He Sets the Prisoners Free
"So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And everyday of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived." 2 Kings 25:29-30
In 2 Kings 24,Jehoiachin was 18 years old and had just become king, reigning 3 months when he and all Jerusalem, except a few who were left to care for the land, were taken into captivity by the king of Babylon. Jehoiachin was put into prison and we don't hear anything about him again until the end of 25 where Nebuchadnezzer's son has just become king and "graciously freed Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison."Jehoiachin is now 55 having been in prison 37 years!
Don't feel too sorry for him. All of Israel and Judah had made a covenant with God promising to walk in His ways, keeping His commandments and observing His statutes. God had told them all the blessing they would experience if they kept their covenant and all the consequences if they did not. They were smack dab in the middle of severe consequences. The Bible says that God's people had done more evil than the people who were in the land before them, doing things that He could no longer stomach, like offering their sons and daughters in the fire before false gods. Yes, in the short time that he reigned he carried on the evil ways of his father. So it is actually very gracious of the Lord to allow him to live and then brought out of prison to eat at the kings table. God was preserving the lineage of David, Jehoiachin was the last in that line of kings, which is the lineage of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
So having given you a bit of the backdrop or context of this verse, let me tell you why it stood out to me. Often, in my Bible reading, God has taken me to Isaiah 52. The first verses of this chapter were brought to mind as I meditated on this passage in 2 Kings. "Awake, awake, put on your strength O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, ...Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the Lord: "You were sold for nothing and you shall be redeemed without money." " Both of these passages are a shadowed picture to me of what the Lord has done for us. They both speak of putting off garments of captivity. The Bible many times speaks in terms of God setting us free.
"Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die," Psalms 102:18-20 ESV
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" - Isaiah 58:6 ESV
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 ESV
So Christ has set us free. We can take off our prison garments and put on the beautiful garments of righteousness that are ours in Christ Jesus. He has not only paid the price, not money or gold but His own precious blood so that we can be freed from prison, freed from the bonds of slavery to sin and given us beautiful clothes to wear, He sits us at His table, the King's table to dine with Him everyday of our lives! And, and! He provides for our every need for the rest of our lives, which are now eternal!!
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 ESV
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:2 ESV
I don't know why we do it but too often we are trying to put back on the prison garments and the shackles. We aren't dining at the King's table or taking the allowance He longs to daily give us. He longs for us to dine with Him-to fellowship with Him.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1 ESV
O Father, please, help us to walk in the freedom You have provided. Help us to daily dine with You, to learn of You, to taste and see that You are good. Help us to run to You for our daily needs, knowing that You provide all that we need in Your mercy and grace, though we are undeserving. Thank You Jesus that You paid the price for our freedom with something more valuable than silver of gold, You paid with Your own life blood. O Lord, set the prisoners free.
In 2 Kings 24,Jehoiachin was 18 years old and had just become king, reigning 3 months when he and all Jerusalem, except a few who were left to care for the land, were taken into captivity by the king of Babylon. Jehoiachin was put into prison and we don't hear anything about him again until the end of 25 where Nebuchadnezzer's son has just become king and "graciously freed Jehoiachin, king of Judah, from prison."Jehoiachin is now 55 having been in prison 37 years!
Don't feel too sorry for him. All of Israel and Judah had made a covenant with God promising to walk in His ways, keeping His commandments and observing His statutes. God had told them all the blessing they would experience if they kept their covenant and all the consequences if they did not. They were smack dab in the middle of severe consequences. The Bible says that God's people had done more evil than the people who were in the land before them, doing things that He could no longer stomach, like offering their sons and daughters in the fire before false gods. Yes, in the short time that he reigned he carried on the evil ways of his father. So it is actually very gracious of the Lord to allow him to live and then brought out of prison to eat at the kings table. God was preserving the lineage of David, Jehoiachin was the last in that line of kings, which is the lineage of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.
So having given you a bit of the backdrop or context of this verse, let me tell you why it stood out to me. Often, in my Bible reading, God has taken me to Isaiah 52. The first verses of this chapter were brought to mind as I meditated on this passage in 2 Kings. "Awake, awake, put on your strength O Zion; put on your beautiful garments, ...Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. For thus says the Lord: "You were sold for nothing and you shall be redeemed without money." " Both of these passages are a shadowed picture to me of what the Lord has done for us. They both speak of putting off garments of captivity. The Bible many times speaks in terms of God setting us free.
"Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD: that he looked down from his holy height; from heaven the LORD looked at the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die," Psalms 102:18-20 ESV
"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?" - Isaiah 58:6 ESV
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:2 ESV
So Christ has set us free. We can take off our prison garments and put on the beautiful garments of righteousness that are ours in Christ Jesus. He has not only paid the price, not money or gold but His own precious blood so that we can be freed from prison, freed from the bonds of slavery to sin and given us beautiful clothes to wear, He sits us at His table, the King's table to dine with Him everyday of our lives! And, and! He provides for our every need for the rest of our lives, which are now eternal!!
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23 ESV
"For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:2 ESV
I don't know why we do it but too often we are trying to put back on the prison garments and the shackles. We aren't dining at the King's table or taking the allowance He longs to daily give us. He longs for us to dine with Him-to fellowship with Him.
"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1 ESV
O Father, please, help us to walk in the freedom You have provided. Help us to daily dine with You, to learn of You, to taste and see that You are good. Help us to run to You for our daily needs, knowing that You provide all that we need in Your mercy and grace, though we are undeserving. Thank You Jesus that You paid the price for our freedom with something more valuable than silver of gold, You paid with Your own life blood. O Lord, set the prisoners free.
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