Jeconiah’s Reign
We do not know who installed Jeconiah as King of Judah. It appears that Babylon left without appointing government officials. It could be presumed that no one person appointed Jeconiah. Rather, the people of Judah that remained in the Land chose him to fill the void seeing that he was Jehoiakim’s son. Babylon carried away captive all that were ordained thereto, only 3,320 people. The ill-treatment of Jehoiakim, resulting in his death, conveys the brutality and force used by Babylon. Remember, King Jehoiakim died outside the gates of Jerusalem having been bound with chains in train with the Captivity; this speaks toward what manner of persons were in this Captivity. They had every intention to cripple the nation by selectively choosing this relatively small captivity and returning as quickly as possible. They knew that the government affairs of Judah were left in disarray. Why didn’t they set things in order in the 2nd Captivity? I believe there were too many difficult decisions to make and thus it required the presence of the King of Babylon. It is likely that he wanted to be there. Upon crippling the Kingdom via the 2nd Captivity, the Armies of Babylon were committed to return with the King of Babylon himself to set in order the government of the City. I believe the King of Babylon wanted to look upon things himself to prevent any further uprising. With just enough time to travel to and from Babylon to secure the 2nd Captivity and conduct the King of Babylon to Jerusalem (only 3 months), they returned. Thus, Jeconiah’s reign was a mere 3 months. We do not know what happened within the 3 months of this man’s rule, the man Jeconiah, but we do know his conduct: he, being merely 18 years old, committed great wickedness and rebellion against the Lord (2 Kings 24:9). Note: it appears that in the 1st Captivity Nebuchadnezzar was present (2 Kings 24:1), in the second he wasn’t (2 Kings 24:2-5), and in the third he was (2 Kings 24:10-11).