The Price Of Innocent Blood. 2 Kings 24:1-9
The Decline and Fall of Israel and Judah
INTRODUCTION
The Second Book of Kings is a continuation of the First. It records the reigns of fifteen kings in Judah and of eleven kings in Israel. In Judah the dynasty of David continued to the end, while in Israel there were nine changes of dynasty.
The northern kingdom maintained an unbroken course of idolatry, until the nation was ripe for destruction. The end came in 722 B.C., when Samaria was taken by the Assyrians. Judah continued her course for nearly 150 years longer. But in spite of the efforts of prophets and good kings, the tide of idolatry could not be stayed, and Jerusalem fell before the Babylonians, 586 B.C. Nothing but the Exile could avail to purify the nation and restore the spirit of true worship.
II. FROM THE FALL OF SAMARIA TO THE FALL OF JERUSALEM,
4. Egypt Surrenders Judah to Babylon, 2Ki_23:31-37; 2Ki_24:1-9
56. Why did the Lord surrender Judah to her enemies?
THE PRICE OF INNOCENT BLOOD
In his days, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him.
The LORD sent marauding bands of Chaldeans, Arameans (Syrians), Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim. And He sent them against Judah to destroy it, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servants the prophets.
Surely this came on Judah at the command of the LORD, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of [King] Manasseh, in accordance with everything that he had done,
and also for the innocent blood that he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not pardon it.
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and everything that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers [in death], and his son Jehoiachin became king in his place.
The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, because the king of Babylon had taken everything that belonged to the king of Egypt, from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned [only] three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Nehushta daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
He did evil in the sight of the LORD, in accordance with everything that his father had done.
THE PRICE OF INNOCENT BLOOD
Note the entail of Manasseh’s sin. He had lived, had been forgiven, and had died years before, but Judah was irretrievably implicated in his sins. The poison had eaten into the national heart, and for the innocent blood which had been shed like water there had been no amends. Notice the emphatic statement that Nebuchadnezzar and the other enemies who came against the land were deliberately carrying out the divine chastenings. They were, as Isaiah puts it, the rod of God’s anger and the staff of His indignation, Isa_10:5. How often does God still use evil men as His instruments to chasten us! The best way of escaping them is to commit ourselves to God.
Jehoiakim was blatant in his blasphemy, Jer_36:23. He was a very contemptible prince, and was carried in chains to Babylon, Dan_1:1-4. Apparently he was temporarily restored to his throne, but in the end he perished ignominiously, Jer_36:30.
What sorrows befell the Holy City! Though God would have gathered her under the wings of his protecting care, she would not, and therefore the times of the Gentiles began, which would now seem to be hastening to their end, Luk_21:24.
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