God is Sovereign
September 3, 2022
Commentary
Jehoiachin (who was only 23 years old) followed his father Jehoiakim to the throne (v. 24). After a three-month reign Jehoiachin surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar and he and his mother Nehushta (the widow of King Jehoikim (2 Kings 24:8) was deported to Babylon where they both would die (vv. 24-26). God indicated that Jehoiachin was as valuable to Him as a signet ring (v. 27). A signet ring was most valuable because it was used to impress its owner’s signature or seal on various documents. Even if Jehoiachin were this important to God (and the clear implication is that he was not), God would rather remove him than allow him to continue sinning.Jeremiah indicated that God, in His sovereignty, was responsible for Jehoiachin’s judgment. The people did not despise Jehoiachin as a broken, unwanted pot. In fact some hoped he would be restored as king (28:1-4). But if Jehoiachin was so popular, why would he and his children be removed from office and cast into Babylon? The answer is that God was sovereign, and He was responsible for Jehoiachin’s fall. Though King Jehoiachin did have children (v. 28), he was to be considered childless because none of his offspring would be allowed to sit on the throne of David to rule as king of Judah (vv. 29-30). His uncle, Zedekiah, who replaced Jehoiachin, was Judah’s last king. This helps explain the genealogies of Christ in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. Matthew presented the legal line of Christ through his stepfather, Joseph. However, Joseph’s line came through Shealtiel who was a son of Jehoiachin. Had Christ been a physical descendant of Joseph and not virgin-born, He would have been disqualified as Israel’s King.
Application
It is amazing how God ties history together and helps us see how He works in marvelous ways. It is only by God’s sovereignty and marvelous grace that I am saved and not lost like most people.
Jeremiah 22:24– 30 (NET)
24 The Lord says, “As surely as I am the living God, you, Jeconiah, king of Judah, son of Jehoiakim, will not be the earthly representative of my authority. Indeed, I will take that right away from you. 25 I will hand you over to those who want to take your life and of whom you are afraid. I will hand you over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his Babylonian soldiers. 26 I will force you and your mother who gave you birth into exile. You will be exiled to a country where neither of you were born, and you will both die there. 27 You will never come back to this land that you will long to return to!
28 “This man, Jeconiah, will be like a broken pot someone threw away. He will be like a clay vessel that no one wants. Why will he and his children be forced into exile? Why will they be thrown out into a country they know nothing about?
29 O Land, land, land of Judah! Listen to the Lord’s message.
30 The Lord says, “Enroll this man in the register as though he were childless. Enroll him as a man who will not enjoy success during his lifetime. For none of his sons will succeed in occupying the throne of David or ever succeed in ruling over Judah.”
Illustration: More Than a Fourth of The Bible is Predictive Prophecy
Dr. George Sweeting once estimated that “more than a fourth of the Bible is predictive prophecy.” Both the Old and New Testaments are full of promises about the return of Jesus Christ. Over 1800 references appear in the O.T., and seventeen O.T. books give prominence to this theme. Of the 260 chapters in the N.T., there are more than 300 references to the Lord’s return, one out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 N.T. books refer to this great event. For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ, there are 8 on Christ’s second coming.” (Today in the Word, MBI, December, 1989, p. 40).