The king’s prayer and God’s answer to it, and an account of the sins he committed before he repented—the evil he did, the pagan places of worship and the symbols of the goddess Asherah that he made and the idols that he worshiped—are all recorded in The History of the Prophets.
Everything will be recorded. Everything – and everyone – will be judged. Revelation 20:11-15.
Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. …he was even more sinful than his father had been. Amon’s officials plotted against him and assassinated him in the palace.
These officials really were the guardians of the faith (2 Chronicles 24:25).
Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. He did what was pleasing to the Lord; he followed the example of his ancestor King David… while he was still very young, he began to worship the God of his ancestor King David. Four years later he began to destroy the pagan places of worship… He did the same thing in the cities and the devastated areas of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far north as Naphtali.
Wow. This would have been a time after the deportation of the Northern Tribes and during the decline of the Assyrian empire. Josiah took advantage of this opportunity to draw near the Kingdom of God. May I do the same, Lord (Matthew 13:33).
“We have done everything that you commanded. We have taken the money that was kept in the Temple and handed it over to the workers and their supervisors.” Then he added, “I have here a book that Hilkiah gave me.” And he read it aloud to the king.
You never know what you will come across when you follow the will of God…
When the king heard the book being read, he tore his clothes in dismay and gave the following order…: “Go and consult the Lord for me and for the people who still remain in Israel and Judah.”
May my heart likewise be ever so willing towards you, Father!