Righteous Leadership Matters
Poor leadership is a burden to God’s people. The evil desires and intentions of bad leaders cause people to suffer. We see this in our current government shutdown. The refusal to negotiate a just agreement and path forward for key issues is hurting so many people, and our leadership isn’t showing the requisite willingness and care to end it. In 2 Kings 24:18–25:9, God is finally fed up with the evil leadership of Judah’s kings. King Zedekiah became the last of a line of evil and corrupt kings that led Gods people into apostasy and rebellion against God. The result was decades of captivity in Babylon for God’s people, the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem. I pray that we will seek to promote and support leaders who will follow the heart and mind of God and be a blessing to His people. Amen
Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother’s name was Hamutal daughter of Jeremiah; she was from Libnah. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, just as Jehoiakim had done. It was because of the LORD’s anger that all this happened to Jerusalem and Judah, and in the end he thrust them from his presence. (2 Kings 24:18–25:9)
Zedekiah had been set up as a puppet leader to be controlled by Babylon’s king Nebuchadnezzar. He did evil in God’s eyes and he was a part of a succession of Judah’s kings that did evil. He followed in the evil footsteps of his brother (Jehoiakim), who was a king of Judah before him. Because of Zedekiah’s rebellion against Babylonian control and His rebellion against God, God would thrust Jerusalem and Judah from the Promised Land and His presence in the temple.
Now Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. He encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine in the city had become so severe that there was no food for the people to eat. Then the city wall was broken through, and the whole army fled at night through the gate between the two walls near the king’s garden, though the Babylonians were surrounding the city. They fled toward the Arabah, but the Babylonian army pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his soldiers were separated from him and scattered, and he was captured. (2 Kings 24:18–25:9)
In Zedekiah’s ninth year as king, Nebuchadnezzar and his army built siege works around Jerusalem and began to starve out the city. This went on until in the eleventh year of Zedekiah’s reign, there was no food in Jerusalem and the famine was severe. In desperation, Zedekiah and his remaining army tried to escape in secret through an opening they made in the walls surrounding Jerusalem. But because the Babylonian army surrounded the city, Zedekiah and his entourage were pursued and captured.
He was taken to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where sentence was pronounced on him. They killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.
On the seventh day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. (2 Kings 24:18–25:9)
Subsequent to his capture, Zedekiah was taken prisoner and brought before Nebuchadnezzar for determination of his fate. As a part of his punishment, all of Zedekiah’s sons were killed in front of him. And then Zedekiah was blinded so that has final image was of his sons being put to death. Finally, Zedekiah was led off in chains to Babylon.
After Zedekiah’s punishment, the city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian army. The temple and every other important structure in the city was burned down.
The evil leadership that reigned over Judah for years, caused the people to rebel against God by worshiping other gods and even desecrating the temple. King after king in Judah were deemed by God to have acted evil and perpetuated evil throughout Judah. As a result, God “thrust” them from His presence and out of the Promised Land, just as Moses had warned Israel about when he prepared them to enter the Promised Land hundreds of years before.
God was long suffering with Israel but they continued in their evil ways, ignoring His warnings and His pleas through the prophets for them to repent and return to Him. Through it all, when leaders acted right, they turned Israel back to God. But overwhelmingly, Israel’s leadership acted evil in God’s eyes. They worshiped other gods, enriched themselves at the expense of the most vulnerable, were corrupt, unjust, and oppressed God’s people. The leaders set the tone and led the way for Israel’s rebellion against God. And God’s ultimate action to send her into captivity was their punishment.
Bad leadership has always had consequences. Not just for those in leadership, but also for the people under their leadership. Leaders who do right and have the heart and compassion for God and His people are a blessing. God only wants the best for His people. And He wants leaders who will seek the best for those they lead…Under righteous leadership the people are blessed. The right leadership always has and always will matter!
Blessings, Rev. Glenn
