The Interim: Israel to Judah: Assyria to Babylon

Let's talk politics.

Tiglath-Pileser III was the King of Assyria at the time of the first attacks on Israel.  It was his army that first breached the wall.  They took some of the Israelites captive, but left the majority where they were.  Ten years later, when Sennacherib was on the throne of Assyria, he completed the conquest of Israel, deporting thousands of the inhabitants and scattering them throughout the Assyrian Empire. He imported thousands of Gentiles from other conquered areas. They intermarried with the few remaining Israelites and became the group known as the Samaritans.

Isaiah was the prophet in those days.  Hoshea was the King of Israel at the time and Hezekiah was the King of Judah. Both countries faced assault and siege by King Sennacherib, who succeeded Tiglath to the throne. Israel fell but Judah did not.  Hezekiah was a covenant keeper. He followed the living prophet.  Hoshea was wicked.  He and his people did not listen to the prophet.  There is a lesson here as to why it so important to center our lives in Jehovah/Jesus Christ.

Hezekiah's son and grandson were both covenant-breakers who quickly led Judah back into idolatry. It was a dark time for Judah. They had a reprieve from God's justice because of the righteousness of King Hezekiah.  Hezekiah's son and grandson were idolaters and they led Judah back to evil. They could easily have been conquered as Israel had been, but instead they had a second reprieve when Hezekiah's great-grandson ascended to the throne of Judah. 

Josiah was only 8-year-old when he was crowned King. He was a thoughtful and good child who was blessed with the influence of a few righteous advisers, including his mother.  The Bible tells us of these  years that he did good in the sight of God.  When he was twelve, he began a conscious search for the God his ancestor, King David, had worshipped.  At sixteen, he began to cleanse Judah of pagan idols and desecrated the high places used in idol worship throughout the kingdom.

Josiah was in his twenties when he ordered the cleansing and repair of the Temple.  Years of apostacy and idolatry had led the Temple to be little more than a storehouse for everything, including the statues of many false gods.  As the priests began to cleanse the temple, they came across a scroll of the covenants of God with Judah.  When the high priest brought it to the King and he read it, Josiah realized just how far Judah had fallen. He tore his robe as a sign of mourning and called on his people to repent in sackcloth and ashes. He ordered that the scroll be read to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem so that they, too, could understand the depth of their fall.