After the godly king Josiah there were four more kings who would reign in the 23 years leading up to the fall of Jerusalem and the exile: Jehoahaz (Shallum), Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin and Zedekiah. After only three months on the throne, Shallum was taken captive to Egypt. Jehoiachin was also taken captive after only three months on the throne, this time by the king of Babylon. So, these were turbulent times as Judah was sandwiched between the great empires of the ancient world. You would think that, in such circumstances, they would wake up to themselves as their demise seemed imminent. But no, they continued to exploit the poor to feather their own beds right up until their ‘beds’ burned. It took no small degree of defiance for Judean kings to inflict such injustices on their people. It was well known that the most important duty of a king, according to the Mosaic law, was precisely to maintain justice. It was a sign of how self-focused and hedonistic they had become. These people needed an even louder wake-up call, and they were going to get it. What is the loudest wake-up call you have had? Think about this for a few moments and try to remember why it took so long for you to wake up to yourself. Do you feel that you are aware of yourself and your spiritual state now?
Consider the questions I closed with. Give thanks to God for staying on your case.
Read Jeremiah 22
