Advent Journey - Following the Seed From Eden to Bethlehem Shembull

Day 20

BAD KINGS, BAD SEEDS

Ahaz (45), Hezekiah (46), Manasseh (47), Amon (48), Josiah (49) 

For casual Bible readers reading through the Bible, the books of Kings and Chronicles feel like a completely different Bible. 

The first half of the Seed journey contains a decorated faith legacy – men like Enoch-Methuselah-Lamech-Noah… and Abraham-Isaac-Jacob… and then men like Boaz and King David.  

The line of the Seed has lots of bright spots. Men who were faithful. God-fearing. Spiritual giants. 

Yes, they were sinners. They were human. But grace and forgiveness flowed in and out of the life accounts of these God-fearing men. 

But as we enter the era of kings (after Solomon), it feels like a train wreck for the Seed. It’s unfathomable how some of these characters ended up in the line of Jesus Christ! 

Back to our Advent journey, the erratic see-sawing of good kings and bad kings continued for Judah.

After Azzariah and Jotham (both good kings), the next king, Ahaz,  sinks Judah into deeper darkness. Among his many notables is having sacrificed his sons in the fire to the idol Molech! 

Shockingly, somehow Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, grew up to be a great God-fearing king. (Think about it, Hezekiah’s very own brothers were sacrificed by their father Ahaz)!

Hezekiah sought to undo the sins of Ahaz and labored dutifully to restore worship reforms for Judah.  

Then as the see-saw motion goes, Hezekiah was succeeded by a horrible King Manasseh (who also burned his son as an offering). It’s amazing that these children-sacrificing kings did not extinguish the Seed along the way! 

After another evil king, Amon, Judah claimed another legendary God-fearing king, Josiah. Josiah discovered the Books of the Law and once again restored the worship customs, feasts and sacrifices for Judah.

After a few more rotten kings, we’re approaching the end of the line of kings. And Jerusalem is about to be captured and exiled to Babylon.

Did I just say Babylon? I thought this advent journey was headed away from Babylon - toward Bethlehem? 

What’s going on?!

Reflections:

Sacrificing children in the fire was a dark evil that started with pagan nations. Now it’s a problem in Israel and Judah! 

If age appropriate, discuss with the children how this would have been a strategy of Satan to terminate the line of the Seed?

What are other biblical examples of rulers killing babies? 

(Pharaoh of Egypt after Moses’ birth, King Herod after Jesus’ birth.)