Old Testament - 2 Kings 21 & 22 - July 13, 2022

 7/13/2022 – 2 Kings 21-22

2 Kings 21

Once again, the synopsis at the beginning of the chapter tells the entire story: “Manasseh turns Judah to idolatry, even sacrificing a son to a heathen god—Prophets foretell destruction of Judah and Jerusalem—Wickedness continues under King Amon.”

Manasseh became the king when he was 12 years old “and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.” (v 2) “But they harkened not; and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.” (v 9) And when he died, his son Amon became king and he followed the examples of his father.

V 10 shows us that the Lord warned the Israelites as He “spake by his servants the prophets.” But the most of Israelites paid no attention to His warnings. He does the same for us in the times WE live in. 

2 Kings 22

Josiah, Amon’s son, became king over Judah when he was 8 years old, and he reigned in righteousness for 31 years, doing “that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David…and turned not aside to the right hand or the left.” (v 2)

Amon works to restore the temple. V 7 tells us that “there was no reckoning made with them [the workers] of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they delt faithfully.” Honesty simplifies business, and so much more!

In v 8 we learn that “Hikliah the high priest said…”I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord”  Josiah did much to destroy the places where the Israelites had worshiped Baal, and he had all the priests of Baal killed, and then he “commanded all the people saying, Keep the pass-over from the days of the judges that judged Israel…” (v 21)

Josiah also destroyed “the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem…that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses” (v’s 24-25). These verses teach us much about how we can become more righteous in serving the Lord and those around us. 

President Kimball spoke of this chapter telling us that it “is one of the finest stories in all of the scriptures”, suggesting that we could learn much from the way King Josiah “dealt faithfully” with all, and how he worked to rebuild the temple, and how he took to heart the sacred writings they found in the temple, and how he worked to bring all the people closer to the Lord, and His commandments.  This is what brings us peace—if not in the world around us, it brings peace to our souls, and that is a gift to be treasured and protected.

V 19-20 is a promise to righteous people in a society of disobedience: “Because thine heart was tender and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against the inhabitants….Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace….”