Slide 2 Josiah (640-609) The last good king of Judah. Jehoahaz
(609) He was deported to Egypt. Jehoiakim (609-598) First
deportation to Babylon [Daniel]. Jehoiachin (598-597) Second
deportation to Babylon [Ezekiel]. Zedekiah (597-586) Jerusalem is
destroyed. (All dates BC) Jeremiah was called as a prophet in the
13th year of Josiahs reign (627 BC), so he could support Josiahs
religious reformation. After Josiahs death, Jeremiah tried to make
the last four kings of Judah leave their evil ways. Nevertheless,
his efforts were in vain and Jerusalem couldnt be saved from being
destroyed. Slide 3 JOSIAH Josiah was eight years old when he became
king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. And he did what
was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his
father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the
left. (2 Chronicles 34:1-2) At 8 He was crowned. His father and
grandfather were idolatrous kings. At 16 He began seeking God. At
20 He stopped idolatry throughou t Israel and Judah. At 21 Jeremiah
began prophesying. He was a little younger than Josiah. At 26 He
cleansed the temple. He read the Law and made a covenant with God.
First phase of reformation: abandoning sin. 2 Chronicles 34:3-7.
Second phase of reformation: a covenant with God; keeping the law
and following the teachings from in Bible. 2 Chronicles 34:31.
Slide 4 JEHOAHAZ Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son
of Josiah, and made him king in his fathers place in Jerusalem.
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he
reigned three months in Jerusalem. (2 Chronicles 36:1-2) Josiah
died in a battle while he was fighting Pharaoh Necho II. His son
Shallum (Jehoahaz) reigned after him. Three months after his
campaign against Babylon, Necho brought Jehoahaz to Egypt and
crowned Jehoiakimwho supported Egypt. Necho was trying to stop
Babylon that way. God used Jeremiah to announce that Jehoahaz would
never return from Egypt (Jeremiah 22:11-12). Slide 5 JEHOIAKIM
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Zebudah the
daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did evil in the sight of the
Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. (2 Kings
23:36-37) Necho lost the battle of Carchemish against
Nebuchadnezzar. Then, Jehoiakim had to surrender to Babylon in 605
BC. Two grave sins blotted his reign: 1.Idolatry and rejecting God
(Jeremiah 22:20-21). 2.Social injustice: Woe to him who builds his
house by unrighteousness and his chambers by injustice, who uses
his neighbors service without wages and gives him nothing for his
work. (Jeremiah 22:13). Those two sins often come together.
Therefore, God invites us through the Bible to do good to those
around us and to treat everyone with fairness. Slide 6 JEHOIACHIN
As I live, says the Lord, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king
of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you
off. (Jeremiah 22:24) Jehoiachin (also known as Coniah and
Jeconiah) reigned for about three months. The main leaders and
craftsmen were deported because he resisted Nebuchadnezzar. He and
his family died as prisoners in Babylon. God had a message of hope
for his people in those hard times. Thats our message, too: For I
know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts
of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(Jeremiah 29:11). After some time, Gods grace was shown in
Jehoiachin. Evil- Merodachking of Babylon delivered him and gave
him a place at court (Jeremiah 52:31-34). Slide 7 Zedekiah Zedekiah
was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven
years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God,
and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke
from the mouth of the Lord. (2 Chronicles 36:11-12) Zedekiah and
the people chose to do all the detestable practices of the nations
(2 Chronicles 36:14 NIV). They didnt surrender their hearts to God,
and they didnt repent of their sins. They systematically rejected
Jeremiahs message (Jeremiah 38:17). Finally, Jerusalem and the
temple were destroyed. We are called to preach an unpopular
message, just like Jeremiah was. We must encourage the world to
stop all the detestable practices and to repent of their sins.
Slide 8 THE REMNANT I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring
them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and
increase in number. (Jeremiah 23:3) Many nations have disappeared
and have been forgotten. Israel was going that way, but God didnt
abandon His people. He kept a faithful remnant. Jesus is coming
again to bring His people to the everlasting New Jerusalem. Lets
listen and obey His prophets. A remnant would return to Jerusalem
to meet God again after all those years of apostasy. God is
gathering a faithful remnant today, after many centuries of
apostasy. We are called to come back to the biblical roots of
faith. We are called to preach the last repentance message. Slide 9
In his testimonies to the church, Jeremiah constantly referred to
the teachings of the book of the law that had been so greatly
honored and exalted during Josiahs reign. He emphasized anew the
importance of maintaining a covenant relationship with the
all-merciful and compassionate Being who upon the heights of Sinai
had spoken the precepts of the Decalogue. Jeremiahs words of
warning and entreaty reached every part of the kingdom, and all had
opportunity to know the will of God concerning the nation. E.G.W.
(Prophets and Kings, cp. 35, pg. 422) Read the next quote
carefully. How could you put it into practice?
