Back to 2 Chronicles, Hezekiah was a good king who succumbed to arrogance at the end. I wrote about this when we were in 2 Kings 20. His son, Manasseh, takes over, and once again we have a failure of succession:

Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king. He ruled for fifty-five years in Jerusalem. In GOD’s opinion he was a bad king—an evil king. He reintroduced all the moral rot and spiritual corruption that had been scoured from the country when GOD dispossessed the pagan nations in favor of the children of Israel. He rebuilt the sex-and-religion shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down, he built altars and phallic images for the sex god Baal and the sex goddess Asherah and worshiped the cosmic powers, taking orders from the constellations. (2 Chronicles 33.1 – 3, MSG)

Then Manasseh is taken into captivity where he repents and begins to follow God!

Then GOD directed the leaders of the troops of the king of Assyria to come after Manasseh. They put a hook in his nose, shackles on his feet, and took him off to Babylon. Now that he was in trouble, he went to his knees in prayer asking for help—total repentance before the God of his ancestors. As he prayed, GOD was touched; GOD listened and brought him back to Jerusalem as king. That convinced Manasseh that GOD was in control. After that Manasseh rebuilt the outside defensive wall of the City of David…He tightened up the defense system…He also did a good spring cleaning on The Temple, carting out the pagan idols and the goddess statue. He took all the altars he had set up on The Temple hill and throughout Jerusalem and dumped them outside the city. He put the Altar of GOD back in working order and restored worship, sacrificing Peace-Offerings and Thank-Offerings. He issued orders to the people: “You shall serve and worship GOD, the God of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 33.11 – 16, MSG)

But, this time, the people don’t follow their repenting and reformed leader:

But the people didn’t take him seriously—they used the name “GOD” but kept on going to the old pagan neighborhood shrines and doing the same old things. (2 Chronicles 33.17, MSG)

Manasseh’s son, Amon, only reigns two years, starting bad and staying bad:

Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king. He was king for two years in Jerusalem. In GOD’s opinion he lived an evil life, just like his father Manasseh, but he never did repent to GOD as Manasseh repented. He just kept at it, going from one thing to another. In the end Amon’s servants revolted and assassinated him—killed the king right in his own palace. The citizens in their turn then killed the king’s assassins. The citizens then crowned Josiah, Amon’s son, as king. (2 Chronicles 33.21 – 25, MSG)

Josiah, the last breath of fresh air before the end. Stay tuned.

So here’s the king you wanted, the king you asked for. GOD has let you have your own way, given you a king. If you fear GOD, worship and obey him, and don’t rebel against what he tells you. If both you and your king follow GOD, no problem. GOD will be sure to save you. But if you don’t obey him and rebel against what he tells you, king or no king, you will fare no better than your fathers…But I beg of you, fear GOD and worship him honestly and heartily. You’ve seen how greatly he has worked among you! Be warned: If you live badly, both you and your king will be thrown out. (1 Samuel 12.13 – 15, 24, 25, MSG)