How Can Christians Avoid King Jehoiakim's One Deadly Mistake?
- Emma Danzey Contributing Writer
- Published Aug 26, 2021
When we hear about men mentioned in the Bible, we do not as often learn about more obscure people. Jehoiakim is a man from Scripture who we can learn a lot through his choices. He was actually known as an evil king, but we can gain great wisdom from his story.
Who Was Jehoiakim in the Bible?
Jehoiakim became the king of Judah when he was 25 years old and he reigned for 11 years (2 Kings 23:16). His name appears in 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, and Jeremiah. He was the son of Josiah and Zebidah. Pharaoh Necho, the king of Egypt, killed King Josiah in battle and after his burial, the people anointed Jehoahaz and made him the next king. Pharaoh Necho made his older brother Jehoiakim the new king and demanded silver and gold be paid. Jehoiakim taxed the land and got the money from the people.
Bible Study Tools further explains, “On the death of his father his younger brother Jehoahaz (=Shallum, Jeremiah 22:11 ), who favoured the Chaldeans against the Egyptians, was made king by the people; but the king of Egypt, Pharaoh-necho, invaded the land and deposed Jehoahaz ( 2 Kings 23:33 2 Kings 23:34; Jeremiah 22:10-12 ), setting Eliakim on the throne in his stead, and changing his name to Jehoiakim.”
When Jehoiakim was ruling, King Nebuchadnezzar from Babylon invaded the land, and the Bible says that Jehoiakim became his “vassal” for three entire years until he turned against the evil king. (2 Kings 24:1) 2 Kings 24 tells us that Jehoiakim, unfortunately, set an example of evil for generations to come.
2 Kings 24:3-4 says, “Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. For he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to forgive.”
Jehoiakim does not have a good reputation to this day. He did not do what was honoring to the Lord or helpful to his people. Jeremiah 22:18 even says, “Therefore this is what the Lord says about Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah: “They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my brother! Alas, my sister!’ They will not mourn for him: ‘Alas, my master! Alas, his splendor!’”
In the book of Jeremiah, he describes the murder performed by Jehoiakim. Uriah prophesied in the name of God and told the city the same message as Jeremiah. King Jehoiakim wanted to kill him. Uriah heard and ran to Egypt but was found and brought back to the king and he killed him with the sword (Jeremiah 26:20-24).
What Was His 'Deadly' Mistake?
Jehoiakim’s deadly mistake was breaking and burning the truth on the scroll written by the prophet of God. In the time of Jeremiah, Jehoiakim was reigning and wanted to conceal the message from the Lord because it would make him look bad. Jehoiakim cared more about his own pride than obedience and humility before the Lord.
Devotions by Crosswalk shares, “Unlike his godly father Josiah, Jehoiakim was a ruthless ruler. At that time, Jeremiah instructed his secretary Baruch to record the judgment of God on a roll (scroll) of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations(Jeremiah 36:2-21)… After Jehudi had read three or four leaves (of the scroll, Jehoiakim flew into a rage, snatched it from Jehudi, and), he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll (scroll) was consumed in the fire (36:23). But, that was all he could do. It was beyond his power to destroy the truth that the scroll contained.”
What Happened to Jehoiakim after His Mistake?
After Jehoiakim destroyed the scroll is when Nebuchadnezzar took over. Jehoiakim was captured by Babylon and then Nebuchadnezzar made him his puppet on the throne of Judah. Jehoiakim finally tried to stand up against the pagan nations, but unfortunately, he lost his life in the process. His entire reign was a twisted scheme from the beginning on behalf of the Egyptian and Babylonian kings.
Christianity.com shares, “Jehoiakim came to a violent end in the eleventh year of his reign. His body was cast out ignominiously on the ground, and then was dragged away and buried.”
After Jehoiakim was killed by the Babylonians, Nebuchadnezzar gave his own son Jehoiachin the position of king over Judah. He hoped to continue to have power over the people of God.
How Can We Avoid Becoming like Him?
This account might seem far off from our current day realities. However, we can learn a lot from Jehoiakim even if we aren’t royalty.
Pause Before Taking Action: We do not read anywhere that Jehoiakim tried to avoid taking the throne against his brother when offered by the Pharaoh. Jehoiakim had his own selfish ambition that led to more devastation. He was manipulated from the start first by Egypt, then by Babylon. I would argue that he never truly ruled anyone. He was always in service to another. He did not have the true authority and support like a healthy ruler. His first move led to a second and so on; Jehoiakim stumbled into a very deep pit in which he could have avoided if he paused, prayed, and sought wise counsel. Have you been offered a raise in which you will get a large paycheck, but you will never see your family? Has someone asked you to be in a leadership position, but you just don’t feel a peace about the organization? Has a man asked you out on a date, but you know that he does not love the Lord as you do? Pause. Think about the further consequences if you go against the Holy Spirit. We can learn from Jehoiakim not to be hasty.
Do Not Hide God’s Messages: Nowadays, it is so easy to water down the truth of the Gospel and the Bible. We can be tempted as a church in a post-Christian society to try to relate so much so that we are actually “tearing out” and “burning up” the truth of Scripture. We see a Bible verse we know won’t sit well with the culture and we try to hide the message that the Lord gave to us. We try to hide the hard lessons from the Word of God because we are overly concerned about offending others when Jesus taught us to share truth in love. May we be very careful not to also try to hide the truth of Scripture, but to share it with a heart of compassion to this broken world.
Run from the Enemy: We do not see Jehoiakim flee from the enemy until the end of his life. May we take that as a warning not to allow the devil to have a foothold over us. May we cut off any sinful habits and be bold enough to set boundaries with unhealthy individuals.
Our Sins Can Hurt Others: One of the saddest aspects of sin is that one person’s decisions can hurt another’s life. Jehoiakim’s decisions negatively affected others such as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1). Our choices do not just have a role in our own lives, but also in those around us. May we ask the Lord for the grace and strength to love Him and love others through living by the Spirit in His strength. We all sin and fall short, but may we have the self-awareness of how our decisions and our words are powerful.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/webking
This article is part of our People from the Bible Series featuring the most well-known historical names and figures from Scripture. We have compiled these articles to help you study those whom God chose to set before us as examples in His Word. May their lives and walks with God strengthen your faith and encourage your soul.
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