Influences

2 Kings 21:26 KJV

And he was buried in his sepulchre in the garden of Uzza: and Josiah his son reigned in his stead.

I find the yo-yo spirituality of the kings of Judah during these last year's before their captivity fascinating.

•             First we have Uzziah who was a good king but finished his career in leprous isolation due to his rebuking the priests
•             Then we have Ahaz who is about as wicked a king as Judah had.
•             He is followed by Hezekiah, who was a great king with the exception of his showing all his goods to Babylon.
•             Next is Manasseh, a wicked king who repented at the end of his life.
•             He is followed by Amon who was very wicked and was eventually murdered
•             And then there is Josiah, who began to reign at age eight and was a good king but was killed in battle at a young age. 

Those influences which may have turned these kings for good or evil are not clearly seen but there are some things that may be implied:

The mother

The Scriptures almost always give us the name of the new king's mother. Most if not all of these kings had more than one wife. In that situation the mother's influence either for good or evil would be much stronger than the father's.

The early childhood

Manasseh was wicked during the most formative years of Amon's childhood but had repented during those same formative years of Josiah his grandson. It is only speculation that Manasseh may have been able to reverse his wicked influence on his son by having a godly influence on his grandson.

The heart of the individual

We can never get away from the fact that we are each responsible for our own heart and our own actions. We can't blame things on our parents or grandparents or circumstances. We must each hear the Word of God and follow His urging into a relationship with the Lord.