Ezekiel 29:17-30:19; II Kings 25:27-30; Jeremiah 52:31-34
Today we see that King Jehoiachin (aka Coniah or Jeconiah) ends his days in relative peace and comfort. He is still in exile in Babylon, of course, but he is no longer imprisoned and is treated well.
It has been a while (a month ago, in fact) since we have heard anything about Jehoiachin, so perhaps it is time for a bit of review. Jehoiachin’s father was Jehoiakim, the one who burned Jeremiah’s scroll. When his father died, Jehoiachin came to the throne of Judah at the age of 18, but reigned for only 3 months before surrendering Jerusalem to Nebuchadnezzar in 597 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin (and many others, including Ezekiel) into exile in Babylon and placed Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, on the throne back in Jerusalem.
At that time the LORD gave Jeremiah a vision of good and bad figs — the good figs representing those sent into exile and the bad figs those left behind. (Jeremiah 24) As we know, those left behind went from bad to worse, resulting in the Fall of Jerusalem in 587/586 B.C. More people were then taken into captivity in Babylon, but the poorest were left to tend the fields. Although Jeremiah counseled otherwise, all those left behind still refused to submit to Babylonian rule and fled to Egypt, but Egypt was no haven and would likewise be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
I am quite sure that when Jehoiachin was first hauled off into exile, he did not feel like a “good fig”. I am sure he was not happy about captivity. It must have been crushing for him to know that his uncle occupied his throne and to recognize that none of his own sons would ever rule. But even though he had to endure 36 years of imprisonment, in the end we see that Jehoiachin’s path of exile was far better than that of the “bad figs” left behind, and that signals hope for God’s remnant.
One more thing…
Jeremiah 22:30 declared that Coniah (Jehoiachin) was to be considered childless, that none of his descendants would sit on the throne of Judah. Seeing as how Jehoiachin’s uncle, Zedekiah, held the throne until the kingdom came to an end with the Fall of Jerusalem, we can see the truth of that statement. However, in exile, Jehoiachin did have sons and further descendants (I Chronicles 3:17), and we see in Matthew 1:12-16 that those descendants included Joseph, the “father” of Jesus.