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2 Kings 25:27 The last king Day 316

Good afternoon friends,

Here we are at the end of Kings already  We have gone from Saul  with his infidelity from almost the first day, through David and Solomon to a divided kingdom.  Ending with Israel dispersed and Judah in captivity.  Yet God is faithful to his promises.

Blessings,

Jeff

Observations and thoughts

Jehoiachin means Jehovah establishes.  He was king for 3 months and 10 days.  Rather ironic.

Can you imagine spending 37 years in prison as a conquered king?  Not just exile but imprisoner.d.  Many of the other kings of Judah did not reign this long.  To live a long time in prison instead of reigning as king.  Did he wake up every day and bemoan the folly of his ancestors?  In a way, he was paying the penalty for all their folly and idolatry.

He was graciously freed by the king of Babylon.  There was no reason for him to do this.  We hear or prisoners being released early because of good behavior.  But they have a sentence of so many years.  Jehoiachin apparently had a life sentence.  If he was "paying a debt" for ancestors, 37 years would not be enough.

Then to go from prison to the king's table.  And not just at the far end of the table, but the highest seat.  Not only does he not deserve to be released, he does not deserve this privilege. 

The line of David is preserved as he is listed in the genealogy of Joseph given in Matthew 1.

I wonder if he thought about the promise of Genesis 3:15 as he sat in prison and then sat at the kings table.  While the king of Babylon was gracious, the Lord was even more gracious.  He was part of the line of Messiah despite all the faults in the line of David.  He was part of the line because of God's covenant, not because of his personal performance.  We can look at these events and praise the God who makes and keeps promises.

On a secondary level, this is a picture of every believer.  Spending years in the prison of sin, no hope of release, a debt too large to be paid off.  And one day, the King sets you free and gives you a seat at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

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