Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 23
Josiah opposed every kind of wrong religion, whether it was disgusting or beautiful. He considered any religion that did not serve the one true God, to be evil and wrong.
The religion of Molech was a very terrible religion. In it, people murdered their own sons in order to gain power in the spirit world. Josiah’s grandfather, Manasseh, had done this; he considered it a very powerful form of magic (2 Chronicles 33:6). By the time of Josiah, people were murdering their daughters too in this religion. They offered their children’s bodies by fire to the false god called Molech.
On the other hand, the horses and carriages for the sun god were probably very beautiful. They stood at the entrance to the temple, God’s house in Jerusalem. Skilled workmen had made these carriages in order to give honour to the sun as their false god. They probably imagined these horses and carriages as a royal procession for the sun. To them, the sun seemed like a great and powerful king who rode across the skies each day.
For Josiah, however, it was very bad that such objects stood at the entrance to the temple, God’s house. When people should be praising the one true God, they were thinking about the greatness of the sun. So, they were admiring these carriages that people had built to give honour to a false god. Josiah decided to destroy these carriages completely so that they could no longer take people’s attention away from the real God. When the people came to pray at the temple, they must think carefully about the one true God. Josiah would not allow a beautiful horse or a work of art to take their thoughts away from God.
Next part: The evil acts of former kings from Josiah's family (2 Kings 23:12-13)
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