Passing Kings & Kingdoms & The Enduring Throne Of God ~ Kay Arthur

Jeremiah, Part 1 (Return To Me)

Program 40 – Passing Kings & Kingdoms & The Enduring Throne Of God


Have you ever sung that chorus, “Jesus, Jesus, there is something about that name”? Remember it says, “Kings and kingdoms will all pass away.” But His name will never pass away. There is something about His name. He endures. His sovereignty rules over all. And what is the foundation of His throne? It‟s righteousness and justice. And that is a throne you can trust. And we‟ll talk about it today.

Today, Beloved, as we look at Jeremiah chapter 22, the final chapter in our lesson for this week, we are going to see kings and kingdoms pass away, but we are going to see God remain on His throne.

It‟s so important to me to put you into historical context. I do pray that you have gone to our website “preceptsforlife.com,” and you have downloaded this historical account so that you can keep everything together, and you have the map so that you can look at what‟s happening.

But in Jeremiah chapter 22 what we have is Jeremiah talking to us in this chapter and recording in chapter 22 the account of three of Judah‟s kings, the account of Shallum or Jehoahaz, the account of Jehoiakim. And Jehoiakim is also called Eliakim. And then you have an account of Jehoiachin, Coniah or Jeconiah. But this is what we see in Jeremiah chapter 22.

Now Jeremiah is going to talk about justice. Jeremiah is going to talk about righteousness. And what I would like you to do is I would like you to begin by going with me to Psalm 97. Get this and understand, “The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” (Psalms 97:1-2)

In other words, what is God‟s rule based on? What governs the way God rules? It is righteousness and it is justice, and they are the foundation of His throne.

And then you look at Psalm 106. And in Psalm 106 there is a charge to you and to me. But I‟m going to start in verse 1, and read through verse 3. “Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Who can speak of the mighty deeds of the LORD, or…show forth all [of] His praise?” (Psalms 106:1-2)

And then he says this, “How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!” (Psalms 106:3)

As we bring this week to a close, my heart‟s desire for you is the same as my heart‟s desire for me, that I will practice righteousness all my days, that I will live in a way that shows the justice of God, that I will be kind and I will be fair, and I will be compassionate, and I will deliver the widow, and the alien, and the orphan, and that I will treat my brother fairly because I belong to God, Almighty.

That‟s what he‟s talking about. Now the word “justice” is very important and the word “righteousness.” And the first mention of justice is in Genesis chapter 18, verse 19. And if you‟ll turn in your Bibles in Genesis 18, verse 19. God is talking to Abraham.

Now listen carefully, God is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because their iniquity has come up before Him. It is a city that has Lot in it who is a righteous man, whose soul is
being vexed by the people in it because it is a city that is filled with homosexuality. And God is going to destroy them.

And He says in verse 19, speaking of Abraham, “„…I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.‟” (Genesis 18:19)

He‟s saying, “Listen, shall I hide from Abraham what I‟m going to do? I‟m going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But, “„…I have chosen him…that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice….‟” (Genesis 18:19)

Are you teaching your children righteousness? Are you teaching them justice? Are you teaching them what it is to serve the Lord and who the Lord is about? And then He says, “[Indeed] …„The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is…great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.‟” (Genesis 18:20) And then he‟s going to go down and deal with them.

But what I want you to see is the righteous versus the unrighteous and the judgment of God, a just God that must come upon them. When we look at 2 Samuel chapter 8, verse 15, we see a word about David. And I would like you to go there, 2 Samuel chapter 8, and it is verse 15. And this is what it says, “So David reigned over all [of] Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people.” (2 Samuel 8:15)

When they begin to list the kings in 2 Kings they will say and this king did evil; he walked after his father, but even though that it is a king far removed from David, like Josiah, it says [“And Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord; he walked after the ways of his father David.”] (2 Kings 22:2) And it points way back generations to David. Why? Because, “…David administered justice and righteousness for all his people.” (2 Samuel 8:15)

Isaiah the prophet mentions justice more than any Old Testament prophet. He mentions it 26 times. And in the book of Isaiah in chapter 1, verse 17, we have him using the word justice for the first time. And he tells them in verse 16, “„Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.‟” (Isaiah 1:16-17) Seek justice.

And then when you come to the last mention of justice in Isaiah, it is Isaiah chapter 61, and it is verse 8. And this is what He says, “For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery in the burnt offering….” (Isaiah 61:8) In other words, you‟re bringing me a burnt offering, but you‟re stealing part of the offering. “…And I will faithfully give them their recompense…,” when they do this, “…and make an everlasting covenant with them.” (Isaiah 61:8) He is saying that He will make an everlasting covenant with those that love justice.

When you come to Jeremiah chapter 2, the Lord says, “…„What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and [they] walked after emptiness and became empty?‟” (Jeremiah 2:5) You cannot find injustice with God. And if you think you find it, you walk after emptiness and you become empty.

In Jeremiah chapter 4, in verse 2, the very first reference in Jeremiah to justice. And He‟s saying, “„If you will return, O Israel,‟ declares the LORD, „Then you should return to Me…if you will put away your detested things from My presence, and will not waver (Jeremiah 4:1) “…[If] you will swear, “As the LORD lives,” in truth, in justice…in righteousness; then the nations will bless themselves in Him, and in Him [will they] glory.‟” (Jeremiah 4:2)

In other words, if they can see justice and righteousness in you then that will draw the nations to God, but of course, he didn‟t see that. And so God had to judge them.

Now we were in Jeremiah chapter 22. And I left you with Shallum. Another name for Shallum is Jehoahaz. And he is put by the people on the throne after Josiah dies. As a matter of fact, let me just simply take you back to 2 Kings chapter 24 so that you see this. In verse 33, Pharaoh Neco comes, and what does he do? He kills Josiah, remember that? He‟s going up north to Carchemish. He wants to support the Assyrians. And the Babylonians are at war, and they are conquering and taking over the territory. And it says when they buried Josiah, “…Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz…,” that‟s Shallum, “…the son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in the place of his father. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king…he reigned three months in Jerusalem….” (2 Kings 23:30-31) That‟s all.

And it says, “He did evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done.” (2 Kings 23:32) It doesn‟t point back to David; it doesn‟t point back to justice. And “Pharaoh Neco imprisoned him at Riblah….” (2 Kings 23:33)

Now remember, Riblah is on the way up to Carchemish. “…In the land of Hamath…,” (2 Kings 23:33) it‟s right there next to Hamath, “…that he might not reign in Jerusalem….” (2 Kings 23:33) And Pharaoh Neco, now this is Egypt., “…Imposed on the land…,” on the Jews, “…a fine of one hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. (2 Kings 23:33) And “Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and [he] changed his name to Jehoiakim….” (2 Kings 23:34) This is the king that we‟re going to look at next.

But it says, “…But he took Jehoahaz away and brought him to Egypt, and he died there.” (2 Kings 23:34) This is the one, as we saw yesterday, that you are to weep for because he never saw the land again. We‟ll be right back.

I‟m so glad you‟re back. We‟re right in the middle of the history. Remember, Pharaoh Neco, has left Egypt he is on his way up to support Assyria as they fight at Carchemish. And he is delayed by King Josiah coming out. He‟s in a hurry to get out there, and he‟s delayed. So he comes back and it‟s almost like, “I‟m going to get you Jews for doing that to me.”

And so the Jews have put Shallum, Jehoahaz, on the throne to rule, but he only rules for three months because Pharaoh Neco takes him, deposes him, and puts Jehoaikim on the throne, and takes Shallum, who is called is called Jehoahaz, down to Egypt.

Now let‟s look at Jehoaiakim, Jeremiah chapter 22, verse 13. “„Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness….‟” (Jeremiah 22:13) Now remember all this week we‟ve been looking at justice and righteousness. And so he says, “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness.” In your Bible take a pencil and write, “Jehoiakim.” He‟s going to tell us that it‟s Jehoaikim in verse 18, but you need to know what‟s going on. Watch the contrast between Jehoaikim and his father Josiah.

It says, “„Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness and his upper rooms without justice….‟” (Jeremiah 22:13) Now how does he do that? He “„…uses his neighbor‟s services without pay and [he] does not give him his wages.‟” (Jeremiah 22:13) In other words, he takes away, or he keeps from him, that which he has rightfully earned. That should tell you something about who gets taxed and who doesn‟t get taxed and that.

And he says, “„Who says, „I will build myself a roomy house….”‟” (Jeremiah 22:14) Now this is the king, and the king is building his house. This is the government, the government is building the government‟s house. “„“…With spacious upper rooms, and cut out its windows, paneling it with cedar and painting it bright red.”‟” (Jeremiah 22:14)

He says, “„[Did] you become a king because you [were] competing in cedar…?‟” He says, “„…Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness…?‟” (Jeremiah 22:15) Now remember, that‟s “Josiah.” So with a pencil write Josiah there. “„…Then it [went] well with him.‟” (Jeremiah 22:15)

I want you to get the point. It will go well with you with God when you do justice and righteousness. It may not do it in the society in which you live. And you may suffer as Jeremiah suffered, but in the end it will go well with you. When you stand to the judgment seat of Christ to answer for the deeds done in your body, if you walk in righteousness and justice it will go well with you.

It says, “„He…,‟” speaking of Josiah, “„…pled the cause of the afflicted and [the] needy; then it was well. Is [that not] what it means to know Me…?‟” (Jeremiah 22:16) Beloved, you show your knowledge of God by the way that you live. And you see that Jehoiakim was an evil king. He says, “„But your eyes…,‟” speaking of Jehoiakim, “„…and your heart are intent only [on]…dishonest gain….‟” (Jeremiah 22:17)

What about you? Are you just greedy? Do you have to have money? Do you have to get things in your dishonest gain? “„…On shedding innocent blood…on practicing oppression and extortion.‟” (Jeremiah 22:17)

“Therefore…,” when you see a “therefore” look at what it‟s there for, “…thus says the LORD in regard to Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, „They will not lament for him….‟” They lamented for Josiah, but not for you. “„…“Alas, my brother!” or, “Alas, sister!” They will not lament for him: “Alas for the master…Alas for his splendor!” (Jeremiah 22:18) He will be buried with a donkey‟s burial, dragged off and thrown beyond the gates of Jerusalem.‟” (Jeremiah 22:19) Just a bunch of trash. “„Go up to Lebanon and cry out…lift up your voice in Bashan; cry out from Abarim, for all your lovers have been crushed.‟” (Jeremiah 22:20)

All those people that supported you in your sin, all those politicians and those that played politics and came along side of you, they will be crushed. He said, “„I spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said, “I will not listen!” This has been your practice from your youth….‟” He‟s talking to the nation now. He says, “„…That you have not obeyed My voice.‟” (Jeremiah 22:21)

Oh, Precious Ones, He‟s talking to Israel. But this is us, this is America. We have not obeyed his voice. “„The wind will sweep away all your shepherds….‟” Your rulers. He says, “„…And your lovers will go into captivity; then [surely] you will…be ashamed and humiliated because of all your wickedness. (Jeremiah 22:22) You who dwell in Lebanon, nested in the cedars, how you will groan when pangs come upon you, pain like a woman in a childbirth! As I live,‟ declares the LORD….” (Jeremiah 22:23-24)

Now He‟s going to move from Jehoiakim, who is also called Eliakim, to Coniah, or Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin. And He says, “„As I live,‟ declares the LORD, „even though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand…I [will] pull you off….‟” (Jeremiah 22:24) Even though you‟re a signet ring, even though you were the one that I made my stamp with, He says, “„And I will give you over into the hand of those who are seeking your life….‟” (Jeremiah 22:25)

They were in the hands of Pharaoh Neco, but now Babylon is coming against them. Read your chart, look at the map, and watch Babylon come down against them. He says, “„…Even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon…into the hand of the Chaldeans. I will hurl you and your mother who bore you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die.‟” (Jeremiah 22:25-26) Another king bites the dust, “„But as for the land [for they] which they desire to return, they will not return to it. Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar…?‟” (Jeremiah 22:27-28)

And remember, he takes the pot and he shatters the pot? So that they can see what he is going to do. “„Is…Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out….‟” (Jeremiah 22:28) Why have they been thrown out? And he throws it. And he says, “Why have they been hurled out?” “„…Cast into a land that they had not known? O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD!‟” (Jeremiah 22:28-29)

And this is what I would say, „Oh America, America, America, hear the word of the Lord. “„Thus says the LORD, “Write [him]…down childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no man of his descendants will prosper sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah.”‟” (Jeremiah 22:30) Jeconiah had children, but you might as well write him down as childless. Why? Because he will never have a son that will sit on the throne of Judah, and this is the way that chapter 22 ends.

And chapter 23 begins with, “„Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering…My [flock]!‟” (Jeremiah 23:1) Who are those who destroy a nation, that scatter the flock, those that do not do justice, those that do not execute righteousness?

Oh Beloved, know this, He is the King of the nations. And all the nations will someday give an account to God. God‟s throne is a throne of righteousness and justice. (See Psalms 97:2) Remember that and live accordingly.