2 Kings 23:31-35--Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity

2 Kings 23:31-35
English Standard Version
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Jehoahaz's Reign and Captivity
31 Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 32 And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to all that his fathers had done. 33 And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 34 And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. 35 And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.

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We would Josiah, the one described as the best king of Israel, would have a son that would follow in his footsteps, but Jehoahaz (who we probably know better as Jehoiakim, see verse 34) did what was evil in the sight of the LORD just as his ancestors had done.  He came to power when he was 23 years old and he only reigned for three months in Jerusalem before he was captured and imprisoned by Pharaoh Necro the king of Egypt.  Pharaoh Necro made Israel pay tribute to him (think "protection money" that the mobsters make you pay.  If you pay they are supposed to protect you from enemies, but if you don't pay, then it is them you need protection from).

Pharaoh Necro then placed his own puppet king in power--Eliiakim the son of Josiah, but we know him better as Jehoiakim.  Jehoiakim did whatever Pharaoh Necro asked for paying the tribute and taxes and making the people of Israel subject to Pharaoh.  Even though he is a vassal king of Egypt, he will not last long for he will switch allegiances when a stronger super-power comes around.  We'll talk about that next time when the LORD will allow the people of Judah to be conquered for foreign nations (many of these nations were the ones they were never faithful to destroy that the LORD commanded them to destroy during the Conquest of Canaan).