Title: King Zedekiah: Profile in Cowardice Text: by Allen Dvorak
Introduction: I. James described the faithless man who prays for wisdom as a “double-minded man” (James 1:5-8). A. He is caught between his desire for wisdom and his unbelief and tossed back and forth. B. He prays to God, but doesn't believe that God will really answer! C. There is a certain sadness in his situation; he is not ultimately hindered by others, but by his own lack of conviction in the faithfulness and power of God. II. Meet King Zedekiah. James may well have been writing about him. A. The last of the kings of Judah, he reigned during a period of national unfaithfulness. B. God spoke to the rebellious nation through the prophet Jeremiah who encouraged Judah to return to faithfulness to the covenant. C. Zedekiah evidently had substantial contact with Jeremiah and was well aware of Jeremiah's message. III. Zedekiah’s story is a sad one, not just from the standpoint of his ultimate fate, historically speaking, but from the standpoint of lost opportunity. A. In our study, we will return to the time of the courageous prophet Jeremiah. B. We will stand in the city of Jerusalem, even in the inner court of the king’s palace, and listen to his words. C. Finally, we will look into the eyes of king Zedekiah through the pages of Scripture and see the fear and lack of faith he manifested. IV. Purpose: A. Make observations about Zedekiah’s character in light of his actions (“You will recognize them by their fruits” – Mt. 7:16). B. Help us avoid, in our own lives, the mistakes of Zedekiah. Body: I. Historical Background for Zedekiah (2 Kings A. Lineage: Son of Josiah 1. Josiah (640-608 B.C.) was an exceptional king who oversaw tremendous religious reforms. 2. His successors were not nearly as impressive. a. Jehoahaz (608); removed from the throne by the Egyptians after a mere three-month reign (at age 23); carried off to Egypt; also known as Shallum (see Jeremiah 22:11-12). b. Jehoiakim (608-597); second son of Josiah to reign (older than Jehoahaz), formerly known as Eliakim; put on the throne by Pharaoh Necho (at age 25); became a vassal to Nebuchadnezzar, but rebelled; died before Nebuchadnezzar could punish him personally. c. Jehoiachin (597); replaced his father (at age 18), but ruled only three months; carried to Babylon as a captive. 3. Zedekiah (597-586), also a son of Josiah, at age 21, replaced Jehoiachin and ruled eleven years. B. Zedekia was a “puppet king” who came to a bad end.
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1. Nebuchadnezzar renamed the third son of Josiah to rule and called him Zedekiah (formerly Mattaniah). See 2 Kings 24:17-18. 2. Encouraged by some of the smaller nations around Judah, Zedekiah rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 3. Nebuchadnezzar began a siege of Jerusalem on the 10th day of the 10th month of the 9th year of Zedekiah’s reign. The city was taken in the 4th month of the 11th year of his reign. II. Zedekiah: A Double-Minded Man A. A general summary of Zedekiah’s reign (2 Chronicles 36:11-12; Jeremiah 37:1-2) 1. 2 Chronicles 36:11–12 (ESV) 11 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. 12 He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord. 2. Jeremiah 37:1–2 (ESV) 1 Zedekiah the son of Josiah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon made king in the land of Judah, reigned instead of Coniah the son of Jehoiakim. 2 But neither he nor his servants nor the people of the land listened to the words of the Lord that he spoke through Jeremiah the prophet. B. In the beginning of Zedekiah’s reign, Jeremiah, as a prophet of God, counseled him to submit to the yoke of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:1-3, 12-17). 1. Messengers from surrounding nations had come to Zedekiah, perhaps to encourage him to join in a rebellion (27:3). 2. Zedekiah was being told by false prophets that Nebuchadnezzar’s power was nearly gone (27:9-10). C. Zedekiah had made an oath of allegiance to Nebuchadnezzar, invoking the name of the Lord (2 Chronicles 36:11-16). 1. He may have done this at the beginning of his reign or perhaps during a visit to Babylon in the 4th year of his reign (Jeremiah 51:59). 2. It is possible that he may have sworn an oath by the Lord on both occasions! D. As previously noted, Zedekiah eventually rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar. 1. The Babylonians came to Judah and began conquering all of the fortified cities. 2. Jeremiah’s message to Zedekiah changed: surrender (defect) and live; resist and die (21:8-9). 3. Zedekiah asked Jeremiah to pray for the nation (37:3). 4. Zedekiah put Jeremiah in prison because he didn’t like the message that the prophet preached (32:1-5). 5. Zedekiah and the people made a covenant with the Lord and released their Hebrew slaves temporarily (34:8-22). 6. An Egyptian army approached and the siege was temporarily lifted (37:5-10); Jeremiah preached that Jerusalem still wouldn’t be saved. 7. Jeremiah was imprisoned by the princes of Judah (37:15). 8. Zedekiah met secretly with Jeremiah (37:17-21). 9. The princes pressured Zedekiah to kill Jeremiah; the prophet was put into a cistern, but rescued by Ebed-Melech with the king’s permission (38:1-13). 10. Zedekiah met secretly with Jeremiah again, expressing his fear of abuse if he surrendered (38:14-26). zedekiah.docx, Page 2 of 4
11. Jeremiah was interrogated by the princes (38:27-28; note especially v. 25 – “what the king said to you”). E. Some observations about Zedekiah: 1. Wanted to know what the Lord had to say through Jeremiah, but unwilling to obey 2. Afraid of the wicked a. Met secretly with Jeremiah b. “For the king can do nothing against you” (38:5) 3. Unwilling to fulfill his commitments a. Oath to Nebuchadnezzar b. Covenant regarding the Hebrew slaves – went back on his word when he thought the Babylonians were leaving (34:21). III. Application A. Note the futility of seeking the word of the Lord if we are unwilling to obey it. 1. How many study the Bible, only to reject its message if they don’t like it?? 2. When Zedekiah didn’t like the message, he persecuted the messenger – threw Jeremiah into prison. B. Obeying the Lord requires moral courage; Zedekiah didn’t have it. Do we? 1. He was unwilling to stand up to those who were wicked. Zedekiah may have ostensibly been in a position of power, but he was actually a weakling. He lacked the strength of character to make the right decision 2. It often takes great courage for spouses, parents, young people, etc. to make the hard decision and do the right thing. C. Zedekiah was interested in hearing the word of the Lord or obeying that word…when he was in trouble. When the trouble looked to be over, he returned to his wicked ways. 1. Pray to God for me! See also 21:2. a. Jeremiah 37:3 (ESV) 3 King Zedekiah sent Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, to Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “Please pray for us to the Lord our God.” b. Jeremiah 21:2 (ESV) 2 “Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us.” 2. The broken covenant regarding the slaves (34) Conclusion: I. We can learn from the character weaknesses of Zedekiah. II. The end of Zedekiah's story? When Jerusalem was finally captured, Zedekiah fled. He was caught, however, and saw the execution of his sons before the king of Babylon put out his eyes. What a sad story! Invitation: I. God offered Zedekiah a choice: “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death” (Jeremiah 21:8). II. Obedience to the gospel requires the conviction to leave one’s past life and step away from the world. Many do not have that strength of character. Do you? zedekiah.docx, Page 3 of 4
Sermon outline by: Allen Dvorak 776A Orvil Smith Rd. Harvest, AL 35749
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