This week as we continue on our Quest, we are looking primarily at stories associated with the Kings of Judah around the time of the fall of Samaria. Hezekiah began his rule of Judah, replacing his father, who did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord—even sacrificing one of his sons to an idol. However, young Hezekiah proved to be a very different kind of ruler. He began a reformation in Judah by following the Law of Moses and destroying the places of pagan worship throughout the area. He dealt with Sennacherib, the King of the much-feared Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians, well known for their cruelty and destruction of the nations that they had conquered, had already taken Samaria and were threatening Judah. Hezekiah gives us a powerful example of how to follow God and pray in challenging circumstances.
After the death of Hezekiah, the leaders of Judah fell back into their pattern of worshiping idols and angering the one true God. For example, Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, “followed the detestable practices of the nations” during his 55-year rule.
After the brief reign of Amon, Josiah became King at only eight years old. He celebrated the Passover and turned Judah back to keeping the covenant. During this time the Book of the Law was discovered in the temple. After reading the book Josiah realized that the actions of the people had angered God. Then the prophet Huldah told of the disaster that was to befall Jerusalem.
We also see an important transition in our reading. The Babylonians began to exert pressure on Judah. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar besieged Jerusalem and took all but a remnant of the people into exile. The fall of Jerusalem and the captivity of the people was the result of God’s judgement against the recurring sin of Judah. Jerusalem was destroyed and God’s chosen people were taken away to begin a new life in exile.