Why should the words of the LORD spoken about the second-to-last king in Judah cause you to quickly gasp? Hint: his wickedness warranted a divine curse that poisoned a genealogical pipeline; and, if not properly  understood, that fact could really cause consternation for those trying to celebrate the incarnation. As you read on you’ll see why God’s words concerning him could cause great concern for us. First, however, let’s create some context…

After setting forth prophetic messages to previous wicked kings, verses 24 through 30 turn our attention to Coniah, also known as Jeconiah or Jehoaichin (remember that, it’s important). The Scripture’s synopsis of this man is not a flattering one: “he reigned in Jerusalem three months and ten days. And he did evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Chr. 36:9). Unfortunately, that kind of description is an all-too-common one in the Old Testament. And while that may be common, God’s disdain for his man was somewhat unique. First we notice that God swore an oath, “As I live, says the LORD…” (Jer. 22:24a). Since there is nothing greater for God to swear by, He swore by Himself (cf. Heb. 6:13). And whereas in other cases God’s oath formula preceded a declaration of the certainty of an exceedingly great promise, here it preceded a declaration of great disdain – “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off” (vs.24b). You and I may not be too familiar with signet rings but in the ancient world they were valuable possessions. Usually kings and people of great prominence wore them as a sign of their authority or as a tool with which they would authenticate edicts. So even if Coniah was that to the LORD it wouldn’t stop the LORD from plucking him off and giving him way (vs.25a). Strong language. The LORD went on to say:

25 and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of those whose face you fear—the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. 26 So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. 27 But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return. (vs.25-27)

The Babylonians were like ravenous wolves scratching and gnawing at the proverbial doors of the cities of Judah. And apparently their ‘howls’ and ‘cries’ prompted fear from Coniah, but not repentance. And as a result of failing to hear previous gracious warnings to humble themselves (Jer. 13:18), the LORD was going to open the door and hand him and his mother, Nehushta (see 2 Ki. 24:8), over to the wolves at the door – Nebuchadnezzar and those who sought his life. And that’s what happened; the words spoken in the passage above find their fulfillment in 2nd Kings 24:10-16. In fact, the language of verse twenty-six, “I will cast you out” could be understood as, “I will hurl you out” – given the way the Hebrew verb is used in Isaiah 22:17. And there, in the land to which he was hurled, a land in which he wasn’t born, he lived for quite a while until he died (Jer. 52:31-34). And though he and his mother longed to return, their desire would remain unsatisfied.

Verse twenty-eight continues with the rhetorical question:

“Is this man Coniah a despised, broken idol—
A vessel in which is no pleasure? 
Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, 
And cast into a land which they do not know?” 

It’s not hard to anticipate the expected answer – yes, Coniah was a despised, broken idol, a vessel in which God had no pleasure; and that’s why he (and they) were cast out into a land that neither he nor his descendants knew. Those who regarded him as ‘Jerusalem’s idol’ would be sorely disappointed – a thing that all idols tend to do: disappoint.

So far none of this has hit close to home. But there is an announcement coming that we cannot miss. Notice the unique way in which it is heralded: “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD!” (vs.29). Anything that the LORD says three times warrants an immediate call to attention. And here they are, the words that should keep you up at night (unless you know why they shouldn’t):

“Thus says the LORD:
‘Write this man down as childless, 
A man who shall not prosper in his days; 
For none of his descendants shall prosper, 
Sitting on the throne of David, 
And ruling anymore in Judah.’ ” (vs.30)

Although Coniah had seven children (1 Chr. 3:17-18), the LORD said He was to be regarded as childless. As far as the LORD was concerned, the scepter was departing from this line in Judah. Not one of His descendants would sit on the throne of David. The line of Coniah was cursed; no king would come from his bloodline. Now the reason this affects your blood pressure is because your mind immediately goes to the end of verse thirty and Matthew chapter one at the same time. No descendants of this man would sit on the throne of David (Jer. 22:30b); yet, in the “book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ” (Mt. 1:1) whose name shows up – Jeconiah (vs.11-12). See the problem? God promised that no descendant of his would sit on the throne yet there he is in Matthew’s genealogy of the line of Jesus!

It’s at this point in time that you’re really thankful that there are two different genealogies of Jesus recorded in the Scriptures. First, it’s not a secret that the genealogy in Matthew’s gospel goes through the line of Joseph (vs.16); which means, Jeconiah doesn’t show up in the bloodline of Jesus but in His legal line through Joseph. God, knowing that He made the promise that He did in Jeremiah 22:30, bypassed the line of Jeconiah and brought His Son, the Messiah, through another line of David – Nathan’s as opposed to Solomon’s (Lk. 3:31)!

So reading through Jeremiah 22 and Matthew 1 need not cause you palpitations. Jeconiah poisoned a pipeline, yes; but God had made arrangements for his Son to come through another.