Jehoiakim King of Judah

2022-11-15

Eliakim the son of Josiah became king when his brother Jehoahaz was taken away to Egypt by Necho. Necho appointed Eliakim king but changed his name to Jehoiakim. The swapping out of El for Yah in the name shows that Necho knew something about the God of Israel. El is the more generic name for “God,” while “Yah” is short for Jehovah. This most likely reflected the pharaoh demonstrating his power over Judah, now a vassal state for a short time.

Jehoiakim did very wickedly. “Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead” (2 Chronicles 36:8). When prophets tried to warn him, he sought to kill them (Jeremiah 22:16-23).

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to seize him to take him to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:6), but it does not sound like he lived that long (2 Kings 24:6). Nobody mourned when he died. “Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 22:18-19).

When his father Josiah heard the word of the Lord, He repented to Him and served Him. This was not the case with his son Jehoiakim. Once he heard the word of God, he burned it. However, you can never get rid of the Word of God: “Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned” (Jeremiah 36:28).

Imagine all the devastation that happened in such a few years. So many of his predecessors turned to the Lord because of these things, even Manasseh. This man was so hardened, there was nothing you could do to make him listen.

This is a part of the Kings of Judah series. To go back to the table of contents, proceed here.