2 Chronicles 36:1

2 Chronicles 36:1 says, Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.  Josiah's son, Jehoahaz was made king after Josiah was killed.  He was next of the descendants of David in the line of succession.  Though we do not follow a physical bloodline to determine who serves in the church today, we need to follow a spiritual bloodline of Jesus Christ in selecting the Christian that God has called to fill each position.  Verse two adds, Jehoahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.  Jehoahaz was twenty-three when he began to reign, but he only reigned for three months.  During his short reign, he did evil in the sight of the Lord as we find in the Book of Kings, so he was another one who turned away from God.  Verse three continues, And the king of Egypt put him down at Jerusalem, and condemned the land in an hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.  The reason Jehoahaz only reigned for three months was he because was taken captive by the Egyptians, who then fined the people of Judah for putting him in power to start with.  Matthew Henry says that God was allowing the people to be defeated a little at a time to give them time to repent and turn to Him instead of just letting them be totally destroyed all at once.  God will always give people time to repent and be restored to a right relationship with Him, no matter how bad they might be, instead of just destroying them when they first sin.  Verse four states, And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and turned his name to Jehoiakim. And Necho took Jehoahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.  The king of Egypt made Eliakim the brother Jehoahaz king of Judah and changed his name to Jehoiakim.  We can say with a certainty that he was not the person God would have put in charge since he was placed there by the king of Egypt.  Matthew Henry says his name was changed to show the people of Judah that the King of Egypt had authority over them.  I would think that he did this to imply that God didn't.  People may attempt to replace the ones that God has chosen in a place of leadership in the church today, but we need to make sure this does not happen.  Verse five adds, Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God.  Jehoiakim was twenty-five when he began to reign, and he reigned for eleven years, doing that which was evil in the sight of God. Since he was not one by those whom God had chosen as His people, it would have been hard for him to do what is right in God's sight, even if he was a descendant of David.  This was another eleven years that the people of Judah could have repented and called out to God for deliverance, but they didn't.  No matter who is in power, God will always give people a chance to put their faith in Him alone.  Verse six continues, Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.  Just as the king of Egypt had taken Jehoahaz away captive, Nebuchadnezzar then took Jehoiakim away captive.  Since Jehoiakim was not in power by God's appointment, he wasn't under God's protection either.  Kingdoms may come and go, but if we are serving the eternal King, Jesus Christ, He will never be replaced.  Verse eight says, Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of the Lord to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.  Nebuchadnezzar also took the vessels of the temple to Babylon and put them in his temple.  Any temple that is not the temple of God will be a manmade temple to a manmade god.  Verse eight adds, Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.  Once more, we are told that the acts of Jehoiakim, were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, but they were referred to as abominations.  If we do not put our faith in Jesus Christ, when He returns our actions will be used to judge us, and they will be abominations since they were done for some reason other than to foll0w God's will and to glorify Him.  Jehoiachin, Jehoiakim's son then ruled in his place.