2 Chronicles 36:9

2 Chronicles 36:9 says, Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.  Jehoiachin was only eight when he began to reign.  Being the descendant of a religious leader does us no good in being a part of the family of God if they have not been a follower of Christ themself.  Matthew Henry points out that in Kings, he was said to be eighteen when he started to reign, so one or the other was likely a transcription error. He only reigned for three months and ten days, so likely never really understood what being king meant.  Verse ten adds, And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.  At that time, Nebuchadnezzar had Jehoiachin brought to Babylon along with along with the vessels of the house of the Lord.  They were referred to as goodly vessels, and I believe that Nebuchadnezzar only saw them as a source of earthly riches, but since they were dedicated to the worship of God, they were more than that.  People of the world may see the things that we as Christians have dedicated to God only as a source of riches, but for us, they must be more than that.  They must be dedicated to accomplishing God's work and not be seen just as a source of wealth for the local congregation.  He also appointed Zedekiah, who is referred to as the brother of Jehoiachin. as king of Judah. Once more, he was attempting to take the place of God in appointing the king.  We can never just appoint who we want to be the leaders of the church today but must always appoint them in accordance with God's will.  Verse eleven states, Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.  At least Zedekiah was old enough to know how to be a leader, and he remained in power for eleven years.  Still, he was not the man God had appointed king. We may be old enough to serve as the leader of a congregation and may even be successful in doing so for years, but if we have not been appointed by God, we will never be spiritually successful.  Verse twelve adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord.  Like so many others before him, even those who were of the house of David, Zedekiah did what was evil in God's sight and wouldn't even humble himself before God when Jeremiah the prophet spoke the word of the Lord against him.  Many people in power who are doing evil in the sight of the Lord will never humble themselves no matter how many times God's word is proclaimed to them.  Verse thirteen continues, And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel.  Zedekiah also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who had made him swear by God that he would be faithful to Nebuchadnezzar.  He rebelled against both God and the one who had appointed him king, believing himself to be above both.  Some people today believe that they are above God and even above those who have placed them in power and will act only out of self-pride and self-glorification.  Verse fourteen says, Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.  Not only did Zedekiah rebel against God, but so did the people of Judah, from the chief priests on down.  They followed the abominations of the heathen and polluted the house of God, even though they were a part of God's chosen people.  He had called them to serve Him alone, and they instead didn't serve Him at all..  As Christians or at least those who call ourselves to be so, if we begin to allow the beliefs of those who do not put their faith in God to become the standard by which we live by and bring these ideas into the worship service, we pollute the house of God.  Verse fifteen adds, And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place:  Even though they had rebelled against Him, God still sent messengers to them calling for them to repent and return to Him, because he had compassion on them.  God still sends His messengers today to call on people to repent of their sins and come to Him by putting their faith in Jesus Christ, because even while we are sinners, He has compassion on us.  Also, as Christians, if we have strayed away from His word, He will send us a message to return, I believe starting with the witness of the Holy Spirit within us.  Verse sixteen continues, But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy.  Instead of the people of Judah listening to God's prophets, they despised them and misused them.  If we proclaim the word of God today, we may often be dispised and at times may even be mistreated, but we must still continue to proclaim the truth of God.