Advent Journey - Following the Seed From Eden to Bethlehem Shembull

Day 21

BACK TO BABYLON

Jehoiakim (50) and Jechoniah (51)

 

It never hurts to remind ourselves  - the reason we’re tracking the line of kings is because we’re tracking the Seed! 

With a few rare exceptions (i.e. Hezekiah, Josiah), the real Bible rock stars during this kingdom decline were not the kings. They were the prophets! 

These prophets were not in the line of the Seed. Most were not even from the tribe of Judah (Daniel was an exception). The prophets had what might be called “dirty jobs.” Their role was to tell the kings what God was planning to do. 

The kings were mostly unreceptive and threatened to kill the prophets. Many prophets died gruesome deaths at the hands of wicked kings. 

The prophet Isaiah told Hezekiah (good king) that a day was coming when all the kingdom treasures, and even the kings sons, would be carried off to Babylon. (2 Kings 20:16-19) 

Yes, Babylon!

Sometimes God went to extremes to make a point. If God wanted to expose the people for their sins and humble them to their knees, I think exile to Babylon might do it. 

Remember, God hated everything Babylon stood for. God led Abraham away from Ur (nearby Babylon) and toward an open spacious land so that the nation of Seed carriers could grow and thrive. 

And now the Seed is going back to Babylon?! That’s nearly fifteen hundred years backwards!

Sure enough, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Jerusalem and captured King Jehoiakim. 

Later Nebuchadnezzar invaded again and this time carried off Jehoiakim’s son, King Jeconiah, the royal family, all the royal treasures and the remainder of the inhabitants of Jerusalem (leaving behind only the poorest of the land). 

Roughly ten years later (587 BC), Babylon returned and Jerusalem was finally, fully desolated and officially in exile.

There’s supposed to be a special baby boy born in Bethlehem in about 590 years. But the Seed was stuck in Babylon!

Reflections:

Bible historians say the prophet Isaiah was martyred by being sawed in two by King Manasseh. Historians also say that Isaiah understood the mysteries of the coming Messiah (THE Seed) more than any other prophet. 

Read Isaiah 7:14 as an example of one of Isaiah’s great prophesies of the Seed.