The children of Israel were to keep themselves separated from the other nations but, by intermarrying with the different nations around them, they had compromised and taken on their abominations. The answer for them, though it might seem harsh, was to separate from their heathen marriages.
Josiah continues to turn Israel back to the Lord. He establishes a covenant with God and cleanses the land from all spiritual defilement. However, judgment is still set to come and after the death of Josiah, the nation goes down quickly.
The revival under the reign of Josiah is one of the great stories in the Bible.
Two evil reigns follow the good reign of Hezekiah. We see the dangers of idolatry in these two reigns. We also see the influence a leader of the people has on those people. In both cases, the people follow their king.
The Levitical sacrificial system had five separate and distinct offerings that could be made to the Lord.
Some say that prophecy is too hard to understand. Everyone interprets the Bible differently and there is no correct way to interpret prophecy. This is not true. As in everything else, God gives us the guidance to understand the prophecy that He wrote.
