Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Sunday, December 9, 2012 Read – 2 Kings 23, 24 & 25 One of Josiah’s reforms was to do away with all the places of worship of foreign gods and to centralize worship in Jerusalem. Other kings had attempted this unsuccessfully. Josiah was more successful than his predecessors. Another of Josiah’s reforms was to reinstitute the Passover – which the narrator tells us had not been observed since the time of the judges! Can you imagine that? For hundreds of year the Passover had not been properly observed. We have been reading a story of people far away from God’s intentions. It has not been an easy or pleasant story to read. What a challenge it must have been for God to work through all of this mess! It’s a wonder that the nation survived. It is at this time that two more prophets begin to speak – Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Both speak ominous words of judgment. Josiah may have heard their warnings and responded positively. It appears that a new start is about to happen and the doom of Jerusalem may yet be averted. But that is not the case. Unfortunately, Josiah puts himself in the wrong place by attacking Pharaoh Neco of Egypt who is really on a mission against Assyria. Josiah is tragically killed – and the hope of Judah is dashed. Josiah’s sons, grandson, and brother will not prove able leaders. The first of Josiah’s sons, Jehoahaz lasts only three months before he is deposed by Pharaoh Neco and replaced by his brother, Eliakim, whose name is changed to Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim reigned for eleven fitful years under the thumb of Egypt. The last two chapters of 2 Kings document the final demise of the Southern Kingdom. The emergence of Babylon brought a new player on the scene. The prophets saw this nation as the hand of God used by God to punish and discipline his people. As a passing note, it was at this time that the prophet Nahum, mentioned earlier did his work. Nahum’s prophecy is a blistering condemnation of Nineveh and Assyria – even a rejoicing over the destruction of Assyria. Nineveh was captured by the Babylonians in 612 BC and the Assyrian empire came to an end. The book of Nahum is a troubling book for some. Are God’s people really called to rejoice over the destruction of enemies? What are we to make of Jesus’ command that we are to love our enemies? One can understand the bitter hatred of Nahum – but that hatred hardly seems to fit with the compassion and love of Jesus. Much like one can understand the bitter hatred expressed in Psalm 137 where the psalmist longs for the destruction of Babylon and the “dashing of babies against the stones” it is difficult to think of that response as God intention for his people. At about this time one more prophet began to speak. His name is Habakkuk. We don’t know exactly when he did his work but it is likely in this time of confusion after the death of Josiah and hope is dashed. Habakkuk views the situation and longs for the day of God’s deliverance. He sees the devastation beginning to unfold and asks, “How long?” How long until God brings about something good. Habakkuk answers his own question with the powerful words that “one lives by faith.” The Apostle Paul and Luther following him will see in these words the foundation of Christian faith – “The righteous will live by faith.” By 605 BC Babylon was firmly in control and Jehoaikim found himself now under the thumb of Babylon. Jehoiakim was succeeded by his son Jehoiachin who reigned for only three months before he was deposed by the king of Babylon and deported to Babylon – the first of three deportations through which the people of Judah found themselves in exile. It was during this first deportation that Ezekiel was taken to Babylon where he was called by God as a prophet. Ezekiel’s prophecy begins with words of doom and judgment but eventually Ezekiel will be the first prophet to proclaim the eventual return from Babylonian exile. Jehoiachin was replaced by his uncle Mattaniah, Josiah’s brother, whose name was changed to Zedekiah. Zedekiah was the last of the kings of Judah. So long as he obeyed Babylon Zedekiah was able to reign as king. Eventually he attempted to free the people of Judah from Babylonian rule which brought about the end of the kingdom. Much of the book of Jeremiah is addressed to the reign of Zedekiah. Jeremiah’s counsel to Zedekiah was to surrender to Babylon. Zedekiah refused to listen to Jeremiah and eventually the end came. Like the siege of Samaria, the siege of Jerusalem lasted over two years. These were two desperate years of suffering. The end finally came and as Zedekiah attempted to flee he was capture. One of the most horrible stories in the Bible centers on Zedekiah’s capture. Zedekiah is brought before Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. The last thing he sees with his eyes is the slaying of all of his sons. Then his eyes are removed so he will see no more. What pain! The awful story of God’s people living in a kingdom with a king, like the other nations, comes to an end. As readers we can reflect back on the story. We remember that the whole idea of a king was not God’s choice. But, the people got what they desired. And the story is a sad one. It is story that God endured. And, maybe as readers, we have endured it too. But it is not the end of the story! In fact, the marvelous thing about the story is that God does not give up – even when God’s people behave in horrible ways. God is working! God is going somewhere with this story. We will need to wait now to see where God will move. What will become of God’s people? We can also remember God’s promise made to David. God’s people certainly did. Psalm 89 is a painful reflection on that promise and the apparent reality that God has not kept his word. So are Psalms 74, 79, and 137 that lament the Babylonian captivity. Psalm 77 cries out in wonder that perhaps God has changed. The book of Lamentations cries out regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and the ending of the nation. All of these reflections prepare us for the next part of the story. All of them finally point us to Jesus and to his crucifixion. There on the cross all of the dashed hopes and expectations will find their answer in the mystery of the Son of God, the crucified Messiah. God will pay a great price for his people! But for now we need to pause and ponder what we have read and heard. The last verses of 2 Kings tell of Babylon’s arrangement for the rule of Israel. A governor is put in charge who is soon killed. The twists and turns of the story continue. And in the final event of the book of Kings we are told that Jehioachin is released from prison and takes his place as a favored guest at the table of the Babylonian king. What are we to make of that? Has he become a traitor? Perhaps. But it will be the descendants of Jehoiachin who will return to the land. The line of David will continue and eventually the Messiah, Jesus will be born.