Today's Daily Bread

THE FINAL KINGS OF JUDAH

Date : Monday, December 29, 2025
Passage : 2Chronicles 36:1~14
Keyverse : 14  
1
And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and made him king in Jerusalem in place of his father.
2
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months.
3
The king of Egypt dethroned him in Jerusalem and imposed on Judah a levy of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4
The king of Egypt made Eliakim, a brother of Jehoahaz, king over Judah and Jerusalem and changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. But Necho took Eliakim’s brother Jehoahaz and carried him off to Egypt.
5
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God.
6
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon attacked him and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
7
Nebuchadnezzar also took to Babylon articles from the temple of the LORD and put them in his temple there.
8
The other events of Jehoiakim’s reign, the detestable things he did and all that was found against him, are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. And Jehoiachin his son succeeded him as king.
9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD.
10
In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar sent for him and brought him to Babylon, together with articles of value from the temple of the LORD, and he made Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, king over Judah and Jerusalem.
11
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years.
12
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD.
13
He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God’s name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel.
14
Furthermore, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful, following all the detestable practices of the nations and defiling the temple of the LORD, which he had consecrated in Jerusalem.
Sadly, after Josiah died, there was no king of Judah who helped the people live before God. With no one to pray for God’s people, events moved rapidly toward the judgment that was coming because of Judah’s idolatry. Judah began to be subject to the nations around her, starting with Egypt, who dethroned Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and put his brother Jehoiakim on the throne (2-4). Then the Babylonians came, led by King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar captured Jehoiakim and his son Jehoiachin, defiled the temple, and made Zedekiah his puppet king (6-11). Zedekiah attempted to rebel against Nebuchadnezzar, but when he did not listen to God’s word, he could not succeed (12).

What could an ordinary person in Judah do in such times? Most of them simply followed their leaders in becoming more and more unfaithful (14). But we know that there were a few who remained faithful, praying and preserving the knowledge of God’s word. We know that because we are reading this Bible passage! They seemed to be powerless in the face of world events, but they were used greatly by God to prepare the next phase of his world salvation work.

Prayer: Father, thank you that there is something I can do even in the most evil times. Help me not to follow the pattern of this world but be one light in the darkness.
One Word: Be faithful to the end