Jehoiakim isn’t the name given to him by his parents. It was Eliakim. But that changed when the Pharaoh of Egypt captured his brother and put him in jail; and then picked him to be the king. Well, then, since the Pharaoh made him the king and the Pharaoh demanded silver and gold as tribute, he could only think of one solution…increase the taxes on the people and give the Pharaoh what he wanted. And one more thing…the Pharaoh worshipped a pagan god; but, that didn’t bother Jehoiakim. In fact, a lot of things that displeased God didn’t bother Jehoiakim. Over the next eleven years, without God’s protection, Jehoiakim’s rule deteriorated. Babylon’s power increased and they forced Jehoiakim to become a vassal of Babylon. When he rebelled, Judah was invaded by multiple regional rulers. [Reflection is based on the Bible Reference – 2 Kings 23:34-24:4]