Pastor and 1st Lady Mims

Mims Chapel Church

Week 3, September 20, 2026

LESSON 3

A Chain of Vassal Kings

Lesson Text:

2 Kings 23:29-37, 24:1-16

Memory Verse
'For whom the LORD loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son "
Hebrews 12:6

Key Terms
Depose • Remove from office suddenly and forcefully.
Tribute • Payment made periodically by - one state or ruler to another, especially as a sign of dependence.
Vassal • A person or country in a - subordinate position to another.

Suggested Emphasis

The concept of "vassal kings" goes back many centuries in the Middle East. When nation-states clashed in the region, the victors would compel their opponents to accept humiliating conditions of surrender. The losing king would have to swear fealty to the conqueror and would then be expected to serve him, usually by paying tribute.

Across the 7th and 8th Centuries, the Israelites suffered vassalage to an assortment of world powers jockeying for domination over the region. The Northern Kingdom of Israel first became a vassal to the Assyrian Empire. But Israel continually rebelled and made leagues against Assyria, which led to a final siege and capture of the capital city Samaria, in 722 B.C. (The Archeologist Website, 2023). With the fall of the kingdom, the Assyrians enacted a policy of forced repopulation, dragging off significant portions of the Israelites, and planting people from other regions within the boundaries of the Northern Kingdom. In this lesson we will take a close look at the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and their vassalage to two later empires: the Egyptians and the Babylonians.

Emphasis 1

Egypt Removed Jehoahaz to Install Jehoiakim

The last good king of Judah, Josiah, died in a misadventure against the pharaoh of Egypt. Interestingly, Scripture says Pharaoh Necho's forces were intended to go up against the king of Assyria (2 Kings 23:29). King Josiah apparently resented the Egyptian army traversing Jewish territory (Megiddo) to travel north to Assyria. Josiah led the forces that intercepted Necho, but he suffered a defeat that cost him his life. Consequently, "the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead" (2 Kings 23:30). But Jehoahaz proved to be an evil king. The prophet Ezekiel offers a curious polemic against him and his mother Hamutal (Ezek. 19:1—4). Ezekiel accuses Jehoahaz of having "devoured men" like a lion (Ezek. 1 9:3); the implication is that his short reign was marked by cruel violence. His notoriety as a "man-eater" was at least somewhat responsible for his being brought "in chains to Egypt" (Ezek. 19:3,4, TLB).

Pharaoh Necho interfered with the internal politics of Judah, not only taking Jehoahaz captive, but also installing his brother Eliakim as a preferred vassal. The Pharaoh even renamed the Judean king "Jehoiakim" to exert his authority over him (2 Kings 23:34). Necho exacted such a heavy tribute of gold and silver, that Jehoiakim had to add a new tax on the Judean people (2 Kings 23:35). Jehoiakim was another wicked king, but unlike his brother, he lasted for 1 1 years on the throne. Through that period there was a shift in global power, and Babylon became the major player in the region. Nebuchadnezzar overcame Judah and became the new suzerain demanding Judah's loyalty. We are told that Jehoiakim served the Babylonians for 3 years but ultimately rebelled against them (2 Kings 24:1).

Emphasis 2

Babylon Removed Jehoiakim and
Jehoiachin to Install Zedekiah

Agents of Babylon—a confederation of Chaldeans, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites— came up against Jerusalem and took Jehoiakim captive (this was the second consecutive Judean leader deposed by foreigners). Here the narrator comments on how this indignity was divine judgment directly against Jehoiakim for his own sinful reign, yet also remotely against his grandfather Manasseh for the legacy of sin that king had left behind (2 Kings 24:3). Wrath had been stored up against Judah because of the profound wickedness of Manasseh's reign. King Manasseh had seduced his people to do even more evil than their heathen neighbors, and now the bill was due (2 Kings 21:9).

Nebuchadnezzar's agents apparently killed Jehoiakim (2 Kings 24:6). After his death, the Judeans made Jehoiachin, his 1 8-year-old son, successor. Clearly, this was not the preference of the Babylonian emperor. Within three months, the enemy was back, apprehending the young king and dragging him and his retinue off to Babylon. The Babylonians also took the holy vessels from the House of the Lord and even stripped the gold ornamentation from the walls (2 Kings 24: 13). Nebuchadnezzar chose another son of Josiah— Mattaniah—to be the new vassal king. Like Necho had done with Eliakim, the BabyIonian ruler renamed Mattaniah: henceforth, he was known as "Zedekiah " (2 Kings 24:17).

Emphasis 3

Merely the Rods of God's Anger

The domination that regional superpowers continued to exercise over the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah was undeniably the judgment of Yahweh. The great Hebrew prophets shared similar prophecies of persecution for over a century (Zeitlin, 2012, p. 41). In their various time periods, the individual voices of Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Micah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were raised; they each called the Jewish people to relinquish their unjust and idolatrous ways. Assyria, Egypt and Babylon were simply the "rods of God's anger." If His people would repent, then they would escape the interference of those nations.

The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews tells us, "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives" (Heb- 12:6, ESV). Loving parents subject their children to discipline. Only rejected and unloved children are allowed to run wild. Sometimes what believers call "misfortune" is actually divine chastisement. When we encounter difficul ties, even harassment and persecution, we should take a little time to reflect. Is God using troublesome people and situations in our lives as chastisement for a moral failing? He won't do so without first warning us. But if we remain oblivious to His warning, then we shouldn't be surprised if He lifts the hedge of protection around us and uses misfortune as a rod of correction.

Missions Application Questions

What was similar about the ways Egypt and Babylon treated the Southern Kingdom of Judah?
What might have been the reasons the vassal kings of Judah continually rebelled against the foreign nation that they were supposed to serve?
Have you ever tried to escape divine discipline? Please discuss.

World Missions Prayer Points

Let us pray that we always put our trust in God more than in human alliances.
Let us pray to remember that the Lord disciplines the ones He loves.
Let us pray for strength to accept what- ever process the Lord provides for our restoration.