Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 21
The former inhabitants of the country called Canaan became so wicked that God issued a severe judgment against them. That was why God gave their land to Israel’s people. He firmly warned Israel’s people not to behave as the former inhabitants of that country had behaved. Israel’s people must not serve their false gods or follow their evil religions. Instead, Israel’s people must serve the true God only, and they must obey his laws (Deuteronomy 7:1-6).
However, many of Israel’s people chose to imitate the evil behaviour of the people who lived there before them. By the time of Manasseh, it was clear that even the people in Judah (southern Israel) were doing this. In fact, their behaviour was even worse than the behaviour of the former inhabitants of their country (21:9).
So, Judah’s people were carrying out the same evil acts, but God considered their behaviour to be worse. We may ask how it was worse.
One answer is that the former inhabitants did not have the temple, the house of God, in their country. So, although their behaviour was extremely wicked, they could not carry out that behaviour in God’s house, the temple. However, Judah’s people did have the temple, and they carried out many of their worst acts there. They put images of false gods in God’s sacred temple. They prayed to the stars in its inner and outer courts (outside yards). Men had sex with other males there in honour of their false gods (23:7). In this way, God’s sacred house became a place for every kind of evil act (Jeremiah 7:11).
Next part: God's judgment against Judah and Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:10-13)
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