Ep. 146. 2 Kings 24-25 | King Nebby
EPISODE 146
KING NEBBY: 2 KINGS 24-25
I don't know if I could convince you here in a few lines about the importance of memorizing the last three Kings of Jerusalem/Judah and the length of their reigns. If you can memorize these final three Kings, you will gain tremendous insight into the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Furthermore, it will give you a better understanding of Ezra and Nehemiah. Let me give you a quick breakdown here.
The final three kings of Judah were Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.
Jehoiakim reigned for ELEVEN YEARS.
Jehoiachin reigned for THREE MONTHS.
Zedekiah reigned for ELEVEN YEARS.
King Nebuchadnezzar became King of Babylon in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim. This corresponds to Daniel chapter one. So then Daniel chapter one, Nebuchadnezzar becomes King of Babylon, Jehoiakim has been on the throne for 3 years, Jeremiah has been a prophet for 21 years. All of these take place at the same time.
Daniel chapter two takes place in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar and the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Daniel will rule in Babylon from that point forward and be in a position of power until they are set free from captivity at the end of the seventy years.
In Nebuchadnezzar's eighth year as King, we see Jehoiachin as King of Judah. He will also be called Jeconiah. At the end of three months, Nebuchadnezzar takes him into captivity along with a large group of Jews. Ezekiel was taken captive at this point and was 25 years old. Ezekiel began writing his book five years later from captivity in Babylon. Zedekiah is appointed King of Judah. So the key players are Jeremiah, who has now been a prophet for 29 years; Zedekiah (the brand new King of Judah), Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon (now for eight years); Ezekiel, the new captive in Babylon, Daniel (who has been an aid to the King in Babylon for seven years), and Jehoiachin who will remain in captivity for 37 years.
Zedekiah would serve the King of Babylon faithfully for a while, but in the fifth year, he would begin to pull away a bit. Ezekiel was a very vocal prophet for the Lord among the exiles in Babylon and started prophesying to the exiles in the fifth year of his captivity. Ezekiel 1-31 will cover the final six years of Jerusalem before it is destroyed. Meanwhile, Jeremiah has been a prophet in Jerusalem for 34 years. He is prophesying to those who have stayed behind in Judah, though he does write a letter to the captives in Jeremiah 29.
The Book of Jeremiah is a mess. The 52 chapters are not really in any order. However, if you pay attention to which King Jeremiah is addressing, you can begin to put them in order.
After Jerusalem's fall, Ezekiel prophesies the temple's rebuilding. Jeremiah goes to Egypt with the people who remained in Jerusalem. Daniel skips forward another 53 years to the end of the Babylonian empire, the rise of the Persian empire, and the return of God's people to Jerusalem. This is where Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, and Zechariah come into play.
Looking over these notes now, I realize I haven't helped you much. I am more than happy to discuss the timeline with anyone interested in that conversation, as I have found it helpful in my understanding of the Scripture. Again, if you can retain the last three kings and their lengths of reign, then you will go a long way to understand huge chunks of the Old Testament better.
ADDITIONAL READING: There is way too much to list here.
