Sunday 2021.08.15
On this first day of the biblical week, I read from the OT Second Kings chapters twenty-one through twenty-three.
Chapters 22 and 23 contain the account of King Josiah ben Amon of Judah who, like his great grandfather Hezekiah ben Ahaz, was a Godly king. King Josiah ben Amon carried out a nation-wide campaign of destroying all the pagan temples, altars, and idols that his evil father Amon and grandfather Manasseh had brought into the kingdom of Judah. King Josiah also removed all the pagan priests and temple prostitutes from the land. In fact, Josiah's campaign of cleansing from idol worship and pagan practices was so extensive that 2 Kings 23:25 describes him as an unparalleled king: never had been, nor has there been one like him ever since.
2 Kings 23:25 GNB
There had never been a king like him before, who served the LORD with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.
The following are the kings of Judah whose reigns are recorded in today's portion of scripture:
- Manasseh ben Hezekiah, reigned 55 yrs
- Amon ben Manasseh, reigned 2 yrs
- Josiah ben Amon, reigned 31 yrs
- Joahaz ben Josiah, reigned 3 months
- Jehoiakim (Eliakim) ben Joahaz, reigned 11 yrs
