Rev. Mike Newman, president of the Texas District of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 22:11-30.
Jeremiah speaks specifically against the three evil kings of Judah who follow the righteous king Josiah. Shallum, also known as Jehoahaz, only reigned for three months following the death of Josiah. Shallum is told that he will never return to his place or the land of Israel, a terrible judgment. Jehoiakim’s reign is described as the exact antithesis of what a faithful king should be. He is not righteous. He does not do justice. He is not a servant. He does not give. In each of these, he sets himself against the LORD. The LORD calls Jehoiakim to the faithful example set by his father Josiah, but Jehoiakim refuses to listen and to know God truly. He therefore receives judgment. Jerusalem’s destruction will come because they have not listened to the LORD. Coniah, also known as Jeconiah and Jehoiachin, is the last king condemned in this text. His short reign ends with exile in Babylon, where he eventually dies. In the negative pictures of these three kings, the LORD highlights all the more the positive reality of the true and faithful King, Jesus Christ.
“A Time to Destroy and a Time to Build” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Jeremiah. The prophet calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their faithless idolatry and warns them of the destruction that is coming in the Babylonian exile. Yet Jeremiah does not leave us without hope in the midst of such dark days. Jeremiah and all who believe the Word of God he preached survive because of hope that is found in the righteous Branch from the line of David, Jesus Christ.
