“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 Ray of Light would come - Jesus Christ.
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)
