In the Saviour's blood. Now we're turning tonight to a
very short Bible reading. Second Kings chapter 25.
If you find First and Second
Samuel 1st and 2nd Kings, come to 2nd Kings chapter 25.
I'm going to read from verse 27 to verse 30.
Let's hear the Word of God. Second Kings, chapter 25.
Reading from verse 27 you find the place and it came to pass in
the 7th and 30th year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of
Judah. In the 12th month, on the 7th
and 20th day of the month, that evil Merodek, king of Babylon,
in the year that he began to reign, did lift up the head of
Jehoiachin king of Judah, out of prison.
And he speak kindly to him, and set his throne above the Thrones
of the kings that were with him in Babylon, and changed his
prison garments. And he did eat bread continually
before him all the days of his life.
And his alliance was a continual alliance given him of the king a
daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
Amen to the Lord's stamp, with his own approval and blessing,
this reading of his own precious and infallible word.
Amen. My text tonight is found in
Second Kings chapter 25 verses 27 and 30, and my subject this
evening I've entitled The Redemption of Rebellious
Jehoiachin. Now this portion of Holy
Scripture records part of the life story of one of the latter
kings of Judah, a man by the name of King Jehoiachin.
He was the grandson of the godly King Jessiah.
He was the son of King Jehoiachin.
Now King Jehoiachin was a very wicked king and sadly his son
Jehoiachin followed in his steps.
You see, at the age of eight he was appointed a Co Regent by his
father and he reigned beside his father for about 10 years.
And after the death of his father at the age of 18, he
ascended the throne of Judah in his own right and began to rule.
Now it's important that you understand this, because if you
look back at Second Kings chapter 24, verse 8, that says
Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to reign and he reigned
in Jerusalem three months. He had a very short reign.
But then if you compare Scripture with Scripture, in
Second Chronicles 36 and 9, we read the same man, Jehoiachin
was 8 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 3 months
and 10 days in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil
in the sight of the Lord. And you see there's those that
say, ah, there's a discrepancy in the Bible.
We told you there was errors in the Scriptures.
There's a a copyist error. That's a mistake.
I want to make it clear there's no such thing.
Eight years of age, this boy was appointed a Co Regent to reign
alongside his father. He spent ten years in training
and at the age of 18 he ascended the throne in his own right.
His reign was indeed very short, about 3 months and 10 days.
Remember, he too, like his father, was a vassal king.
The ultimate authority for governance of the land of Judah
lay with another king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.
Now we're told this about Jehoiachin in second Kings
chapter 24 verse 9. And he did that which was evil
in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father
had done. Now one of his particular sins
was, along with his father, to rebel against King
Nebuchadnezzar. And King Nebuchadnezzar was
furious. He was absolutely mad.
So he sent his army. They besieged Jerusalem, and
after three months, when he took the throne, Jehoiachin
surrendered to the Babylonians. And listen to me carefully.
Are you listening? For the next 37 years he lay
languishing in a prison cell at Babylon.
Now that's a very long time. That's a very long life
sentence. How do we know that?
In Second Kings chapter 25 verse 27 it says and it came to pass
in the 7th and 30th year of the captivity of Jehoiachin, king of
Judah. 37 years in gaol is a long time, a kind of double life
sentence. No modern cons, no TV, no
iPhone, no games room, no gymnasium, no recreational
activities, no rights for 37 years of his life he spent in
the prison house. And if you take the sum 18 and
add 37, that means he was 55. Whatever he was released from
prison, you see, he was to discover sin had ruined his
life, because not only did he rebel against God in that he did
evil in the sight of the Lord. He also upset Nebuchadnezzar.
He was guilty of treason. How do we know that?
Because we read that in the Word of God and it tells us there in
Second Kings 24 and one in his days, Nebuchadnezzar, king of
Babylon, come up and Jehoiakim, that's this boy's father, became
his servant 3 years. Then he turned and rebelled
against him. And Jehoiachin was part of that
rebellion. He helped his father rebel
against King Nebuchadnezzar. And whatever was involved,
whatever he was guilty of, he spent 37 years in gaol.
And after all of that time, listen to me carefully, a new
king came to the throne in Babylon, a king called Evil
Meridoc. And this king, amazingly speak
kindly to him, set him free, gave him a new position of power
over other vassal kings, changed his prison garments for royal
robes, made him sit at the King's table for food, and gave
him a continual daily alliance for the rest of his life.
We read that in Second Kings chapter 25, verses 27 to 30.
And that's what we're thinking about tonight, the redemption of
rebellious King Jehoiachin. Now very quickly think of the
particulars of his depravity. If you go back to verse 27, it
says it came to pass in the 7th and 30th year of the captivity
of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, in the 12th month, on the 7th and
20th day of the month, and evil Meredith, king of Babylon, the
year that he began to reign, that lift up the head of
Jehoiachin, king of Judah, out of prison.
So think of this man now 37 years in captivity, 37 years in
the prison house. Why?
Well, here's the answer. He did evil in the sight of the
Lord. He followed in the footsteps of
his father. You see, Jehoiah Kim had a big
influence on the life of Jehoiah Chin.
In Jeremiah 3622, we read about Jehoiah Kim sitting in his
winter house. It's the 9th month, the fires on
the hearth. A prophet by the name of Jehudai
came and read the law of God to King Jehoiah Kim, and the king
was mad. The king was angry, so he
snatched the parchment from Jehuda's hand, cut it with a pen
knife, and cast it into the fire until the whole role was
consumed. And you can read that there in
Jeremiah chapter 36, verse 24. He was not afraid.
He didn't rend as garments neither the king nor any of the
King's servants. There was no trembling or fear
of God. You see Jehoiah Kim, this boy's
father, he didn't despise the word of God and I believe his
son was no better we could say about Jehoiah Chen.
There was No Fear of God before his eyes.
He forsook the Lord. He forgot him.
He was a rebel. I'll tell you something else
about Jehoiah Kim. If you look at verse four of
Second Kings chapter 24, it says and also for the innocent blood
that what he said for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood
which the Lord would not pardon. Was Jehoiah Chin as a young boy
as a a vassal king party to these murderous deeds in
Jerusalem? Did the boy learn a life of sin
from his father? He was learning now that a life
of sin does lead to bondage, leads to slavery.
Sin ruled him, sin a dominion over him.
Sin ruined him and stole the best part of his life, 37 years
in prison. Did you know that this boy had
different names? He's called one scripture,
Jehoiad Jin mentioned four times.
He's also called Jeconiah. He's also called Kaniah 3
different names and yet one in the same person.
He's the son of Jehoiakim and he did evil in the sight of the
Lord. The Bible says be sure your sin
will find you right? So I ask this question, What is
your attitude to the word of God?
What's your attitude to the shedding of blood?
Do you agree with it? Do you light it?
What is your attitude to treason?
Because these were part of the sins of Jehoiachin.
I have no doubt he was full of self will and pride as even as
you young man at 18, whatever his chief sin was, he spent 37
years in prison. And remember the Bible says this
Romans 3 and 23 for all of sinned and come short of the
glory of God. What is sin?
Sin is any want of conformity unto your transgression of the
law of God. When did all sin?
We send in Adam Romans 5 and 12 where for us by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
You see, when Adam fell into a state of sin and misery, we fell
in him. When Adam inherited the guilt of
his first transgression, we inherited the guilt of that
first transgression with him. We were in the loins of Adam.
That's why the Bible says as an Adam all die, we inherit an
Adam, a guilty record, a bad record.
And not only was the guilt of his first transgression put to
our account, but every additional sin of thought and
word and deed incurs additional guilt.
And we have a mountain of guilt stored up against us.
And not only did we inherit a bad record, but we inherited a
bad heart, a heart that loves sin and darkness.
That's why Jeremiah said the heart is deceitful and above all
things, desperately wicked. And sin pays wages.
And sin brings consequences. The life of an individual, the
life of a family, the life of a congregation, the life of a
country. And I fear for our United
Kingdom tonight. I trust that you tremble for our
land because righteousness exalteth a nation.
But sin is a reproach to any people, and what we sow we reap.
Sin pays wages, and sin will take you further than you want
to go, and sin will keep you longer than you want to stay,
and sin will cost you more than you want to pay.
What about your sin, your individual sin, your chief sin?
Have you faced up to it? Do you fear sin and its
consequences? Are you willing to forsake sin?
Will you come to God and say, I repent of my sin?
Remember the psalmist, Psalm 51 verse four and five tells us
something amazing against thee. This is what the psalmist said,
Thee only have I sinned and done this evil, and thy sight that
thou mightest be justified when thou speakest be clear, when
thou judges. Behold, I was sheep, and then
iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Remember the prodigal, he came to his father, and he said,
Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight, and I'm
no more worthy to be called thy son.
You see what moves and motivate men to do the wrong thing.
What brings men into bondage and into the prison House of sin?
Is it not that he has a bad record and a bad heart, a heart
that loves sin? There's the particulars of his
depravity. I want you to see secondly and
quickly the proclamation about his deliverance.
Look at verse 28, the first Second Kings chapter 25.
It says that he speak kindly to him.
The word kindly means he speak good things to him.
You see, the king went to him in the prison house.
Jehoiachin didn't earn his freedom.
He didn't work for it. He didn't deserve it.
He didn't pay for it. The king came and spoke good
things to him. His release from prison was
freely granted by a new king. He was really granted a a royal
pardon. And does King Jesus not come
into the world to set captives free?
Remember what we read in the Gospel of Luke in Luke chapter 4
and in the verse 18 it says the Spirit of the Lord is upon me
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He have sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach
deliverance to the captives in recovering of sight to the blind
to set at liberty them that are bruised as a quotation from
Isaiah 61 verse one and part of the ministry of the Lord Jesus
and coming into the world is not just to save sinners, but to set
those captives to sin free or not in a little literal sense of
going into the jailhouse and opening up the jailhouse door
and saying to the murderer and the thief and and the rapist go
out free. No in a spiritual sense.
Those captives to sin captive to Satan.
Those that are under his dominion and power, those that
are locked up in the prison House of sin, remember what we
read in John's Gospel. The Lord Jesus said this, and ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8 and 32. He went on to say in verse 36 to
the Jews in his day, If the Son therefore shall make you free,
ye shall be free indeed. We have sang there tonight long
I imprison spirit lay fast bound in sin and nature's night.
Thine eye defused A quickening way.
I woke. The dungeon flamed with light.
My chains fell off, My heart was free.
I rose, went forth and followed he.
That's the story of true conversion.
This king came to where he was. This king speak kindly to him.
He had a word of grie as he speak good things, and one of
the good things that he speak was a word of royal pardon.
And as I've said, he didn't deserve it.
He didn't earn it. He didn't work for it, he didn't
pay for it. The ground and basis of what the
King said was in the basis of the King's free grace.
Could you picture this man 37 years in prison?
I'm sure he'd given up all hope. He was under the 4th decade.
Maybe despair had filled his heart and mind.
Maybe he felt resigned and shut up the prison life.
And one day in the drudgery of that prison life, the door opens
and who is it? It's not the gaoler, it's the
king, the king of Babylon, a king called evil Meradec, and he
speak kindly to him. A word of grace, a word about
life in mercy. Let me ask tonight this
question. Do you feel your load of sin?
Do you feel that you're shut up the sin and a slave to it.
You see, men today argue, women argue, young people argue.
But I'm not in bondage. That's what the Jews were
saying. We're not in bondage to any man.
I don't have a load of sin. I'm not a slave to the devil.
I don't have a guilty and rebellious heart.
I don't feel it. But let me ask this question.
What does a dead man feel? He feels nothing.
And you who are dead in trespasses and sin need the
quickening power of the Holy Spirit.
And if the Holy Spirit comes upon you and regenerates you,
you'll feel the weight of your depravity, You'll be conscious
of it and and you'll despair. In that day.
You see, King Jesus comes to where you are and he brings a
word of life. He's got a word of liberty.
He's the key to liberty and freedom to whom the sun sets
free is free. Indeed in Romans 8 and one we
read now, there's no condemnation to them who are in
Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
In Romans 5 and one that says, therefore being justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Does the Lord Jesus not come and say, come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I would give you a rest?
I asked tonight, do you hear his voice?
Are you listening to King Jesus, the one who was his enemy?
Evil Meradec was his enemy, and yet it was evil Meradec who came
and speak good things to this prisoner.
And King Jesus does exactly the same.
The proclamation about his deliverance, it was a word of
free grace and you need to listen to the Lord Jesus.
His words of life and truth are in free grace very quickly.
And lastly, think of the portrait of his delight.
What did he receive from evil Meradec that day?
He received a royal pardon. Do you know what the psalmist
said it says in Psalm 130 and was sharing this with an
individual through the week. If thou, Lord, should us mark
iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?
But there's forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be
feared. Remember Isaiah 4325, says I
even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own
sake, and will not remember thy sins.
One of the Guinness clan members believe he belong to the Gospel
Hall or one of the assemblies of a former day.
And in that very text of Scripture, he talked about sins
been blotted out of God's book and sins been blotted out of
God's mind, and sins been blotted out by God's hand.
You see, forgiveness of sins, God makes a promise, and the
promise is this, and thy sins and iniquities.
I'll remember no more. Ephesians one and seven says, in
whom we have redemption through his blood.
Even the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of
Greece. And what is forgiveness of sins?
The sins been carried away. The sin has been covered over
out of sight. The sin has been cancelled.
The old account was settled long ago.
Carried away, covered and cancelled.
Is that true of you? Have you got this royal pardon?
The portrait of his delight was he went out of that prison cell
with a royal pardon because the King spoke kindly to him.
He was given a royal possession, it says here in the text, and
set his throne above the Thrones of the kings that were with him
in Babylon. Possession of power and
authority under the new king of Babylon.
The king of Babylon set his throne above the throne of the
kings with him. Think of this, dwell upon it for
a moment. From the present sail to the
palace. A royal pardon was one thing,
but a royal position? What a privilege to be set free.
But not just a royal pardon, a royal position.
You see, the Bible teaches as an Adam all die, Even so in Christ
shall all be made alive. In Christ, spiritually we are
lifted out of the prison House of sin.
In Christ we are elevated to the throne in Him.
Remember what we read there in the book of Romans?
In Romans chapter 8 and verse 17 it says if children then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.
He has made us kings and priests unto God.
You see, all of the Father give to Christ is ours were brought
into Christ were made alive in Christ.
We're raised up in Christ. We have died in Christ.
We're seated in him. We we reign with him.
That's why Paul could say in the book of Ephesians, in Ephesians
chapter 2 and in the verse 6, he made this tremendous statement
and have raised us up together and made us sit together and
heavenly please us in Christ. But there's more.
There's a royal provision. Notice the change of garments.
It says in verse 29 of second Kings 25 and changed his prison
garments. See the prison garments
identified you as a criminal, as a law breaker, as a prisoner.
But when you come into Christ, the old filthy garments are
taken away, and you're given royal garments.
Over there in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 61 and verse 10,
we read, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
My soul shall be joyful in my God.
Why? For He hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation. He hath covered me with the robe
of righteousness as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments
and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
In other words, a robe of righteousness has been provided
in the gospel. The Lord comes with this robe of
righteousness and he takes off the filthy garments and he puts
on this robe of righteousness upon us.
So we're we're dressed like a bride or or dressed like a
bridegroom. And this robe of righteousness
that was provided in the gospel was earned by the Lord Jesus
Christ and ascenders life. Remember, He kept the law of God
perfectly for us. He earned it by his atoning
death. He paid the down penalty of sin
on the cross and shed his blood. And when the Lord Jesus looks
upon us, he doesn't see us in the filthy garments of self
righteousness. He doesn't see us in the garb of
a law breaker. But he sees us now dressed in
Him in royal robes. It's the best robe.
It's the righteousness of the Saints.
There's more, not just a royal pardon and a royal position and
a royal profession, but there's a royal portion.
It says here. And he did eat bread continually
before him all the days of his life.
The Lord has a portion for us. Think of the King's mate at the
King's table, eating of the King's deities.
No more prison food, no more rations.
I don't know what they got in the prison, but let me tell you
something that years ago, not that long ago, they found a clay
tablet. And the clay tablet was in and
around the ancient city of Babylon in modern day Iraq.
And one of those clay tablets, whenever it was translated and
understood, it was talking about this prisoner called Jehoiah
Chin. And it actually mentioned the
portion of meat that he got in the prison house.
And it was known as the prison house rations.
And that's what the clay tablet was about.
And Jehoiah Chin's name was on it.
Isn't that amazing? Does not back up the testimony
of the Bible. And yet the day he got out of
gaol, the king had a portion for him, a daily portion with the
privilege of sitting at the King's table.
As I said this morning, Matthew four and four says man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God. The Lord Jesus comes to us and
says I'm the bread of life. The Bible's the bread of life by
faith. We lay hold in Christ by faith.
When we read our Bible, God is speaking to us and that word
that he gives us is meant to to feed and satisfy us.
That's why we we must turn again to the scriptures and read the
scriptures daily and and and apply what we read into our
hearts and into our lives as a royal pardon.
One final thing, there's a royal peace.
It says in his alliance was a continual alliance given him of
the king a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.
He had nothing to worry about. He had nothing to fear.
He didn't have to fret and worry about anything for the future.
Why? Because the king provided not
only a royal portion, but there was a royal peace filled his
heart and mind because the king had a daily continual alliance
for every day for him. Maybe you're here tonight and
you're worrying. Maybe you're fearful family
member, a friend, the psalmist could say this.
The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want the psalmist
could say this surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life, and I will dwell in the House of the Lord
forever. Again, Paul could say, but my
God shall supply all your need according to his riches and
glory by Christ Jesus. And whatever your need is, if
you're full of fear and worry, if you're full of doubt and
disbelief, then bring that to the feet of the Lord.
Cast thy burden in the Lord, call upon him, help me, and he
will. And he come without word of
encouragement. That will strengthen your heart.
How many of God's people are struggling today with illness?
Physically, mentally, they're worn down, they're despairing,
and they need a word from the king.
And the king has a continual daily alliance for them.
It'll give them a royal peace, for He says that will keep them
in perfect peace. Whose mind is daily, because He
trusteth in he trust in the Lord.
Keep your mind in him, and call unto him to help.
What a picture the particulars of his depravity, the
proclamation of his deliverance, the portion of his delight.
A royal pardon. You can have that royal pardon
tonight. A royal position.
You can be raised up and seated in Christ.
A royal provision. You can have a royal robe of
righteousness given to you as a gift.
You can have the King's portion. You can have the King's peace.
I say to you tonight as I finish, come to King Jesus, come
and crown him Lord of all. Come and acknowledge your need
of him. Come and seek him, come and
confess your sin to him. Come and cast yourself upon him.
Come to own him. Think of the hymn King of my
life, I crown thee now thine shall the glory be say.
I want to say this in finishing. It's not just enough to talk
about Jesus. Who is he?
Read the New Testament. It's called the Lord Jesus
Christ. You've got to think of it as
Devi got to think of as true humanity, got to think of as
ministry. And you can't divide of Christ.
It's the whole Christ or nothing.
And for those that are coming to Christ to confess their sin and
cry out Lord of mercy, they're coming to receive 1 Who's King
of kings and Lord of all, one to whom they're crowning as my
King, my prophet, my priest, my King.
And if you come to him, then I assure you, no matter the
particulars of your depravity, I tell you, this proclamation of
deliverance can be yours. King Jesus can speak in grace to
your heart, and King Jesus can give you all the delights that
this man experienced and much more beside.
Will you enjoy a royal pardon? Will you know this royal
possession and provision? Will you know this royal
portion? Will you experience this royal
peace tonight? The Lord bless you.
Here's the redemption for rebellious King Jehoiachin.
I pray the Lord will apply it in the Gospel to all who are
listening.