“So
Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate
regularly at the king’s table.” (v.29)
We
ended yesterday with a bleak picture of loss and sadness for the nation of
Judah: no land, no city, and no temple. Some were killed brutally, others taken
into exile. And we were left wondering if Judah would ever be restored?
Then,
a new king of Babylon took the throne, Evil-merodach, and a change occurred. He
released Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison. Scripture also tells us that
Evil-merodach, “spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat of honor” in Babylon
(v. 28), and that Jehoiachin was permitted a place at the king’s table where he
ate well “for the rest of his life” (v. 29). Moreover, Jehoiachin was given a
regular allowance to support himself and his family (v.29), sustaining the line
of the tribe of Judah.
Here,
in the face of utter darkness and defeat, we get a “glimmer of hope” for the
nation of Judah. To those who knew the scriptures of God’s everlasting promise
to Judah (2 Samuel 7:13-16; 1 Kings 11:39), this brought a ray of light into
their darkness. Judah may have forgotten God, but God had not forgotten His
people.
This
glimmer of hope found in today’s passage will eventually lead us to none other
than Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Of course, it would still be another five centuries of
ongoing oppression under foreign nations, but eventually, out of that darkness,
the Light of Christ would come.
The
Truth
After the
deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel
the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the
father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. Azor was the father of
Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. Eliud was the
father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of
Jacob. Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was
born, who is called the Messiah.” (Matthew 1:12-16)
