The Good Kings of Judah and the Need for a Perfect King

When Rehoboam’s foolishness caused God’s people to split into two kingdoms as punishment for his father Solomon’s sin, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah entered what was perhaps their darkest days. A series of terrible kings ruled Northern Kingdom of Israel without a break. One evil, rebellious king after another leading God’s people deeper and deeper into rebellion. The Southern Kingdom of Judah fared only slightly better. Almost all of their kings were wicked as well; however, they did have at least a couple who desired to follow God, seemingly slowing the tide of God’s oncoming judgment for that nation.

The Refrain of the Chronicler: Two Good Kings

If you read through 2 Chronicles, especially in one sitting, you will notice a refrain that runs throughout the book. As new kings are introduced, something to the effect of “He did not do what was right in the Lord’s sight like his ancestor David…” (see 2 Chronicles 28:1) will often be recorded. This cadence makes what you encounter in two verses later in the book stand out.

• About Hezekiah: “He did what was right in the Lord’s sight just as his ancestor David had done.” (2 Chronicles 29:2)
• About Josiah: “He did wha was right in the Lord’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left.” (2 Chronicles 34:2)

The chronicler wants these two kings of Judah to stand out to us from the start. He wants us to recognize there was something different about them—that they were not like all the other kings. These were two kings who wanted to do what was right—they wanted to lead God’s people back to God. They cleansed, renewed, and repaired the temple. They led the people to worship and recognize the covenant promises they had made to God. These were two good kings.

A People Still Spiraling toward Judgment

While both Hezekiah and Josiah received glowing accolades for their respective reigns, neither were perfect in leading God’s people. The following table summarizes their positive deeds and their human limitations based on the accounts in 2 Chronicles:

To be fair, these incidents should not define either of their reigns. They are not remembered in Chronicles for these incidents, but rather for their positive deeds, so we should keep these blunders in proportion. But the fact remains that they both had issues to some degree. What is more telling is what happened not near the ends, but after each of their reigns. Hezekiah was succeeded by Manasseh. Manasseh was then succeeded by Amnon. Josiah reigned next, and he was followed by Jehoiakim. Hezekiah and Josiah may have slowed God’s judgment from coming upon Judah, but they could not stop it.

The Ultimate Need for King Jesus

Both Hezekiah and Josiah wanted to help God’s people turn back to Him. And both took steps to lead that direction. That was right and fitting for them to do and we ought to credit them for their faithfulness. But in the end, neither was able to accomplish what they wanted because neither was qualified to do so. God’s people needed a better king, a greater king, a perfect king who would be able to change the people’s hearts, not just their behavior. That king, of course, would be King Jesus.