Read 2 Chronicles 36
Judah’s Decline
36 The people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and made him king in his father’s place in Jerusalem. 2 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.3 Then the king of Egypt deposed him in Jerusalem and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But Neco took Jehoahaz his brother and carried him to Egypt.
5 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. 6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and bound him in chains to take him to Babylon. 7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried part of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon and put them in his palace in Babylon. 8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did, and what was found against him, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.
9 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem. He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. 10 In the spring of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the precious vessels of the house of the Lord, and made his brother Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 13 He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God. He stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel. 14 All the officers of the priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations. And they polluted the house of the Lord that he had made holy in Jerusalem.
15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
Jerusalem Captured and Burned
17 Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged. He gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem and burned all its palaces with fire and destroyed all its precious vessels. 20 He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, 21 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
The Proclamation of Cyrus
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: 23 “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, ‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the Lord his God be with him. Let him go up.’”
Go Deeper
Throughout all of 2 Chronicles, and especially in today’s reading, we see a trend that still applies today: just because the world wants something, does not mean that it is actually good for us. We see a common theme of the preferences of the majority of people being placed over the will and desire of the Lord. This never ends well. Not in 2 Chronicles 36. Not in the Old Testament. Not in the New Testament. And not today.
Reading this chapter feels a little…chaotic. One king appointed, another one carried off to a place, then another king carried off to another place, and so on and so forth. King after king, place after place, battle after battle, complete and utter chaos. Is chaos a characteristic of the Lord? First Corinthians 14:33 says that God is not a God of disorder, but of peace. Does this portion of history represented in this chapter of Scripture trend more towards disorder or peace? It is easy to read these texts and ask, “Why would they not see their mistakes and turn to the Lord? Clearly this was not working.” It is even easier to point the finger today and say, “Why doesn’t society today see their mistakes and turn to the Lord? Clearly this is not working.” However, God calls us to turn that finger around and point it at ourselves.
If your common thought pattern when reading Scripture is consistently, “I need to send this to ____,” or “These people in Scripture sure sound like ____,” then there might be a pride problem. If when listening to sermons you think, “I hope ____ is listening to this, they need to hear this,” you might have a pride problem. The common theme of people not knowing what they want does not just apply to “people,” it applies to all of us on an individual level. These texts are not historical reminders for the sake of knowing some fun Bible trivia. These texts are a reminder that we should not trust our own desires, our own plans, or our own opinions.
At the end of 2 Chronicles, we are issued a historical warning for what happens when we follow our own desires, plans, and opinions: Jerusalem falls. Death is everywhere. Not even the elderly and children are spared. This is where our ideas take us. God’s plan takes us to abundant life (John 10:10). Death or Life? This decision is not just for others who you deem more “lost.” It is a decision for you to make every day, every hour, and every moment. A decision that can only be made by relying on the strength of the Holy Spirit. Press into Him today. Let Him lead you to abundant life.
Questions
In what areas are you pursuing your own opinions rather than God’s truth?
Do you tend to think Scripture and sermons that point out sin apply to others more than you? Why?
Notice the age of the kings. They are all different, yet they all committed evil against a holy God. Why do you think it matters that we are shown ages besides just it being a historical fact? Remember Matthew 18:2-4.
Watch This
Now that we’re finished with 2 Chronicles, go back and watch this video from The Bible Project about all that transpired during 1 and 2 Chronicles.
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5 responses to “2 Chronicles 36”
This is the end of the story for this era. BUT GOD has given them an opportunity to still have a relationship with Him. Go back and rebuild the temple so they can worship Him. He has not destroyed the covenant or the Davidic line. These people are the very line that survived the exile and brought us great hope for our future. Hope that came through an invitation.
“Our invitation did not come through a foreign king but from the Son of God, the King of Kings. It’s an invitation to receive Him as the only sacrifice for atonement we will ever need. To climb out of the darkness of slavery to sin. To reclaim our identity as God’s chosen people.” Bible Book Club
The story never ends. God has given us hope. He has made known His great love for us from the beginning of Genesis. He has a desire for a relationship with us and given us an invitation.
Our response is all He is waiting on.
What is yours?
God thank You for sending Your Son for my sin and redemption. God the more I learn the more I am in AWE of all that has been accomplished on my behalf. The hope, the longing, the magnitude of lengths You have done for me/us. BUT GOD that is the words all in a nutshell. Your grace, and Your faithfulness are mind blowing. Thank You for having more longing, hope and love for others due to understanding a tiny bit more of all that has been accomplished on my behalf. God thank You for these minutes of this day. God help me to focus in on You in all these minutes. Help me to see the people in my path through Your love goggles and let my life reflect Your love, grace and kindness in all I do in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
22 “the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia . . .”
God, please stir up the spirits of our “kings”!
“The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent word persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy” (v15-16).
It’s a wake-up call to read that one day it will be too late to return to God. He keeps his word. Let us be quick to humble ourselves, confess our sins and accept the sovereignty of God over all.
God’s patience is evident as He repeatedly sent messengers to warn His people. His compassion is boundless, giving them numerous chances to repent. This patience is a testament to God’s enduring love and desire for us to return to Him. It’s a call to appreciate His grace and not take it for granted.
Despite His patience, God’s justice is inevitable. When the people continued in their rebellion, God allowed the Babylonians to conquer Judah. “Therefore, He brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans” (2 Chronicles 36:17).
This serves as a sobering reminder that while God is merciful, His justice will ultimately prevail.
Once again (I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point!), our daily reading hits DEEP. 2 Chronicles 36 offers powerful connection to a time when I felt exiled and homeless, powerless and stripped of agency.
AND it led me to this sacred understanding:
No matter what else may be taken from me, worship will always remain something that is only mine to choose.
In today’s chapter, we see God’s people devastated by their own exile — helpless, homeless, and understandably hopeless. Then add to that the compounded grief of the destruction of the temple.
As if it’s not bad enough they had to lose everything they knew — now it must feel like they were losing everything they believed in.
However, this is not the end of the story. (When is it ever?)
God offers a way back.
A return HOME.
And the chapter ends with God doing just that, in a way that’s planned, purposeful and personal (verse 22):
To fulfill a promise…
Cyrus declares and dictates, in oral and written proclamations…
Because God moved his heart.
I have come to understand— as they would eventually have to — that my worship of my God will always belong to me.
Worship is something we carry with us, even when everything else is stripped away.
Perhaps that is a key part of this story:
God’s people learned — in ways they could not have known before — that their worship of Him was not tied to a place. After so many generations of worshiping in the tabernacle and temple, they had to discover that worship could endure even when the temple was gone.
Because God Himself had never left.