Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20070812.htm

1 AND 2 CHRONICLES: GAINING DIRECTION OUT OF THE AIMLESSNESS OF APOSTASY
Part V: Gaining Direction From God's Work In The Rest Of Judah's Dynasty, 2 Chronicles 13-36
U. Learning To HEED God's Word As Did Our Godly Forerunners
(2 Chronicles 36:5-8 et al.)
  1. Introduction
    1. Paul admonished his "son" in the faith, Timothy to recall his own example of faith lived before Timothy (2 Timothy 1:2 with 3:10-11), and to continue to follow it in his own life (2 Timothy 3:14).
    2. Such godly examples of spiritual forerunners are to be heeded, especially regarding their example of heeding Scripture, a lesson clarified in God's dealings with Judah's king Jehoiakim (as follows):
  2. Learning To HEED God's WORD As Did Our Godly FORERUNNERS, 2 Chronicles 36:5-8 et al.
    1. From the short 2 Chronicles 36:5-8 summary of ungodly king Jehoiakim's life, we know that he did evil in God's viewpoint so that the Lord judged him severely to be bound and taken into Babylon.
    2. Viewing Jehoiakim's background reveals why God so severely judged him: Jehoiakim had failed to heed God's clear urging that he recall and thus heed his godly father's example to obey God's Word:
      1. Jehoiakim was the name Pharaoh Necho had given Josiah's younger son, Eliakim, when Pharaoh took his older brother, Jehoahaz captive to Egypt due to divine judgment for his sin, cf. 2 Chronicles 36:1, 4.
      2. Thus, Jehoiakim was a younger son of the godly king Josiah, the king who had done much good in ridding Judah of its idols and instituting a great Passover for all Israel, cf. 2 Chron . 36:1; 34:1-35:19.
      3. When Jehoiakim then began to rule, and he and the people of Judah practiced idolatry, God graciously directed the prophet, Jeremiah to address Jehoiakim with a prophetic message written on a scroll in hope that Jehoiakim would repent when it was read to him, cf. Jeremiah 36:1-3.
      4. This effort shows God sought to get Jehoiakim to recall and heed Josiah's example, 2 Chron. 34:1-33:
        1. In an earlier lesson in this series, we learned that when Jehoiakim's father, Josiah was still ignorant of the Law, he had begun to purge Judah of its idols and repair the temple, 2 Chron. 34:1-13.
        2. In the process, a scroll containing the Law of Moses had been found in the temple, and brought and read to Josiah, producing his first exposure to the Law's contents, 2 Chronicles 34:14-18.
        3. When Josiah had first heard this Law read, he had immediately, fully repented of the sins of his land, tearing his clothes and seeking direction from God's prophet, 2 Chron icles 34:19-21.
        4. God's messenger had responded that the Lord planned for Josiah to have a long, peaceful life due to his repentance in his first hearing of the Law (2 Chron. 34:22-29), and Josiah had made Judah swear to keep the Law, and further purged the land of idols and instituted a great Passover, 34:30-35:19.
        5. So, in sending a written message from God on a scroll to Jehoiakim, the son of the godly Josiah, a message from God's prophet, God was clearly seeking to get Jehoiakim to recall the good response of his father, Josiah to the reading of the Law in his era, cf. Jer emiah 36:1-3; that way, Jehoiakim might similarly repent at the reading of Jeremiah's words and lead Judah to gain God's blessings.
      5. However, when Jeremiah's scribe, Baruch was sent to Jehoiakim with the scroll [when Jeremiah was locked in prison and unable to visit the king], instead of repenting as had is father, Josiah when it was read to him, Jehoiakim disrespectfully cut up the scroll leaf by leaf as it was being read to him and added the cut leaves into the winter fire he had in his palace to keep himself warm, Jeremiah 36:21-23.
      6. Not only did Jehoiakim thus brazenly reject this word from the Lord, but his court officers present did not fear or tear their clothes in repentance as had Josiah just a generation ago, Jer. 36:24. Only three men present even asked the king not to burn the scroll, a request Jehoiakim ignored, cf. Jer. 36:25.
      7. Jehoiakim then tried to seize so as to harm Baruch and Jeremiah, but the Lord hid them, cf. Jer. 36:26.
      8. For such steep rebellion against God's Word, the Lord's severe judgment fell on Jehoiakim: he died an untimely death with his body being left unburied, no offspring of his ever again sat on the throne, and Judah and his household eventually experienced defeat and captivity for their sin, Jeremiah 36:27-32.
Lesson: For failing to respond well to the Lord's OBVIOUS REMINDER to Jehoiakim that he heed the EXAMPLE his godly FATHER to HEED GOD'S WORD, Jehoiakim was severely judged by the Lord.

Application: If we face an event reminiscent of one we recall a godly forerunner faced, and we recall they submitted to Scripture in it, GOD is STRONGLY signaling us ALSO to HEED SCRIPTURE!