Zedekiah: The Last King Who Saw Jerusalem Fall (2 Kings 25:7)
Zedekiah: The Last King Who Saw Jerusalem Fall (2 Kings 25:7) You probably know the scene before you read the verse: a king brought out trembling into the public square,…
Jehoiachin (Jeconiah): The Exiled King In Babylon (2 Kings 24:15)
Jehoiachin (Jeconiah): The Exiled King In Babylon (2 Kings 24:15) You come to Jehoiachin’s story expecting a neat moral or an easy hero. Instead, you find a young king on…
Jehoiakim: The King Who Burned Jeremiah’s Scroll (Jeremiah 36:23)
Jehoiakim: The King Who Burned Jeremiah’s Scroll (Jeremiah 36:23) You probably know the broad strokes: a prophet speaks, a king refuses to listen, and somebody gets angry enough to burn…
Jehoahaz (Shallum): The King Who Reigned For Only Three Months (2 Kings 23:31)
Jehoahaz (Shallum): The King Who Reigned For Only Three Months (2 Kings 23:31) You come to this story because the shortness of it arrests you. There’s something about a reign…
Josiah: The King Who Rediscovered God’s Law (2 Kings 23:1–2)
Josiah: The King Who Rediscovered God’s Law (2 Kings 23:1–2) You come to this story thinking you know what to expect: a king, a scroll, a reform. But the narrative…
Amon: The King Who Refused To Repent (2 Chronicles 33:22–23)
Amon: The King Who Refused To Repent (2 Chronicles 33:22–23) You come to this story expecting judgment and maybe mercy, because that’s what kings in Judah usually promise you: spectacle,…
Manasseh: Judah’s Most Wicked King Who Found Mercy (2 Chronicles 33:12–13)
Manasseh: Judah’s Most Wicked King Who Found Mercy (2 Chronicles 33:12–13) You probably know the outline of the story before you look it up: Manasseh reigns long, does awful things,…
Ahaz: The King Who Trusted Assyria Instead Of God (2 Kings 16:7–8)
Ahaz: The King Who Trusted Assyria Instead Of God (2 Kings 16:7–8) You know the particular, ordinary panic that happens when something you thought steady turns out to be fragile…
Jotham: A King Who Walked Steadily With God (2 Chronicles 27:6)
Jotham: A King Who Walked Steadily With God (2 Chronicles 27:6) You come to Jotham like you come to a stranger at a party who’s quietly reading a book in…
Uzziah (Azariah): A Strong King Who Fell into Pride (2 Chronicles 26:16)
Uzziah (Azariah): A Strong King Who Fell Into Pride (2 Chronicles 26:16) You come to Uzziah’s story and you expect the usual arc of a king: a rise, a long…