This book of the Bible is rightly named.  It really does simply go from one chapter to the next telling the story of the reigns of all the kings.  Unfortunately, most of the kings in the reading today were horrible.  They turned away from the Lord and set up idols…some even sacrificed their own sons…they worshiped false gods…and they defiled the temple.

There was one king in these passages who defied the status quo and gave honor to the Lord.  2 Kings 22:2 says that Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.  It describes in detail how he went about cleansing the area of false idols and statues and how he brought everyone back to the Lord.  In fact, it was the first time they had celebrated Passover since the time of the judges.  Josiah must have truly been a man after God’s heart for scripture to remember him by saying…

Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did – with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength in accordance with all the Law of Moses (2 Kings 23:25)