2 Chronicles 36

What’s Happening?

God’s people in Judah are guilty of breaking all of God’s laws and will soon be exiled by Babylon. But despite their exile and sins, God promises to bring his people back to their homeland. 

Judah’s next king, Jehoahaz, reigns only three months before he’s deposed by Egypt. He’s replaced with a puppet-king Jehoiakim (2 Chronicles 36:1-5). Jehoiakim is an evil man who heavily taxes his people to pay his debts to Egypt. But soon enough, Egypt falls under Babylonian control and King Nebuchadnezzar raids Jerusalem, robs the temple, exiles Jehoiakim, and leaves the decaying kingdom to his son. He rules for only three months before cowardly surrendering to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:9-10). 

In turn, Babylon places Jehoiakim’s brother on Judah’s throne. And like his brother he is a wicked king who refuses to listen to God. The prophet Jeremiah warned him that Babylon’s victories over Judah were God fulfilling his promises to judge Judah for their evil. Instead of resisting Babylonian oppression, he needed to submit to it or else lose what was left of Judah’s kingdom to God’s judgment. But Jehoiakim’s hard-hearted brother doesn’t listen and rebels against Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:11-14). Nebuchadnezzar retaliates and massacres Jerusalem’s citizens, plunders God’s temple, burns the city, and exiles any survivors to Babylon (2 Chronicles 36:17-20). 

In a kind of epilogue, the Chronicler reveals that all this tragedy was because Judah repeatedly failed to listen to God’s laws (2 Chronicles 36:15-16). Prophets, like Jeremiah, had reminded the leadership of Judah what God had said in his laws. God’s law clearly promised that the consequence of not listening to him would be exile (Deuteronomy 29:25-28). In Jerusalem’s destruction and Judah’s exile, God has done just as he said he would.

But God’s law also promised that after Judah goes into exile he would return his people to their land (Deuteronomy 30:1-10). And just as God promised 70 years after their exile began, a royal edict is sent by King Cyrus. In it Cyrus claims that God has granted him the authority to send Judah back to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple. And the very last words of Chronicles tell Judah to go because God is with them always (2 Chronicles 36:21-23).

Where is the Gospel?

In the original ordering of the Old Testament, King Cyrus’ decree that sent Judah back to rebuild their homeland are the very last words of the Hebrew Bible. They are meant to give hope to people returning from a long exile in Babylon. Despite their failures God has not forgotten his promises. Despite their sins God is with them. Despite their exile God will always bring his people back to his kingdom. 

With this hope in mind, the returning exiles rebuilt Judah’s temple. However, Judah still bounced between political powers until finally coming under Roman control. In a way, God’s people were still in exile.

But during this time of political uncertainty, God sent his son Jesus as the new King for his people, who would end their exile forever. Jesus did not come to build up the old national borders of Judah, but to establish a Kingdom not of this world (John 18:36). He didn’t come to battle Rome, but the hard-hearted rebellion we all harbor against God and the laws of his Kingdom. He did this by obediently submitting to God even to the point of his death. In his resurrection, he returned from the exile of his grave, having defeated both death and the rebellion that had plagued God’s people. 

And then like King Cyrus, Jesus tells us, his citizens, that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him, and so we should go and make new citizens of his Kingdom in all nations of the world because he is with us always (Matthew 28:16-20). Jesus proves that despite our failures God is still faithful to save us. Despite our sins, God is with us. Despite our old exile God has sent us to bring others into his Kingdom.

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God who is faithful to his promises. And may you see Jesus as the King who has sent you into the world to invite new citizens into God’s Kingdom.