Di King Wey Dem Release from Prison

One prison door open with noise for Babylon. One old man cover im eyes from di light. For thirty-seven years, e don be prisoner. And now one guard talk: comot. Di king wan see you.

Di book of Second Kings dey tell one long, sad story. Di kings of Judah, David children-children, turn dia back on God again and again. At last, di army of Babylon come. When Jehoiachin just be eighteen years and e don rule only three months, King Nebuchadnezzar surround Jerusalem. Jehoiachin surrender, and dem carry am go Babylon with im mama, im officials, and thousands of di craftsmen and leaders of Jerusalem. Eleven years after, dem destroy Jerusalem, and di temple burn. E be like say di book go end for ashes. One king from David line dey siddon for prison for foreign land, and no throne at all remain for Jerusalem.

Imagine all dose years. Jehoiachin be eighteen when dem carry am go. Now e don reach im fifties. Im city don scatter. Di prophet Jeremiah don talk bitter word about am, say e go be like signet ring wey God pull comot from im hand, and say none of im children go siddon for David throne rule Judah again. For most of im life, Jehoiachin carry dat word for heart. But still, God don promise David say im house go last forever. How di two go take dey true? While e dey wait for prison, no sign at all show say God never forget.

Then, for di thirty-seventh year wey e dey captivity, for di twenty-seventh day of di twelfth month, everything change. Nebuchadnezzar don die. Im son, wey di Bible call Evil-merodach, become king of Babylon. And for di same year wey e start to rule, e lift up di head of Jehoiachin, king of Judah, comot from prison. Na so di Bible take talk am, dat fine expression: e lift up im head. E talk to am with kind word. E give am seat of honour wey high pass di other kings wey be prisoners with am for Babylon.

Jehoiachin pull im prison cloth. And for di rest of im life, e dey chop for di king table every time. Every day, di king dey give am im own allowance, small portion for each day, as long as e dey alive. Na there Second Kings end. No be with king for im throne for Jerusalem. Na just one king from David line wey don comot from prison, e wear new cloth, e siddon for table. E be small ending. But e be like small green leaf wey dey push comot from ground wey fire don burn. David line still dey alive. God never finish. And Matthew put Jechoniah, dis same Jehoiachin, inside di family tree of Jesus.

Dis na one of di most wonderful ways wey archaeology don confirm one small detail for Bible. Inside di ruins of Nebuchadnezzar palace for Babylon, di people wey dey dig find clay tablets wey list di oil and grain wey dem dey share give foreigners wey dem hold for di king court. Among dem na Yaukin, king of di land of Yahud, wey mean Jehoiachin king of Judah, with im five sons. Di tablets dey from di time of Nebuchadnezzar rule, many years before dem release am, and dem show say di Babylonian king don already dey feed Jehoiachin.

You go find dis quiet ending for Second Kings chapter twenty-five, verse twenty-seven reach thirty, and almost di same words close di book of Jeremiah. One prisoner from David line, dem lift am up and give am place for di king table. One day, im pikin from im line, Jesus, go invite prisoners of every kind come one table wey big pass that one. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When e be like say one story don end for ashes, wetin God fit still dey do?