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 2 Chronicles 36:5-8

If you remember from yesterday, Jehoiakim, was Jehoahaz’s brother. Pharaoh Neco of Egypt made him king in place of his brother, changing his name from Eliakim. If Jehoiakim began his reign under the dark cloud of Egypt, it continued under the even more ominously foreboding one of Babylon. With the double mention of that gigantic, evil super-power (6, 7) the Chronicler signals the approaching end for the kingdom of Judah.

In GOD’s opinion he was an evil king (5b). The Message. This is the only opinion that really matters. The obituary that counts is the one written by God, and not those penned by members of your fan club. How anyone appears in the eyes of the LORD matters so much more than how they are viewed by people. There are those considered heroes in this world who in fact do detestable things (8), yet they are lauded and esteemed. But there will come a judgment day on which the record will be set straight. All the chickens will eventually come home to roost. If the Lord was Jehoiakim’s God, then he chose to live in a way that was incompatible with his beliefs. God saw how he lived and totted up the account. Here are some points to note about sin:

• Sin will be punished. A farmer once said words to the effect that God doesn’t necessarily settle his bills at the end of the financial year, but He always settles his bills. It may take a long time for the paperwork to plop through your letterbox, but be sure that the brown envelope with a window in it will appear. The Chronicler means for us to understand that Jehoiakim (and his kingdom) paid for his sin. We are witnessing cause and effect here in the sin and captivity.
• Sin will be punished without exception. You might be a great person in the world, but you will not be given an exemption when it comes time to pay your sinning bill. You will have to ‘cough up’ like everyone else.
• Sin puts you in chains. Yours may not be as solid as Jehoiakim’s, but they are just as real. You may have the illusion that you are free. That is because there is a real devil who is good at lying, and he may well persuade you that you are at liberty. However, the truth is otherwise. (See John 8:31-36). Only Jesus can set free from such shackles. Thank God that He can, and He will if you want Him to. So a Christian can sing very meaningfully: My chains fell off…
• Sin takes you to places you don’t want to go. Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon (6). In one sense we can say that sin transports everyone there: to a place of captivity.
• Sin affects others. That may not be your intention, but it is regularly the result. ‘No man is an island.’ In (7) we see something of the impact of sin on the land of Judah. Jehoiakim’s sin put a knife through the very heart of the nation. It did great damage to the temple, the sacred place of worship. In the same way, one person’s private and personal sins may have a ‘knock on’ effect on the whole church.
• Sin will be found against (8) us. It’s like you’re in the dock and there is a case for the prosecution levelled against you. You don’t have a leg to stand on. But what has been found against us was counted against Jesus when he died on the cross. The charges against us were ‘written’ over His cross. He bore our punishment so that we would not have to, if we will put our trust in Him. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. (Colossians 13b,14).

Prayer: Lord, please forgive me for all the ‘knots’ I have tied through my sinning. Thank you that your cross can untie them all.

 2 Chronicles 36: 2 – 4

As we come towards the end of our long journey through Chronicles over the next few days, we are going to find ourselves disappointed with the last kings we encounter. The remaining monarchs of Judah, before the exile, went out with a whimper and not a bang. (It’s been said that 2 Chronicles opens by telling how the temple was built. It closes showing how and why that temple was destroyed.)

•  Jehoahaz had a short reign (2)

• Jehoahaz was shamed (3,4a). How humiliating it was to be replaced by his brother; to have the crown forcibly ripped from his head and placed upon the brow of a sibling.

•  Jehoahaz became a slave (4b). Effectively, it would appear, that’s what happened.

The point I want to make is that the next generation picked up the bill (see 3b particularly) for Josiah’s disobedience to God. Josiah, as we have seen, ran an almost ideal race, but then he fell at the final fence. It looked like he was going to win the ‘National’, but then he didn’t. Off his horse he came. And other riders following immediately behind him tripped and fell too.

We are going to leave something to the next generation; for the next generation. It can be good or bad (or mixed). Let’s ensure that we are sowing good seeds today, and every day, that will grow into a beautiful harvest and provide a bumper crop. So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. (Galatians 6:9). The Message.

All sin is sin. All sin has consequences. We cannot say that all sins will be equally damaging, but some will have ‘knock on’ effects into future years; they will carry generational consequences. It’s no use kidding ourselves that we can be careless about doing wrong. I remember sitting on a rock by Lake Derwentwater, near Keswick. As a boat passed by, it left a ‘wake’. Human lives do that, and sometimes it can be disturbing and damaging.  As a song says, ‘May all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our obedience light their way.’

Prayer: Lord let me so live that those who follow on after me have something good to emulate.

2 Chronicles 35: 20 – 36:1

We find an unexpected twist at the end of Josiah’s story. It comes as a total shock. But it has to make us look at ourselves and apply the obvious lesson. If you go against God, however successful and effective you’ve been in ministry/service, you will not be able to don a disguise that will protect you (22a). No-one can rebel against God and expect to get away with it.

Regrettably, there can be an After all this (20a) in anyone’s life. Someone can live well and do good works, and then have a great fall. It can seem to them, and to us, like they’re standing, and then we watch the crash through horrified eyes. Josiah was like a show jumper who had a clear round until he got to the last fence, which he clattered. The rest of the history of Josiah, his exemplary and devout life, conformed to The Revelation of GOD (26). The Message. But that doesn’t alter what happened at the final fence, and, in a sense, we join with all Judah and Jerusalem in mourning him, and accompany Jeremiah in his lament. It’s a tragic and wasteful ending to a wonderful life.

Let’s be open to hearing from God through anyone. Maybe the fact that Neco was a pagan Egyptian made it easier for Josiah to dismiss him. But as unlikely as it may have seemed, this Egyptian king was being directed by God. May the Lord give us such humility and openness to Him that we do not miss anything he might be saying. (For another example of God speaking through an unexpected individual see John 11:49-53).

If God defeated Egypt in the days of Moses, surely He could do it again for Josiah! Without seeking the mind of the Lord, Josiah meddled in a war that had nothing to do with Judah, and it led to his death. A disguise is no protection if we have disobeyed God (v.22; 2 Chron.18:29). Judah was back in bondage to Egypt! We wonder what the future of Judah might have been had Josiah heeded the warning God gave him. Strange as it seems, God can speak through messengers who may not even know Him. Warren W. Wierbe: With the Word,p.252.

At the age of 57, I am increasingly aware that I am just a decade away from the official retirement age. Although I want to go on serving God for as long as he grants me life and breath, I have a growing concern to finish well. Reading Josiah’s story only serves to reinforce the desire, as I consider what could happen.

Paul told Timothy to Watch your life and doctrine closely (1 Tim.4:16). Theological purity is important. It is vital to hold correct beliefs. But you also need to ensure that your living always corresponds to your believing. Josiah shouts to us across the centuries that you do indeed need to keep a close eye on your life, and stay vigilant to the very end. You may have been sailing around the venue so far, but there are some big fences still to come!

Prayer: Lord God, help me to finish well.