Recent Reads {Gods & Kings}

Gods & Kings by Lynn Austin - This novel is based on the account of the reigns of King Ahaz and King Hezekiah of Judah, as found in the Old Testament book of II Kings. Austin imagines the supporting characters and background to the few historical details given in the Bible, and weaves an intriguing story. What the Bible tells us is that King Ahaz was a very wicked king who leads the nation into idolatry, even sacrificing children to the false god Molech. We are also given information about the political situation at the time - that Ahaz was besieged but not conquered, and that later he became a vassal of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser. We know that Ahaz was an idolater throughout his reign, but that his son Hezekiah succeeded him as a king that loved the Lord and tried to follow in King David's footsteps as a righteous king. Austin's novelized telling of the story offers some possible answers to the questions of how Hezekiah learned the law of God and about Temple worship during the godless reign of his father. In Austin's story, Hezekiah's mother was the daughter of a Levite, and she and her father give Hezekiah a firm grounding in the Law. Although his mother dies while he is still young and Hezekiah is removed from his grandfather's influence for the remainder of his childhood up until he takes the throne; Hezekiah remembers enough about Yahweh that he turns back to him as soon as he becomes king. Palace intrigue and spiritual compromise are the background to much of the novel, and there's the hint of romance in the next book in the series, as Hezekiah's wife is hopelessly in love with him but is barely noticed.

(Book #10 in the 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge)

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