How did Jehoiakim's actions in 2 Kings 23:35 reflect his priorities and values? Setting: From Josiah’s Revival to Jehoiakim’s Compromise • Josiah had wiped out idolatry and re-centered Judah on God’s law (2 Kings 22–23:25). • When Josiah died, Pharaoh Neco installed Eliakim as king, renaming him Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34). • Jehoiakim now sat on a throne propped up by Egypt, not by covenant faithfulness. The Text in Focus “ So Jehoiakim paid Pharaoh Neco the silver and gold demanded. He taxed the land and exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land according to their assessments, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.” (2 Kings 23:35) What Jehoiakim’s Actions Reveal • Loyalty to Political Power over Loyalty to God – His first royal act is financing an earthly overlord. – God’s law warned against foreign dependence (Deuteronomy 17:15-16). • Material Greed and Self-Preservation – He chooses heavy taxation rather than humble submission to God’s discipline. – Jeremiah links him to selfish luxury: “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness…” (Jeremiah 22:13-17). • Oppression of His Own People – “He taxed the land…according to their assessments.” Ordinary citizens bore the burden. – 1 Samuel 8:10-18 had foretold kings who would “take” from the people; Jehoiakim fulfills that warning. • Rejection of Covenant Ideals – The king should safeguard justice (Deuteronomy 17:18-20; Proverbs 29:4). Instead, he drains the nation’s resources. – By financing Egypt, he reverses the exodus pattern—God had freed Israel from Egypt’s oppression. Corroborating Passages • 2 Chronicles 36:5: summarizes Jehoiakim’s reign as evil before the Lord. • Jeremiah 22:18-19: predicts a dishonorable burial for him, mirroring his disregard for God’s honor. • Habakkuk 2:5-12: indicts rulers who “heaps up what is not his”—a fitting parallel. • Matthew 6:21: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jehoiakim’s treasure lay in political alliances, not in the Lord. Key Takeaways • A king’s expenditures unmask his heart; Jehoiakim’s finances point to self-interest and foreign allegiance. • Oppressive taxation is a tangible sign that a ruler values power above people. • Turning to human alliances instead of trusting God invites moral and national collapse—exactly what Judah soon experienced under Babylon. |
    |