The king of Egypt did not march out from his own country again, because the king of Babylon had taken all his territory, from the Wadi of Egypt to the Euphrates River. – 2 Kings 24:7

Today's Scripture Reading (June 6, 2023): 2 Kings 24

I live in what might be called a medium-sized urban area. The population of the metropolitan area is somewhere around 1.5 million people. And what that means is that there are times, during what we would call the morning and evening rush hours, when certain roads that connect the various parts of the city are very crowded. Again, we are only about 1.5 million people, so rush hour is not nearly as bad as it might be in places like Los Angeles, New York, or even Toronto, Canada. And yet, it is bad enough that sometimes, depending on where you are going in the city, you might need to stay home for a little longer until the rush hour begins to subside. Waiting might even mean that you will get to your destination faster.

But there are also seemingly almost permanent construction patterns that hinder these routes. Where I live, we have four seasons; almost winter, winter, still winter, and construction, and the significant roads always seem in need of a construction project. And even that makes some sense; with the heavy traffic load these streets have to handle, the path is well-worn and always in need of repair.

The descendants of Jacob lived on a well-worn path between the nations. Israel sat on the crossroads of the ancient world. The trade route between the countries of Africa and the civilizations of Asia and Europe went straight through Israel's backyard. And therefore, the various empires desired to control the land on which Israel sat. And so, Israel became the ground over which the powers often fought.

King Josiah's life ended during a battle with Egypt over the land of Canaan. Pharaoh Necho II defeated Judah, killing the good King Josiah, and the people placed Josiah's son Jehoahaz on the nation's throne. He lasted three months on the throne before Necho removed him and placed Eliakim, who Necho called Jehoiakim, on the throne, levying a tax on the land to be paid to Egypt in the process.

Then Nebuchadnezzar took control of the land away from Pharaoh Necho II and Egypt. And for a while, Israel paid their taxes to Babylon instead of Egypt. Israel remained a Vassal state; only the master had changed. It seems that it was at this time that Egypt decided not to challenge Babylon. In the battle between the superpowers, Babylon was winning. Egypt would try again a few years after this moment. That victory would be short-lived, and Egypt had to be content in defending Africa against the Babylonians and give up on getting a foothold in the Levant of Western Asia (the Middle East).

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 48