we learn from the kings of Israel and Judah?
The Jordan Valley 
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