2 Kings 23:21

2 Kings 23:21 says, And the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of this covenant.  Josiah then told the people to keep the Passover, as it was written in the book of the covenant.  We need to keep God's laws as they are written in the Bible, and we as followers of Christ should not need anyone to tell us to do this, nor should we allow anyone to keep us from doing so.  Matthew Henry says it wasn't enough to just cast out evil, but that it needed to be replaced by doing good.  We may be proud of not doing evil, yet at the same time do nothing good for God. Verse twenty-two adds, Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah;  This Passover was greater than any before, but I don't believe that Josiah was just having a great Passover observation so he could brag about it.  If we do some great thing for God, we should not do it just so we can be praised.  Verse twenty-three continues, But in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the Lord in Jerusalem.  Josiah had been in power for eighteen years at this time but had never had a great Passover before evidently.  It may have been the discovery of the book of the covenant that led him to the knowledge that this needed to be done.  It doesn't matter how long we may have been worshipping God, until we follow His word as He preserved it for us in the Bible, we have been missing true worship.  Verse twenty-four states, Moreover 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, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.  All forms of idolatry and the worship of other gods was done away with.  This was done so that Josiah might perform the words of God written in the book that Hilkiah found in the Temple.  We must get rid of all the things in our life that are not in accordance with God's written word, the Bible.  Verse twenty-five adds, 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; neither after him arose there any like him.  Josiah was like no other king before him or after in being obedient to God's word as he worshipped Him with all his heart, his soul, and his might. He was even placed above David and Solomon for his obedience to God.  We may not be the most obedient to God of any Christians ever, but that should still be our goal, and not for our glory, but for God's.  Verse twenty-six continues, Notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.  God still didn't turn his wrath away from Judah because of the provocations of Manasseh.  This doesn't sound like the actions of a kind and loving God, but Matthew Henry says that the people probably didn't truly repent and turn to God but pretended to because they feared Josiah or wanted to seem obedient to him.  Appearances are not enough to make things right with God without true repentance and putting our faith in Him, starting with accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  We can go through all the motions of being a Christian, but without that personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we are still doomed.  I do know that one day God's judgment is coming on the whole world, and I believe it will be a fair judgement.  Verse twenty-seven says, And the LORD said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.  God said He was going to remove Judah and cast-off Jerusalem and the Temple, or house which was called His, just as He had cast off Israel.  I believe that this was more His removing His protection from them because of their idolatry, but the results were the same either way.  I don't believe that once we are saved by our faith in Jesus Christ that we will ever be cast-off by God, but our actions can lead to our being defeated in this lifetime because God has removed His protection from us.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  As with all the kings of Israel and Judah, we are told that the rest of his actions are recorded in the chronicles of the kings.  Verse twenty-nine continues, In his days Pharaohnechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him.  When the king of Egypt went to war with Assyria, Josiah sided with Assyria and went against Egypt and was killed.  Matthew Henry says that Josiah had no mandate from God and should not have gotten involved in a war between two evil nations.  The more damage they did to each other, the better off Judah would be.  We really don't need to side with any evil nation today if they are fighting each other and not fighting us.  Verse thirty concludes, And his servants carried him in a chariot dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own sepulchre. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's stead.  Josiah's servants brought his body by chariot back to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb and Jehoahaz his son was made king.  Life goes on, even with the death of one of the greatest kings in all of Israel that was more devoted to doing God's will.  When a great Christian leader dies today, life will go on and someone will replace him, and we need to pray that they are just as dedicated to God.

2 Kings 23:12

2 Kings 23:12 says. And the altars that were on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, did the king beat down, and brake them down from thence, and cast the dust of them into the brook Kidron.  Josiah continued to purge the altars to false gods from Judah.  He even got rid of the altars that were made by Manasseh and brought into the Temple before being removed, supposedly to worship God but were not made at God's direction nor to really worship Him.  We need to rid ourselves of all worship of false gods, but also of false worship of the true God.  Verse thirteen adds, And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the mount of corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had builded for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Zidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the children of Ammon, did the king defile.  There were still high places to worship false gods that had been built by Solomon and allowed to continue to exist all this time it would seem.  Solomon was noted for his wisdom, but his wisdom did not keep him from worshipping false gods at times.  Wisdom is not going to save us.  Only a childlike faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord will.  Verse fourteen continues, And he brake in pieces the images, and cut down the groves, and filled their places with the bones of men.  Josiah continued to destroy the places of worship of false gods.  Matthew Henry said Josiah did all he could to defile these places of worship of false gods.  We need to do all that we can to make the worship of false gods unappealing today.  Sometimes, we look to incorporate practices that are not commanded by God into our worship services.  At times, church buildings can become almost more important than God Himself, I believe.  Verse fifteen states, Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped it small to powder, and burned the grove.  Josiah destroyed the altar and high place at Bethel and burned the grove.  The trees weren't really the problem, but the fact that they were being used to worship false gods was.  We may have things in our lives that are not a problem in and of themselves, but if they come between God and us, we need to get rid of them.  Verse sixteen adds, And as Josiah turned himself, he spied the sepulchres that were there in the mount, and sent, and took the bones out of the sepulchres, and burned them upon the altar, and polluted it, according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.  Matthew Henry says these were likely the bones of the priests of these false gods who had been buried close to the altars as a sign of respect, and Josiah did to their bones what he would have done to them had they been alive.  We are told he did this in accordance with the word of the Lord which the man of God had proclaimed.  We don't need to worship our ancestors and put them above God, and whatever we do should be done in accordance with God's word.  Verse seventeen continues, Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Bethel.  Josiah then saw a tomb with a title over it and asked what it was.  He was told that it was the tomb of the man of God who had proclaimed that the things that Josiah was doing should be done.  This was the prophet who had prophesied about the destruction but then disobeyed God and was killed by a lion according to Matthew Henry.  God's displeasure with him did not last forever, though, and his remains were buried honorably.  Though we are not to worship our ancestors, we can bury them honorably, but we really worship the One Who left His tomb empty, Jesus Christ.  We can also be certain that if we do something to displease God in this world as followers of Christ, that even if He allows us to suffer defeat, it will not last beyond this lifetime.  We are forever His if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ.   Verse eighteen concludes, And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria.  Josiah told them to leave this prophets bones alone, and they did.  This was not done so that he could be worshipped, but simply as a sign of respect for him.  Even if we remember and honor great men of God who have died, we should never view them as anything more than faithful Christians,  Verse nineteen says, And all the houses also of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel.  Josiah continued to purge the nation of all the false places of worship, and we must remove everything from our lives as Christians that would lead us away from God.  Verse twenty adds, And he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars, and burned men's bones upon them, and returned to Jerusalem.  He not only destroyed the high places, but he killed all the priests who had served the false gods there.  I don't think we are called on to slay those who represent false religions today, but we do need to do everything we can to make their message ineffective.   God will deal with them ultimately, and I believe our calling is to always try to reach everyone with the gospel of Jesus Christ, even those who serve and proclaim false gods.

2 Kings 23:5

2 Kings 23:5 says, And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.  Josiah continued by removing the priests who worshipped idols from Jerusalem after receiving a message from God.  Matthew Henry says he was surprised that so much evil had gotten into God's people and that Jerusalem was still destroyed in spite of this great reform.  Of course, he also points out that most of the people didn't really want this reform.  I believe that God will let us know if we have allowed idolatry back into our life, and if we have, when He reveals this to us, we must remove whatever it is from our life.  Verse six adds, And he brought out the grove from the house of the Lord, without Jerusalem, unto the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron, and stamped it small to powder, and cast the powder thereof upon the graves of the children of the people.  Josiah removed the grove, or those things dedicated to the worship of Ashtaroth, the goddess of fertility, from the Temple and ground them to powder and sprinkled them on the graves of the children of the people of Jerusalem.  We need to utterly destroy any idol that comes between God and us.  Verse seven continues, And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the grove.  Josiah also broke down the houses of the sodomites, or those who were defying God's purpose in creating men and women.  He also got rid of the hangings that women there were making to honor other gods.  Matthew Henry says this was likely Venus.  We cannot be a Christian nation and engage in acts that God has called sins.  Verse eight states, And he brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba, and brake down the high places of the gates that were in the entering in of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city.  Josiah also brought out all the false priests who had been leading the people of Jerusalem to worship false gods in the high places and groves.  We cannot serve God if we have not made Jesus Chrost our Savior and the only Lord of our life.  Verse nine adds, Nevertheless the priests of the high places came not up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they did eat of the unleavened bread among their brethren.  These priests of the high places, these false priests, did not come to God's altar, but they ate unleavened bread with their brethren.  They were keeping up an appearance of following God, and some people today come to God's house, the church building, to keep up the appearance of being a Christian, but they then go away to worship other gods.  Verse ten continues, And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.  Josiah also got rid of the places of the worship of Molech, which had caused them to have their children pass through the fire or burning them in a sacrifice to this false god. We can never justify sacrificing our children, born or unborn, to any idol, even if it is just the idol of selfishness on our part.  Verse eleven concludes, And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.  Josiah also took away the horses that had been dedicated to the god of the sun and placed at the entrance to the Temple.  He also destroyed the chariots that had been dedicated to the god of the sun.  We must remove anything and everything from our lives as Christians that comes between God and us. 

2 Kings 23:1

2 Kings 23:1 says, And the king sent, and they gathered unto him all the elders of Judah and of Jerusalem.  After Josiah received word from God of the coming defeat of Jerusalem, Matthew Henry says he didn't sit down in despair but instead did what he could and left the rest up to God.  He had been told that he would be spared, but this didn't keep him from being concerned about the rest of the people.  As followers of Jesus Christ, we know that we are forever spared from the coming destruction of those who do not put their faith in Him, but this should make us more concerned about reaching them with the gospel and not have us looking down on them as though they are going to get what they deserve.  Josiah gathered all the elders of Jerusalem to share with them the news.  We as Christians need to be sharing the gospel with everyone that we can.  Verse two adds, And the king went up into the house of the Lord, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord.  Josiah had God's word found in the book that had been found in the Temple read to all the people.  Josiah didn't propose any new laws, but simply read God's word.  If we are going to have a reformation today, it has to come from obedience to God's word and not from any manmade law, and all the Christian leaders and ordinary Christians as well must be obedient to following God's law.  Verse three continues, And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant.  Josiah stood by a pillar and made a covenant with God that he would follow all His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart, and all the people at least physically stood there with him.  We must individually accept Jesus Christ as our personally Savior and Lord to be saved and follow God's commandments with all our heart once we are saved, and we also must share the gospel with others whenever we can.  Verse four concludes, And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Bethel.  Josiah then ordered Hilkiah the high priest to remove all the vessels made to worship Baal and any other god out of the Temple and destroy them.  I have to wonder why these things were allowed in the Temple to begin with and why the high priest hadn't already removed them if he found them there without being commanded to do so by the king.  The high priest was God's representative more than the king was.  It would be a shame today if the government had to tell us to remove ungodly things from the church.

2 Kings 22:12

2 Kings 22:12 says, And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying,  Josiah sent some of his great men, including Hilkiah the priest, to make inquiry of the Lord.  We are blessed today that we don't have to go to anyone else to make inquiry of God, but we can go straight to Him and even have the Holy Spirit to enable us to know what to ask.  This doesn't mean that we shouldn't ask others to pray for us, though.  Verse thirteen adds, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.  Joash wanted Hilkiah to inquire of God about the book found in the Temple, which the people of God had not been reading and following evidently.  Having a Bible in the house, or several for that matter, does us no good if we don't read and heed what it says.  We know that God expects this of His people.  Verse fourteen continues, So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.  Hilkiah and those sent from the king went to the prophetess Huldah, who was a married woman.  Matthew Henry says that God not only put the spirit of prophesy into earthen vessels, but He sometimes put the spirit of prophesy into weaker vessels.  Now, many Christians today would have a problem with this, and many women would have a problem being called weaker than men, but that does not make these two things untrue.  Matthew Henry also cited the examples of Miriam and Deborah being used by God.  Verse fifteen states, And she said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,  Huldah told them to take a message back to the man who sent them from the Lord God of Israel.  Either they had to believe that God was speaking through her, or they were wrong in coming to her first.  I believe that anytime we seek help in understanding what He would have us do, that if we go to someone else to find answers, whether it be to a man or a woman, we need to go under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and if we do, we should be able to put faith in what they say.  Verse sixteen adds, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:  Huldah said God had pronounced His judgment on those who were called His people.  God has already pronounced His judgment on those who will not accept His gift of salvation.  Verse seventeen concludes, Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.  God said that His judgment on them was due to their disobedience to Him and their following other gods.  Unless we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, His judgment will always be on us, and we will never find another way to salvation. Verse eighteen says, But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the Lord, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;  Huldah then sent a personal message to Josiah.  God sends His gospel message to all, but until we allow it to become personal to us, it does us no good.  Even when God speaks to us individually to call us to salvation, we still have the choice of whether to accept His gift of salvation.  She also referred to him as the king of Judah, but God was still identified as the God of Israel, and Judah was still a part of Israel, God Chosen People.  No matter how we may divide ourselves as Christians, we are still all a part of the same family of God.  Verse nineteen continues, Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord.  Huldah said tell Josiah that God had seen his true repentance.  We will all be judged independently, and this will be based on our relationship with Jesus Christ.  If we have accepted Him as our personal Savior and Lord, it does not matter what God's judgment is of anyone else.  Verse twenty concludes, Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.  Huldah said God's message to Josiah was that the coming judgment would not happen in his lifetime.  God's judgment is coming, whether it is in our lifetime or not.  If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, we will never face the coming judgment and see the everlasting punishment of being separated from God and being condemned to hell forever.  

2 Kings 22:1

2 Kings 22:1 says, Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.  Josiah was another one who started to reign at a very young age, though I am sure for the first few years others probably made most of the decisions for him.  If we come to Jesus Christ by faith at a very young age, even though the Holy Spirit will guide us, we still need the advice of those who have been Christians for a longer period of time.  Of course, we still need to make sure that what they are teaching us is consistent with God's word, and I believe that the Holy Spirit will guide us in knowing this.  Verse two adds, And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.  Josiah did what was right in God's sight, just as David, who was called his father, had done.  Of course, we know that he was just a descendant of David, and not his actual son.  Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of God's promise to David that his descendant would always be on the throne ruling over Israel.  This promise was then expanded to anyone who would put their faith in Him, and not just Jewish people, when Jesus Christ died and rose again.  Verse three continues, And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the Lord, saying,  In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign, he sent Shaphan the scribe to the house of the Lord.  Though we were told that Josiah did what was right in God's sight, it took him a few years to address the problems with the Temple.  As we grow in faith, we should undertake more and more work for God's Kingdom, as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  Verse four states, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:   He sent Shaphan to Hilkiah the high priest and told him to count the silver brought into God's house.  I am not sure what they had been doing with it, but now Josiah was ready to have it used to work on the temple.   I don't know what we are doing God's tithes and offerings as churches today, but I believe that we should be using them for God's work under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  The same is true of the things God blesses us with materially as individuals I believe.  I personally believe that as churches when Christ returns that if the choice is being in debt or sitting on unused resources, that He would prefer us to be in debt.  Verse five adds, And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the Lord, to repair the breaches of the house,  Basically, Josiah told Hilkiah to release the money to the builders so they could repair the breaches in the Temple.  As the high priest, Hilkiah should have already been talking to Josiah about doing this.  As Christians, we should never have to wait for someone else to tell us to do what needs to be done in the church today.  Verse six continues, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.  The high priest was to deliver the money to the carpenters, builders, and masons so they could be at work.  We as the church, the local fellowship of believers, should always make sure that we pay those who do actual work on church buildings, unless they have been led to do the work without pay.  It should be their choice and not our expectation if they donate their time and resources.  Verse seven concludes, Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.  The builders were allowed to use the money as they needed to without an accounting, because they had dealt fairly in doing the work.  I am not sure that I would say we should always just release God's money to those who are doing work without some accountability, but if those doing the work are followers of Christ themselves, we should be able to do so.  Verse eight declares, And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it.  Hilkiah, the high priest, told Shaphan that he had found the book of the law in the house of the Lord, and he gave it to Shaphan, and he read it.  We need to pray that God's Book, the Bible, will be found in all churches and that it will be read and obeyed not just by the church leaders but by every Christian.  Verse nine adds, And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord.  Shaphan returned to Josiah and told him the money had been gathered and turned over to the builders.  I believe that we as Christians need to return to our King, Jesus Christ, daily and give Him an accounting of how we are using what He blesses us with.  Verse ten continues, And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.  Shaphan then told Josiah that Hilkiah had given him a book that he found in the temple, though he didn't say the last part, and he then read it to the king.  It does us no good to have the Bible in our home or in church buildings if we don't read it.  Verse eleven concludes, And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.  When Josiah heard the words of the Book, he tore his clothes.  Matthew Henry says, that even though Josiah was said to be obedient to God, that hearing what the Book said was new to him, and he tore his clothes in repentance.  When we hear God's word, no matter how good we may have been, it should move us to action through the Holy Spirit as we humble ourselves before God.

2 Kings 21:19

2 Kings 21:19 says, Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. Amon, Manasseh's son, was twenty-two years old when he began to reign after Manasseh died, but he only reigned two years.  His was a very short reign.  Sometimes, even Christians who are in positions of leadership only serve or a very short time, for instance the pastor of a church who is only there as a pastor for a very short time, and Amon was the leader of God's chosen people then as a pastor is now.  Verse twenty adds, And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did.  Amon, like Manasseh his father, did evil in the sight of the Lord.   People often learn their values from their parents, and as followers of Christ, we should try to make sure that our values are consistent with God's commandments, and if they aren't, we need to repent and ask His forgiveness.  If we are in a position of leadership in the church, we certainly need to make sure that we are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit in all that we do.  Verse twenty-one continues, And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them:  Like his father, Amon worshipped idols instead of worshipping God.  An idol, which I have said before is anything that is more important to us than God, has no place in the life of a Christian or in a group of believers who worship together, which is what a local church should be.  Verse twenty-two states, And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers, and walked not in the way of the LORD.  We are then told that Amon forsook the Lord God of his ancestors, God's chosen people, and did not walk in His ways.  The church today cannot afford to forsake the Lord our God and refuse to walk in the ways that our faithful ancestors did.  God's commandments are never going to change.  Verse twenty-three adds, And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house.  After two years, Amon's own servants killed him in his own house.  We aren't really told what led them to do this, but Matthew Henry says that even if they were unrighteous themselves, the righteous God allowed it.  Though some people believe that God is directly responsible for everything that happens, I believe that because of people's sins He often just allows bad things to happen to them.  Otherwise, people would be sinners because God caused them to be, and then how could He hold them accountable for doing something that they had no control over.  Verse twenty-four continues, And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.  The rest of the people killed those who had conspired against Amon and made Josiah, Amon's son, king.  Whatever their motive behind killing Amon, his servants were held accountable for their actions.  Though we as followers of Christ are forever saved, I believe that we will one day be held accountable for our actions after we are saved.  Salvation is not a free pass to sin.  Verse twenty-five says, Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  As usual, we are told that the rest of the actions of Amon were recorded in the chronicles of the kings, though there likely weren't many since only he reigned for a short time.  Verse twenty-six adds, And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.  Like Amon his father, he was buried in his garden.  Where we are buried, or even if we are buried, is never really going to matter, because our spirit will live on, either with God or forever separated from Him.

2 Kings 21:10

2 Kings 21:10 says, And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying,  God spoke to His servants, just as He always has and always will.  God is always involved in the world, unlike what people believe about some false gods who are involved for a while and then go away for a while.  Verse eleven adds, Because Manasseh king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols:  Manasseh was called out by God for being even worse than the Amorites, who had stood against God and His people.  Manasseh should have known better, but not only sinned himself, but he led the people who were called to be God's to sin as well.  As stated before, it is bad enough if we who should know better sin, but it is even worse if we lead others to sin.  Verse twelve continues, Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. God said He was going to bring such evil on Israel that the rest of the world would have their ears tingle at the news.  As I have stated before, I don't believe that God causes evil, but that he simply allows it to happen by removing His protection from us.   We as Christians should never act in such a way that God has to chastise us and then have the lost people of the world marvel at what has happened.  Verse thirteen states, And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab: and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.  God said He was going to allow Jerusalem to meet the same fate as Ahab and Samaria had and He was going to wipe Jerusalem clean or allow it to be totally overrun by its enemies.  We cannot turn away from God as a nation nor as individuals and expect Him to still bless and protect us.  Verse fourteen adds, And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies;  God said He was even going to forsake His remnant and they were going to be pray for their enemies.  I believe that God will never forsake His remnant, those who are faithful to Him even in times of trouble spiritually, but He may allow them to be defeated in this world, just as Paul was often imprisoned for example.  Verse fifteen continues, Because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.  God said His chosen people, whom He had delivered from bondage in Egypt, had provoked Him ever since they came out of Egypt.  As Christian, God had delivered us from the bondage of sin and the power of death, and yet we often provoke Him by our lack of faith when things or going badly, but I believe even more so when they are going well.  We are often more tempted to forget about God when life is good than we are when it is hard.  Verse sixteen says, Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.  God said Manasseh had shed innocent blood and had led Judah to do so as well.  We should never do what is evil in the sight of God just because the world may say it is okay or even attempt to force us to.  Verse seventeen adds, Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  We are told that, like the other kings of Judah, that the rest of what Manasseh did was recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Judah.  God knows what we as Christians are doing, and we need to do our best to not have sinful things for Him to make note of.  Verse eighteen continues, And Manasseh slept with his fathers, and was buried in the garden of his own house, in the garden of Uzza: and Amon his son reigned in his stead.  Manasseh died and was buried in the garden of his own house and not with his ancestors.  Then, his son Amon reigned.  Matthew Henry says that we read in Chronicles of Manasseh's repentance, and his burial in his own garden was likely by his own request because he did not feel worthy to be buried with the other kings, though we aren't told that here.  We do have to acknowledge that we will never be worthy of salvation even if we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.

2 Kings 21:1

2 Kings 21:1 says, Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hephzibah.  Manasseh, Hezekiah's son became king at twelve years of age and ruled for fifty=five years, so God's prophesy that Hezekiah's sons would be taken into captivity did not happen immediately.  He reigned the longest of any ruler of Judah, though he lead the people away from God.  God's promises may not immediately come to pass, but they will always happen in His time.  Verse two adds, 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.  As stated, Manasseh did what was evil in God's sight and led the people to do so as well.  It is bad enough if we do evil in God's sight, but it is even worse if we lead others to do so, especially if we call ourselves Christians.  Verse three continues, For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.  Manasseh begin to restore the worship of idols and false places of worship in Judah just as Ahab had done.  He specifically built altars to Baal, who seemed to be a god that the people of Israel and Judah often worshipped.  It doesn't matter who or what the false god we worship is, because any will come between God and us, and once they have been destroyed by our faith in Jesus Christ, we must never allow them back into our life.  Verse four states, And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jerusalem will I put my name.  Manasseh went even farther by building altars to false gods in the house of God.  Since our bodies as followers of Christ are temples of God, we must never build anything in our life that is more important to us than God, not even family.  Verse five adds, And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord.  Manasseh built altars to many gods in God's house.  If we begin to allow one false god back into our life, it may be that soon we will allow many more in.  Once we stray away from the will of God, we may find it easier to stray even farther away.   Verse six continues, And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger.  Matthew Henry said having his son pass through the fire was done in worship of Moloch, in contempt to the seal of circumcision that God had established as a sign of His people.  We should never become devoted to any other god but need to be faithful to God and His word alone.  Verse seven says, And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the Lord said to David, and to Solomon his son, In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever:  Manasseh set up these idols in the temple, which God had said to David and Solomon would be a place for His name forever.  As Christians, we have become God's people forever, and He is the only One we should worship.  Verse eight adds, Neither will I make the feet of Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathers; only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.  God had promised David and Solomon that His people would never again be moved out of the Promised Land as long as they were obedient to Him.  I believe that once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that God seals us as His forever, but we can still allow false gods into our lives if we are not diligent in obeying the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nine continues, But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel.  These people of Judah refused to obey their covenant with God and did more evil than the people of the other nations that God had destroyed. This was a sad commentary about God's chosen people, and those who do not enter into a true covenant relationship with God through putting their faith in Jesus Christ, no matter how good they may appear to be, are just as condemned as the worst of sinners.  Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, and once we accept His salvation, we must then always try to be obedient to our covenant relationship with Him.

2 Kings 20:12

 2 Kings 20:12 says, At that time Berodachbaladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present unto Hezekiah: for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick.  The son of the king of Babylon sent presents to Hezekiah when he heard that he had been sick.  Matthew Henry says that until this time, Babylon had been subject to Assyria, but this king of Babylon was setting himself up to be in power over Assyria.  I look at all the power changes in the world today and am reminded that only God is the permanent power in the world.  All other governments will ultimately fail.  Verse thirteen adds, And Hezekiah hearkened unto them, and shewed them all the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious ointment, and all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures: there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah shewed them not.  Hezekiah listened to the emissaries of Babylon, possibly because they had brought him a present, and showed them everything about Jerusalem.  Again, we are not told that he consulted God about this.  I believe he did this somewhat out of pride, and we as Christians should never allow our pride to cause us to do anything that would empower our enemies.  Verse fourteen continues, Then came Isaiah the prophet unto king Hezekiah, and said unto him, What said these men? and from whence came they unto thee? And Hezekiah said, They are come from a far country, even from Babylon.  Isaiah then came to Hezekiah and asked him who these men were, and Hezekiah said they had come from a far country, Babylon.  Maybe Hezekiah never considered them to be a possible threat since they had come from so far away.  Sometimes, a certain sin may seem so far removed from us that we don't consider it a threat, and then we allow it past our guard and are caught in its power.  Isaiah, as a prophet of God, was looking beyond the surface to question the Babylonians, just as we should today if people come to us with flattery and gifts.  Verse fifteen states, And he said, What have they seen in thine house? And Hezekiah answered, All the things that are in mine house have they seen: there is nothing among my treasures that I have not shewed them.  Isaiah asked Hezekiah what these men had seen, and he answered that they had seen everything.  Matthew Henry asks why Hezekiah had not brought them to Isaiah, the best treasure he had.  If we as Christians are showing people what is valuable in our life, first and foremost we should show them our relationship with Jesus Christ, because He is our greatest treasure and the source of all our power.  Verse sixteen adds, And Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, Hear the word of the Lord.  Isaiah then told Hezekiah to hear the word of the Lord, which should have been his first step.  When we encounter any situation today, even one that seems harmless, we as followers of Christ should look to the Holy Spirit for guidance.  Verse seventeen continues, Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord.  Isaiah then told Hezekiah that God said the day was coming when everything he owned that had been laid up by his fathers would be carried away into Babylon.  Nothing would be left.  What Hezekiah had seen as a good thing and not a threat would be what led to the downfall of Jerusalem.  We should never begin to put too much faith in the good intentions of the world, because if they lead us away from God, they will ultimately lead to our downfall.  I will state again as I have many times before, I believe that once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord that we will never lose our salvation, but we can certainly lose the joy of our salvation and our effectiveness as Christians.  Verse eighteen says, And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.  Isaiah said that all of Hezekiah's sons would be taken away to serve as eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.  Instead of being rulers in Jerusalem they would be powerless servants in Babylon and would effectively end the lineage of Hezekiah.  If we do not put our faith in God, our children are more likely to be taken captive by sin and never become a part of God's family.  Verse nineteen adds, Then said Hezekiah unto Isaiah, Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast spoken. And he said, Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days?  Hezekiah then replied that what Isaiah had said was good.  It is always going to be good to hear God's word of truth, even if it is something we don't want to hear.  There is never any advantage to hiding from God's truth.  Hezekiah added that it was good because it wouldn't happen in his lifetime.  We can never think of God's judgment of sinners as a good thing simply because it may not affect us personally, and we certainly cannot think of it as good if it affects our children and grandchildren.  Verse twenty continues, And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?  Though we are told the rest of the acts of Hezekiah were written in the chronicles of the kings, we are told of one thing he did, and that was to build a pool and conduit to bring water into the city.  As Christians, we have the Living Water to satisfy our thirst, and we should share this with the rest of the world.  Verse twenty-one concludes, And Hezekiah slept with his fathers: and Manasseh his son reigned in his stead.  Hezekiah died, and his son Manasseh ruled in his place.  One day, if Jesus Christ doesn't return first, we will all die and as Christians we need to pray that there will be someone to take our place in doing God's work.  God's promise about Hezekiah's sons did not occur immediately, but that did not mean it was any less the truth.  The return of Jesus Christ may not happen in our lifetime, but that doesn't make His return any less the truth.

2 Kings 20:1

 2 Kings 20:1 says, In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.  Hezekiah was sick, and Isaiah came to him with a message from God, though it probably wasn't one he wanted to hear.  Isaiah told Hezekiah that God told him to set his house in order, because he was going to die.  We likely won't be given that warning, but we should set our house in order every day, because it is a day we could die.  Verse two adds, Then he turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord, saying,  Hezekiah then turned his face to the wall and prayed to the Lord.  Realizing that the end of life is uncertain, we should turn to God in prayer every day, starting when we first wake up.  Verse three continues, I beseech thee, O Lord, remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight. And Hezekiah wept sore.  Hezekiah reminded God of his good works, but we can be sure that God never forgot them.  Hezekiah then wept.  If we as Christians realize that our life is almost over. is that really a reason to cry?  Like Paul, we should know that our everlasting life is just beginning.  Verse four states, And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the Lord came to him, saying,  Isaiah had delivered God's message to Hezekiah and left, without trying to get God to change His mind.  When God gives us a message today, we need to deliver it and be on our way.  I don't believe that if this is bad news for someone that we shouldn't pray for them, but it does mean that we must first be willing to accept what God tells us.  As Isaiah was going, God spoke to him again.  We may miss the message of God because we stop going when He delivers a message we don't want to hear.  Verse five adds, Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.  God told Isaiah to go back and tell Hezekiah that He had heard his prayers and would be healed and on the third day he was to go to the house of the Lord.  Some people believe that everything in life is already determined and cannot be changed, but here as in many cases in the Bible, we see that prayer and often repentance with it change what God had pronounced.  So, we should never downplay the importance and power of prayer, as long as we are praying for God's will to be done.  Verse six continues, And I will add unto thy days fifteen years; and I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria; and I will defend this city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake.  The message this time was better news.  God was not only going to heal Hezekiah, but He was going to deliver Jerusalem out of the hand of the king of Assyria, for David's sake and the promise that He had made to him.  This promise was fulfilled forever when Jesus Christ came and died on the cross to redeem mankind.  Of course, it is still necessary for each person to accept Him as their Savior and Lord in order to claim salvation.  Verse seven says, And Isaiah said, Take a lump of figs. And they took and laid it on the boil, and he recovered.  Isaiah was told to boil some figs give them to Hezakiah and this would heal him.  God could have just healed Hezekiah without anything being done, but I believe that this was His way of seeing if Isaiah and Hezekiah were willing to do something that seemed so simple to show their faithfulness to Him.  Though God will never tempt us, He will at times test our faith.  Verse eight adds, And Hezekiah said unto Isaiah, What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up into the house of the Lord the third day?  Hezakiah then asked for a sign that he was going to be healed and was supposed to go to the house of the Lord on the third day.  He should have been willing to just obey God without any signs, and so must we today.  We may miss God's answer to our prayers because we are waiting for a sign instead of just acting in obedience to His word.  Verse nine continues, And Isaiah said, This sign shalt thou have of the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that he hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees?  Isaiah said that Hezekiah's shadow on the way to God's house would be the sign.  He asked which direction the shadow should go.  Again, this was nothing elaborate, but it did require Hezekiah to go as directed and also to pay attention to something that could easily be overlooked.   We may be waiting for an elaborate sign from God that He can heal us from sin, but He did this when Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected the third day.  This should be all the sign we ever need.  Verse ten states, And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees.  Hezekiah said casting a shadow in accordance with the sun was an easy thing, but let his shadow go in the opposite direction than it should be a sign from God.  I am not sure if Hezekiah had proposed this test himself or if Isaiah had led him to this conclusion with a message from God.  However, we come to a conclusion about how God is working in our life, we must accept what He calls us to do in order to see Him at work in our lives.  Verse eleven adds, And Isaiah the prophet cried unto the Lord: and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz.  Isaiah asked God for this sign to Hezekiah and God answered His prayer.  I can't help but wonder if we often miss God's work in our life because we aren't moving while waiting for a sign from Him.