2014-06-06
Good Morning Dear Ones,
Last week, I wrote about name changes in the lives of Daniel and his three friends and with Joseph and his Egyptian family. Most of these name changes were imposed on our heroes from Israel due to being either captives at the time or being married into an Egyptian pharaoh’s family. The relationship geographically between Israel and other surrounding countries that held her captive or under which she was in their control helps to understand why such connections are formed. Israel’s very name means One Who Struggles With God. We remember this from the story of Jacob, a name meaning Deceiver, being changed to Israel at the time Jacob fought with the Man at Peniel, in GN 32: 22-32. Israel, is a country in Asia in the Middle East, with Egypt to the south and Lebanon and Syria to the north on a modern map. Its western boarder is the Mediterranean Sea. At the time of the onset of the Babylonian captivity in 605 BC, Israel was divided into Judah with its capital, Jerusalem, to the south and Israel, with it’s capital at Samaria at the north. North of it was Assyria, an empire that had captured the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. South of Judah was Egypt, then a very strong entity with Pharaoh Neco ruling from 610 -595 BC.
Judah’s godly king, Josiah, had died leaving his older son, Eliakim, and his younger brother-Josiah’s fourth and youngest son, Jehoahaz, in a conflict over which one would sit on Judah’s throne. Jehoahaz’s name was originally Shallum [1CH 3: 15; JER 22: 11] but had been changed when he ascended to the throne. The combined political power of both Assyria and Egypt at the time placed Israel not only squeezed from both north and south, but worked to the advantage of both these enemies of Israel in their political struggles with the rising power of the Babylonian emperor, Nabopolassar. Babylonia was to the east of Israel including today’s Iraq. The Assyrian capital at Nineveh had already fallen to the Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC [see book of Nahum]. Once Josiah had lost his life in the battle at Meggido at Pharaoh Neco’s hand, Jehoahaz (23) was placed on Judah’s throne and reigned for three months. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and Pharaoh Neco due to his greater power, placed him in chains at Riblah and imposed a tribute on Judah [2 CH 36: 3]. Eliakim had possibly been by-passed earlier from the throne due to his pro-Egyptian political views. Either through deception or by sheer force, Jehoahaz, was captured and taken to Egypt, where he died [2 CH 36: 4]. 2 K 23: 34-35], “Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim, son of Josiah, king in place of his father Josiah, and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jeoahaz and carried him off to Egypt, and there the latter died. Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Neco the sliver and gold he demanded. In order to do so, he taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments.” The name, Eliakim, means “God Has Established,” and Jehoiakim means “Yahweh Has Established,” not that much different. Neco wanted to show that Judah’s predicament (being under Egypt’s thumb) was okayed by God [2 K 18: 25; 2 CH 35: 21]. Interestingly enough, it was during Jehoiakim’s reign (609-598 BC), a period of eleven years, that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia took Daniel and his friends captive (in 602 BC), as the Babylonian Captivity of Israel had begun in 605 BC and the temple at Jerusalem was to fall not many years later in 586 BC. We are seeing from these stories in the Bible that there are numerous reasons for name changes that have occurred.
We can also go back to a key verse in Daniel to see God’s power revealed. DN 4: 17, “The decision has been announced by messengers, the Holy one declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone He wishes and sets over them the lowliest of men.” While this statement came during King Nebuchadnezzar’s tree dream, it applies to any human government at any time in history-past, present, and future. The bottom line is that God is always in control of human affairs, so that despite the fact that Josiah had 4 sons-Johanan (thought to have died early), Jehoiakim, Zedekiah, and Shallum (Jehoahaz), the oldest doesn’t always rule. Jehoiakin’s son, Jehoachin, was taken captive by the Babylonians, and Zedekiah (21) became the last king of Judah, ruling from 597-586 BC, eleven years [2 K 24: 18]. Like Jehoiakim, Zedekiah did evil in God’s sight, which led to God’s decision to let Judah go into Babylonian hands under King Nebuchadnezzar [2 K 24: 19]. Jehoiachin (18) ruled only three months (Dec 598 BC to Mar. 597 BC) [2 K 24: 12-13]. Of interest is the fact that when King Josiah died after the battle of Meggido, the prophet Jeremiah, composed the laments for him [2 CH 35: 25]. While the original laments Jeremiah wrote are no longer in existence, it has been customary to associate the book of Lamentations with Jeremiah. Josiah had been held in high esteem by his Judean subjects. When Jehoiachin was taken captive, the prophet, Jeremiah was seriously upset. God had told him that Judah would be held captive for 70 years, as we see in JER 25: 11. By that time, Egypt had been defeated in the Battle of Charchemish, of which the battle at Meggido had been a part in 605 BC, by the Babylonians [2 CH 35: 20]–The cup of God’s wrath had been filled to overflowing. [see JER 25, 26, 36 for the fate of Judah’s prophets].
PRAYER: O Lord, we’ve delved into a pivotal time in Judah’s history this week, and must extract important lessons from it which apply to our modern life today. The question is can we hear in our hearts Jeremiah’s prophecies of negative consequences that happen to those who refuse to obey Your teaching? It’s a huge question, one which demands real introspection, realistic and honest evaluation of our covenant relationship with You. We understand that this can be exquisitely painful if we are trying to cover up and/or are refusing to stop our own sinning. We must step back from being judgmental of others and instead, be genuinely open with ourselves. You asked in, MT 7: 3-4, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?” Today, we have Your word in convenient book and electronic forms, where we can spend daily time with remarkable ease learning Your teachings. There is no excuse we can give which is righteous for not getting into this habit, and not praying often, letting You speak to us first in the course of it. Each of us knows deep down, Dearest Abba, that we need Your guidance, teaching, and help in decision-making to live righteously. We ask You for that direction now. PS 86: 11, “Teach me Your way, O Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may have reverence for Your name.” We urge You to lead us on level ground. We are grateful that You are near to us and that You love us. We offer You our heartfelt praise and thanks for Your presence and intervention in our lives. In the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: In the course of this study of such a pivotal time in the life of Judah, I realize there are too many lessons in it to depart from this subject without discussing what happened to the prophet Jeremiah and how God’s righteous sovereignty over earth matters so very much in the decisions we make in every aspect of our lives. Therefore, these things will be the subject of next week’s devotion. We will still be looking at name changes and meanings to give us a better understanding of the lessons we can learn from history. Our Covenant Partner really means for us to keep our end of the Covenant of Grace, and He is willing to do everything in His power to help us do that (if we will allow Him). IS 46: 9-10 need not be something of which we are afraid. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I make known the end from the beginning –from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.” If we are truly obedient to Him, we can actually take comfort in knowing that, in God’s consistency, as well. Our God can be counted on to keep His promises and to love us with all His heart. Our God is just, wise, compassionate, and can be trusted. Isaiah reminds us about God with his words, in IS 26: 3, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” If we align our ethics and practices with those of the Lord, we will never have to worry that His cup of wrath will pour out on us. Praise and thanks be to the Lord forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2014. All Rights Reserved.
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