2 Chronicles 36:5-9
Eliakim, son of Josiah, was appointed King of Judah by Neco king of Egypt who changed his name to Jehoiakim. He ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. “…and he did evil in the sight of the Lord his God.” (5b) He did not do evil in his own eyes, but in the sight of the “…LORD his God.” There is a tendency, as sinful men, to do what seems right [in our own eyes], but is not right [in God’s eyes]. Our vision is often clouded [polluted] by our connections with the ungodly world surrounding us. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” (Mt. 5:8) A pure heart gives us clarity of vision. Jehoiakim’s vision was clouded by the influence of ungodly nations and his own sick nation. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar took him bound to Babylon. Not only did he suffer bondage in a foreign nation, but “Nebuchadnezzar also brought some of the articles of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and he put them in his temple in Babylon. (7) Evil in our God’s sight not only puts us in bondage, but allows the enemy to take what belongs to God and place in the use of false gods! Evil in God’s sight has a ripple effect impacting the entire nation and impacting the worship of God’s people! May God give us pure eyes to see the danger of what is evil in God’s eyes, though not so bad in our own eyes.