2 Kings 24 and 25: Historical Messiness
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Jeconiah from Guillaume Rouillé’s Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
Today we read about the end of Judah, the end of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish kingdom. Jehoiachim, thinking perhaps that he might buy some time in a compromise, becomes a vassal of Nebuchadnezzar from 604 40 602 B.C.E. But in the end, as we read today, death and destruction, ruin and exile take over. Jehoiachin, who has been king a only few months, surrenders to overwhelming forces. Zedekiah is named king (his name had been Mattaniah) but he also fails to return the people and himself to Yahweh.
These are sad and piercing stories in which we see all that is valued being carried off; innocent blood is shed, a way of life ends. And yet does it?
Zedekiah from Guillaume Rouillé’s Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum, 1553
We are passing through a time of year which brings us the message of hope in darkness. We are living in a time when the impossible becomes possible. For as many times as we find ourselves carted off into exile, we will also find ourselves redeemed and even saved – saved from the treacheries that surround us, saved from the treacheries within.
We have spent time in previous Noontimes reflecting on the times of exile in our lives. Invaders have overrun our sacred precincts. Terror seizes us; all that we hold precious is taken away. Yet, it is the marvel and mystery of living in relationship with God that ultimately saves us.
Bishop Robert Morneau tells us in Daily Reflections for ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS: Waiting in Joyful Hope: Here was a God of infinite compassion, taking on the human condition and plunging into our historical messiness. Here was a God who understood our pains and joys from the inside. Here was the Messiah, the Savior of humankind.
King Nebuchadnezzar II (634-562 BCE)
Today we read about the history of our ancestors and we take time to reflect when we are in the midst of our own historical messiness, when our own holy vessels are carted off and melted down to adorn pagan idols, to whom do we turn for sustenance and comfort? To whom do we cry out for help? There is only one person, as Morneau reminds us, only one being who can truly understand our sorrows and our triumphs. And we are about to celebrate the coming of this being into our presence. As we move through this last week of Advent, let us carry both our grief and our joy to this one who saves, this one who redeems, this one who loves us so that he comes to us as a child, relying on our own willingness and readiness to be one with him . . . despite our historical messiness.
Adapted from a reflection written on December 16, 2009.
We can read more detail about these ancient kings by clicking on their images or at:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=J&artid=198
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=73&letter=Z&search=zedekiah
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11407-nebuchadnezzar
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