27 And in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, graciously freed Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. 28 And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a seat above the seats of the kings who were with him in Babylon. 29 So Jehoiachin put off his prison garments. And every day of his life he dined regularly at the king's table, 30 and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily needs, as long as he lived. (II Kings 25)
The people of Israel had gotten themselves into a seemingly hopeless condition. After generations of turning from God to idols and immorality, He had them removed from the promised land, taken captive as Exiles throughout the Babylonian empire. They were scattered, scared, and sinking deep in despair. But even in those dark days, God demonstrated his mercy and grace in the likes of Daniel and Esther and Nehemiah - and even King Jehoiachin. Dethroned as a young man and taken to Babylon as a trophy of war, Jehoichin spent half of the exile in prison. He had no hope of parole - his life seemingly meaningless. But God moved in the heart of the king of Babylon to release, restore, and bless him. The message is simple. If God has mercy on such a wicked, guilty man as him, there is hope for any of us. It was not the end of the story. God has done stranger things than we can imagine to bless and restore his people. Jehoiachin was a sign to his people, and to us, that God is not through with us yet.
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