s, cut down the groves, and even brake in pieces
the brazen serpent that Moses had made, for to it the people had been
offering incense (2 Kings 18:1-8). He was the best of all the kings of
Judah, and had his successors followed in his footsteps, there need
have been no captivity of Judah to record. In his reign it was that
God gave Judah signal deliverance from the hosts of Sennacherib.

#80.# Alas! that so godly a king should have been followed by so
worthless a man as his son #Manasseh#. He was perhaps the very worst
of all the kings of Judah. Now we see the high places rebuilt, and
idolatrous altars to Baal established. But more than this. He went
farther than any before him, in that he took the Ark of the Covenant
out of the Most Holy Place, and put there a graven image. So the
record says that Manasseh did more to seduce the people to sin than
all the nations whom the Lord removed to make place for his people.
Truly a dreadful record for one who sat on the throne of David.

#81.# Once more the people have respite, however, for #Josiah#,
Manasseh's grandson, was a very different type. He was only eight
years old when he began to reign, but he tried to do that which was
right in the sight of God. The deserted temple was repaired, the law
was discovered and studied, the Covenant was publicly renewed, the
idol in the Most Holy Place was taken away, and burned with fire, and
the high places were largely destroyed. Moreover, he broke down the
altar at Bethel that Jeroboam had originally erected. He
re-established the celebration of the feast of the Passover, which had
long been neglected. His efforts at reform were extended even to the
dominions of the Northern Kingdom, though with no permanent effect
(see for all this 2 Chron. 34, 35, and 2 Kings 22:1 to 23:28).

#82.# From the time of the death of Josiah, the downward tendency of
Judah was steadfast. At last the end, long delayed through the mercy
of God, came, and under Jehoiachin the overthrow was complete, and
under his son Jehoiakim Judah was marched off in captivity to the land
of Babylon. Thus sadly was fulfilled all that God had warned his
people of, and the day of retribution came just as predicted.

#83. Other Nations.#--In all this sad drama of course outside nations
played a prominent part. Assyria, Babylon, Syria, Egypt, all come into
view. But none of them could have wrought the havoc that they did had
it not been for the recreant part that Israel on t