Jeremiah, Josiah, Barker, and Me (4)

4.  Jeremiah’s attitude towards the Kings of Judah.

Jeremiah says he prophesied during the reigns of three kings of Israel: “the word of YHWH came [to Jeremiah] in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month” (Jer. 1:2).  This establishes the chronological parameters of Jeremiah’s ministry, but also the names of the kings who ruled during his ministry.  Josiah was followed by three of his sons (and one grandson).

• Josiah {r. 648-609 BC} (2 Kgs 22:1-23:30; 2 Chr. 34:1-36:1)

• Jehoahaz, son of Josiah {r. 609 BC} (2 Kgs 23:31-35; 2 Chr. 36:2-4) is not mentioned at all by Jeremiah but he ruled only three months after the death of Josiah before he was deposed by the Egyptians.

• Jehoiakim, son of Josiah (also call Shallum, his personal name)) {r. 609-598 BC} (2 Kgs 23:36-24:17; 2 Chr. 36:5-10)

• Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim (also called Coniah and Jeconiah) {r. 598-597}

• Zedekiah, son of Josiah  {r. 597-586 BC} (2 Kgs 24:18-25:30; 2 Chr. 36:11-21)

We know that Josiah attempted to implement the Deuteronomistic reforms, while Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim and  Zedekiah are both said to have “done evil in the eyes of YHWH” (2 Kgs. 23:32, 37, 24:9, 19; 2 Chr. 36:5, 9, 12) returned to the abominations of Manasseh (2 Chr. 36:8, 14).  This language indicates that, from the perspective of the Deuteronomist at least, Josiah’s sons abandoned Josiah’s reforms.  If Jeremiah was opposed to the reforms of Josiah, we would expect him to have a negative attitude towards Josiah, but a more positive attitude towards Josiah’s sons.  In fact, precisely the opposite is true.

1- Josiah is mentioned eighteen times in Jeremiah, but only four in reference to the actual king himself (Jer. 1:2, 3:6, 25:3, 36:2).  Three of these are simply chronological markers using the regnal years of King Josiah as was typical of the time (Jer. 1:2, 25:3, 36:2), and tell us nothing about Jeremiah’s attitude towards Josiah.  The other fourteen times he’s only mentioned in a patronymic: X son of Josiah (1:3, 22:11, 18, 25:1, 26:1, 27:1, 35:1, 36:1, 36:9, 37:1, 45:1, 46:2).  In other words, Jeremiah doesn’t have anything negative to say about Josiah, which would seem odd if he had opposed Josiah’s reforms.

The one prophecy of Jeremiah dated to the reign of Josiah (Jer. 3:6-25) is critical of Judah for not following the types of reforms Josiah tried to implement.  Judah is criticized for visiting high places (3:6, 23), for playing the whore (= worshipping other gods) (3:6b, 8-9, 13, 20), for betraying YHWH (3:7-8, 20), for worshipping “under every green tree” (= Asherah) (3:13b), and forgetting YHWH (3:21b), and for not obeying the voice of YHWH (3:25).  YHWH promises, however, to give Judah “shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (3:15), a possible allusion to Josiah.  As usual such prophecies are rather vague, but all of these elements reflect Jeremiah’s opposition to the the types of things Josiah tried to reform.

2- Jehoiakim, on the other hand, doesn’t fare so well.  Judah is ordered not to lament for Jehoiakim (22:18), presumably at his death, promising him “the burial of an ass” (22:19)–that is, to be left unburied.  This is the opposite of Jeremiah composing a lament for the death of Josiah (2 Chr. 35:25).  YHWH threatens to cast Jehoiakim off his hand (22:24).  In chapters 25-26 Jeremiah promises Nebuchadnezzar will come against Jehoikim because he will not listen to God’s teachings through Jeremiah, nor “walk in my Torah that I have set before you” (26:4, see 32:23, 44:23), a possible reference to Deuteronomy.  The king was so upset with Jeremiah’s prophecies that he burned them (36:22-23, 28), for which Jeremiah curses him (36:30-31).

3- Jehoiachin will be cast away like a broken pot (22:28), so that none of his offspring will hold the throne (22:30).

4- Zedekiah is threatened with the destruction of his kingdom by Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 21, 27:12-22, 34:2), with pestilence, sword and famine (21:7, 24:10, 27:13, 29:16-19), and bondage in Babylon (27:12, 28:14, 32:4), and the plundering of the temple (27:19-22).  Zedekiah will be treated like bad figs–that is, he will be cast away (Jer. 24).  Zedekiah’s sons will be killed before his eyes (29:21).  (Examples could be further multiplied.)  Zedekiah imprisons Jeremiah because of the prophets opposition to his reign (32:2).

There are many other prophecies against the kings of Israel in which the specific king is not named, making them difficult to contextualize with certainty.  But, in summary, among those prophecies for which the name a specific ruler is given, all of the kings of Judah during Jeremiah’s lifetime are criticized and cursed by the prophet except Josiah.  The most straightforward implication of this fact is that Jeremiah supported Josiah, but opposed his sons who undid Josiah’s reforms.