Babylon Controls Jehoiakim
24 In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant for three years; then he turned and rebelled against him. 2 The Lord sent against him bands of Chaldeans, bands of Arameans, bands of Moabites, and bands of Ammonites. So He sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken through His servants the prophets. 3 Surely at the [a]command of the Lord it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, 4 and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the Lord would not forgive. 5 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
Jehoiachin Reigns
6 So Jehoiakim slept with his fathers, and Jehoiachin his son became king in his place. 7 The king of Egypt did not come out of his land again, for the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the brook of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.
Next we see Jehoiakim rebel against Babylon, though they were stronger than Egypt, so there wasn’t much chance of that being successful without God’s help. And indeed, we see that God is even against him, as he sends raiding bands against Jehoiakim. His whole life he is trying to do things his own way, rebelling not just against God, but against two different empires that had conquered Judah.
It’s yet one more reminder of the futility of fighting against God’s will. We tend to think we can figure things out, and work out the best plan without Him. But the best plan IS to follow God, and anything else will be a mere imitation at best, but more likely a poor substitute for the purpose God designed for our lives before we were born.
No one on this earth has been forgotten by God, though we might feel that way at times. No, He has a plan for each of us, a part for all of us to play in a grand masterpiece. Whether we submit or not though, we will become a part of that design, and we will still play a part, though it be a lesser one than what He desires for us. The choice is still ours, which part will we play? Will it be the one He chose from the beginning, or one of “our own” making?