After Eli’s death Samuel took over the role of Judge of Israel, but God was about to change the way he deals with his chosen nation. Eli was effectively the last of the judges of Israel; the Bible refers to Samuel as the prophet Samuel. Samuel signals a change in God’s handling of Israel; he was the first of the prophets God would use to speak to His people. To lead God’s people, God instructed Samuel to anoint a king to rule Israel.

Saul of the tribe of Benjamin was anointed under God’s direction by Samuel.
1 Samuel 9:15-17
“(v15) Now a day before Saul’s coming, the Lord had revealed this to Samuel saying, (v16) ‘About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he shall deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines.’ For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to me. (v17) When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘Behold the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people.’”

The Bible does not tell us how old Samuel was when Eli died, nor does it tell us how old Samuel was when Saul was anointed to be king.
So we will use the information we found in 1 Kings 6:1 to calculate this.
 

1 Kings 6:1
“Now it came about in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.”

We know from our earlier calculations that the Exodus occurred 2513 years after creation, or 1498BC. With the information from 1 Kings 6:1 we can now place this on our timeline.
Thus, 2513 + 480 years after the exodus = 2993 years after creation.

1 Kings 6:1 tells us that King Solomon was in the fourth year of his reign; therefore he had completed 3 years. We can calculate that King Solomon began his reign 3 years earlier, or 2990 years after creation.

We know that King David, Solomon’s father reigned over Israel forty years.
2 Samuel 5:4-5
“(v4) David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. (v5) At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.”

Also

1 Kings 2:11
“And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.”

We can now calculate when David started his reign as King.
Thus, 2990 years after creation – 40 year reign of King David = 2950 years after creation.
 

So David started his reign as King 2950 years after creation.

It is difficult to determine the number of years that Saul reigned over Israel; there is only one verse in the Old Testament that gives us any idea on the length of Saul’s reign. As I researched this I found a major difference across the versions of the Bible. I checked six different English translations, three translated the verse one way and three translated the verse another. As I investigated this further I found that scholars consider that some information has been dropped or has gone missing.

Below is 1 Samuel 13:1 from the six translations I checked, followed by how this verse should be translated.

1 Samuel 13:1 (King James Version)
“Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years,”

1 Samuel 13:1 (Modern Language Version)
“By this time Saul had reigned for one year. When Saul had been king over Israel two years,”

1 Samuel 13:1 (Living Bible)
“By this time Saul reigned for one year. In the second year of his reign,”

1 Samuel 13:1 (RSV – Revised Standard Version)
“Saul was …. Years old when he began to reign; and he reigned … and two years over Israel.”

1 Samuel 13:1 (NIV – New International Version)
“Saul was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned over Israel forty two years.”

1 Samuel 13:1 (NASV – New American Standard Version)
“Saul was forty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty two years over Israel.”

Mr Ryrie in his study notes on this verse comments: “The original numbers in this verse have apparently been lost in transmission. One way to understand the verse is this: “Saul was _____ years old when he began to reign, and he reigned _____ and two years over Israel.” Another suggestion renders it: “Saul was one and ______ years old when he began to reign, and when he had reigned two years over Israel,”

The only other verse in the Bible that gives us a clue to the length of King Saul’s reign is Acts 13:21, where we read.

Acts 13:21
“And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.”

Thus, we can use this to calculate the year that King Saul began his reign over Israel.

David started his reign 2950 years after creation – 40 years for the reign of Saul = 2910 years after creation.

Note: there is a small gap from the death of Eli 2909 years after creation and the beginning of Saul’s reign as King; this gap would be in the order of 12 to 18 months, maybe up to 2 years maximum. During this time Samuel would have judged Israel, it should be noted that the Bible refers to Samuel as “the prophet Samuel” and not as a judge. Samuel was therefore the first of a line of prophets that God would use to bring guidance to the nation Israel and to make predictions of events to come: sometimes hundreds or even thousands of years in the future. The prophets parallel the Kings of Israel and then Judah, God used them to speak His words to the rulers of His people.

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

40

2910

1101BC

Saul began his reign over Israel 2910 years after creation and ended his reign by suicide forty years later, 2950 years after creation.
 

Acts 13:21
“And then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.”

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

40

2950

1061BC

David began his reign over Israel 2950 years after creation and ended his reign with his death forty years later, 2990 years after creation.

2 Samuel 5:4-5
“(v4) David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. (v5) At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.”

Also

1 Kings 2:11
“And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years: seven years he reigned in Hebron, and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem.”

See also 1 Chronicles 29:26

Note: after Saul’s death, his son Ish-bosheth became King of Israel and ruled over all the tribes except Judah who followed David. Ish-bosheth ruled Israel for 2 years, while David ruled Judah from Hebron. David ruled from Hebron for 7 years and 6 months, and then moved his throne to Jerusalem for 33 years (2 Samuel 5:5).

2 Samuel 2:8-11
“(v8) But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. (v9) And he made him king over Gilead, over Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. (v10) Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. (v11) And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.”
 

Here we read that David was from the tribe of Judah, Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. With the anointing of David, God signalled the transferring of the throne from the tribe of Benjamin to the tribe of Judah. Later God would promise David that the throne would stay with Judah and He would raise up a King to sit on that throne, a King who would rule for eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lion of Judah. His throne would be eternal.

If I am not mistaken, it may not be too many more years before we see that throne established here on earth.

Clearly 2 Samuel 2:8-11 indicates that there was a struggle to keep the throne in the tribe of Benjamin, although this was unsuccessful. David was eventually recognized as God’s true anointed King and Israel prospered much under David’s kingship.

Note: David was thirty years old when he began his reign as King (2 Samuel 5:4).
“David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.”

With this information we can calculate David’s birth year. Thus, David became King 2950 years after creation – 30 years = 2920 years after creation.
 

2920

1091BC

2990

1021BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

40

2990

1021BC

Solomon began his reign over Israel 2990 years after creation and ended his reign with his death forty years later, 3030 years after creation, or 981BC.

1 Kings 11:42
“Thus the time that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel was forty years.”

Also

2 Chronicles 9:30
“And Solomon reigned forty years in Jerusalem over all Israel.”

Solomon was succeeded by his son Rehoboam (1 Kings 11:43, 2 Chronicles 9:31)

The Bible does not tell us Solomon’s age when he began his reign over Israel, nor does it tell us how old David was when Solomon was born. What we do know is that Solomon was born during David’s reign as King; we also know that Solomon was quite young when he assumed the throne of Israel after David’s death.

1 Kings Chapter 3 records a prayer Solomon prayed to God, asking for wisdom as he was young and just a child, and lacked the wisdom and knowledge to rule God’s people. Some theologians believe that David was around half way through his reign as King of Israel when Solomon was born, this would make Solomon around 20 years old when he succeeded David as King of Israel.

1 Kings 3:7-10
“(v7) ‘And now, O Lord my God, Thou has made Thy servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in.’ (v8) ‘And Thy servant is in the midst of Thy people which Thou has chosen, a great people who cannot be numbered or counted for multitude.’ (v9) ‘So give Thy servant an understanding heart to judge Thy people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Thine?’ (v10) And it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing.”

The way this passage of scripture reads, I think Solomon was probably around 16 to 18 years old when he became King of Israel.

It is important to comment that to successfully map our timeline; we only need to know when Solomon became King of Israel and how long he reigned over Israel. The Bible does give us this information, the fact we do not know when Solomon was born has no bearing on the overall time span of the timeline.
 

3030

981BC

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

17

3030

981BC

Rehoboam began his reign 3030 years after creation and ended his reign with his death seventeen years later, 3047 years after creation, or 964BC.

1 Kings 14:21
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord had chosen from all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.”

Rehoboam was 41 years old when he began his reign as King, he was succeeded by his son Abijam (1 Kings 14:31)
 

3047

964BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

3

3047

964BC

Abijam began his reign 3047 years after creation and ended his reign with his death three years later, 3050 years after creation, or 961BC.

1 Kings 15:1-2
“(v1) Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Judah. (v2) He reigned three years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.”

Abijam’s reign was short, the Bible records that he was an evil King and his heart was not wholly devoted to the Lord his God (1 Kings 15:3). But because David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord, God allowed him to rule so as to keep his promise to David and establish the throne in Judah (1 Kings 15:4-5).

Abijam was succeeded by his son Asa.
 

3050

961BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

41

3050

961BC

Asa began his reign 3050 years after creation and ended his reign with his death forty one years later, 3091 years after creation, or 920BC.
 

1 Kings 15:9-10
“(v9) So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam the king of Israel, Asa began to reign as king of Judah. (v10) And he reigned forty one years in Jerusalem; and his mothers name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom.”

Asa was a good King, the Bible says he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, as did David (1 Kings 15:11, 1 Kings 15:14).

Asa was succeeded by his son Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 15:24).

 

3091

920BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

25

3091

920BC

Jehoshaphat began his reign 3091 years after creation and ended his reign with his death twenty five years later, 3116 years after creation, or 895BC.
 

1 Kings 22:42
“Jehoshaphat was thirty five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty five years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.”

Jehoshaphat was a good king who walked in all the ways of his father Asa (1Kings 22:43).

Jehoshaphat was succeeded by his son Jehoram (1 Kings 22:50).

 

3116

895BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

8

3116

895BC

Jehoram began his reign 3116 years after creation and ended his reign with his death eight years later, 3124 years after creation, or 887BC.

2 Kings 8:16-17
“(v16) Now in the fifth year Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then the king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king. (v17) He was thirty two years old when he became king, and reigned eight years in Jerusalem.”

Jehoram did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, but the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah for the sake of his servant David (2 King 8:19).

Jehoram was succeeded by his son Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:24).
 

3124

887BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

1

3124

887BC

Ahaziah began his reign 3124 years after creation and ended his reign with his death one year later, 3125 years after creation, or 886BC.
 

2 Kings 8:26
“Ahaziah was twenty two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel.”

Ahaziah did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 8:27).

Ahaziah only reigned 1 year when he was killed by Jehu, Jehu had been anointed King of Israel (not Judah, by this time the nation Israel had split into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah) by the servant of the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 9:1, 2 Kings 9:6-10). As a result of Jehu’s attack Ahaziah is fatally wounded and dies in Megiddo (2 Kings 9:27).

As a result of this Athaliah (Ahaziah’s mother) tries to kill all the heirs to her sons throne (Judah), see 1 Kings 11:1. Jehosheba the daughter of king Joram also known as Jehoram, (the sister of Ahaziah) saves Joash, one of Ahaziah’s sons from being killed (2 Kings 11:2).
 

3125

886BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

6

3125

886BC

Athaliah (Ahaziah’s mother) assumes the throne of Judah for 6 years (1 Kings 11:3).
 

2 Kings 11:3
“So he was hidden with her [Jehosheba] in the house of the Lord six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.”

Yes you read this correctly, Judah is ruled six years by a Queen who believed that she had killed all the heirs to the throne of Judah. God has preserved the life of one son and therefore one heir to the throne of Judah. This was to ensure that God could fulfil and keep His promise to David that the throne would not be removed from the tribe of Judah and a King would be born from that tribe whose kingdom would be eternal.

Joash was revealed to the Queen after she had reigned 6 years (2 Kings 11:12), Joash is anointed King, and his grandmother Athaliah is taken out and killed or executed (2 Kings 11:16).

Athaliah rules Judah for 6 years, and then is executed, this occurs 3131 years after creation.
 

3131

880BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

40

3131

880BC

Joash began his reign 3131 years after creation at the age of 7 years old, and ended his reign with his death forty years later, 3171 years after creation, or 840BC.

2 Kings 11:21
“Jehoash [Joash] was seven years old when he became king.”

And

2 Kings 12:1
“In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba.”

Joash or Jehoash was a pretty good king although some believe he went astray in his latter years. See 2 Kings 12:2 and 2 Chronicles 24:2

2 Kings 12:2
“And Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him.”

Josephus (the Roman historian) writes that the priest Jehoiada lived 137 years, but after he died Joash betrayed his care for God.

Joash or Jehoash was succeeded by his son Amaziah (1 Kings 12:21).
 

3171

840BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

29

3171

840BC

Amaziah began his reign 3171 years after creation at the age of 25 years old, and ended his reign with his death twenty nine years later, 3200 years after creation, or 811BC.
 

2 Kings 14:1-2
“(v1) In the second year of Joash son of Joahaz king of Israel, Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah became king. (v2) He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jehoaddin of Jerusalem.”

Amaziah had a fairly good reign as King of Judah, the Bible tells us that he did right in the sight of the Lord, but gives us a scale to measure this against. Although 2 Kings 14:3 tells us that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, it goes on to say, yet not like David, but like his father Joash.

2 Kings 14:3
“And he [Amaziah] did right in the sight of the Lord, yet not like David his father; he did according to all that Joash his father had done.”

Amaziah was succeeded by his son Uzziah (2Kings 14:21). Some Bibles translate Uzziah’s name as Azariah.
 

3200

811BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

52

3200

811BC

Uzziah began his reign 3200 years after creation at the age of 16 years old, and ended his reign with his death fifty two years later, 3252 years after creation, or 759BC.
 

2 Kings 15:1-2
“(v1) In the twenty seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah king of Judah became king. (v2) He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem.”

Uzziah was a fairly good King 2 Kings 15:3 tells us that he did right in the sight of the Lord, but goes on to comment, according to all that his father Amaziah had done. From this we can conclude that he carried on the good work that his father had done, but he did not improve on this.

As a result 2 Kings 15:5 tells us that God struck the King, so that he was a leper to the day of his death. He lived in isolation in a separate house while his son Jotham judged or governed Judah on his behalf.

After reigning for 52 years Uzziah dies, and is succeeded by his son Jotham
 

3252

759BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

16

3252

759BC

Jotham began his reign 3252 years after creation at the age of 25 years old, and ended his reign with his death sixteen years later, 3268 years after creation, or 743BC.

2 Kings 15:32-33
“(v32) In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah king of Judah became king. (v33) He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zodak.”

Again the Bible tells us that he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, he did according to all that his father Uzziah had done (2 Kings 15:34).

Jotham was succeeded by his son Ahaz (2 Kings 15:38).
 

3268

743BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

20

2869

1142BC

Ahaz began his reign 3268 years after creation at the age of 20 years old, and ended his reign with his death sixteen years later, 3284 years after creation, or 727BC.
 

2 Kings 16:1-2
“(v1) In the seventeenth year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, Ahaz the son of Jotham, king of Judah, became king. (v2) Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem; and he did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father David had done.”

Verse 2 has already told us that Ahaz did not do what was right in the sight of the Lord; Verse 3 says that he chose to walk in the ways of the Kings of Israel instead.

Ahaz was succeeded by his son Hezekiah (2 Kings 16:20).
 

3284

727BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

20

2869

1142BC

Hezekiah began his reign 3284 years after creation at the age of 25 years old, and ended his reign with his death twenty nine years later, 3313 years after creation, or 698BC.

2 Kings 18:1-2
“(v1) Now it came about in the third year of Hoshea, the son of Elah king of Israel, Hezekiah the son of Ahaz king of Judah became king. (v2) He was twenty five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty nine years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.”

Hezekiah was clearly a very good King, 2 Kings 18:3 tells us that he did right in the sight of the Lord, but not just as his grandfather or grandfather did. The Bible adds, according to all that his father David had done. The following verse gives a more in depth description of the things Hezekiah did that pleased God so greatly.

If you want to get a good idea about the difference between Hezekiah and others kings, read 2 Kings 18:4.
 

2 Kings 18:5
“He trusted in the Lord the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.”

What an epitaph!

Hezekiah so pleased God and kept his commandments that some years later when he becomes mortally ill, God sends the prophet Isaiah to tell him to get his house in order (2 Kings 20:1). The Bible tells us that he cried out to God and wept bitterly (2 Kings 20:3).

Before the prophet Isaiah had left the middle court the Lord speaks to him and sends him back to Hezekiah with a message. As a result God tells him through Isaiah the prophet, that He will heal him and extend his life by 15 years (2 Kings 20:6). Hezekiah asks Isaiah for a sign from God (2 Kings 20:8), Isaiah asks him to choose whether the shadow on the steps should go forward ten steps or back ten steps. Hezekiah chooses for the shadow to go backwards ten steps (2 Kings 20:10). Isaiah cries out to God and the shadow on the steps moves back ten steps (2 Kings 20:11).

Think about this, how long would it take for the sun’s shadow to move ten steps in the Kings court? God moved time backward by that much (2 Kings 20:11)!

After these things have taken place, Isaiah gave Hezekiah a prophecy or word from God, this prophecy foretells the future of the Kingdom of Judah. By this time the Kingdom of Israel has been defeated by the Assyrians, and its inhabitants have been carried off their land and held captive in Assyria. The prophecy is recorded in 2 Kings 20:16-18.

2 Kings 20:16-18
“(v16) Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. (v17) Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house, and all that your fathers have laid up in store to this day shall be carried to Babylon; nothing shall be left’, says the Lord. (v18) ‘And some of your sons who shall issue from you, whom you beget, shall be taken away; and they shall become officials in the palace of the king Babylon.’"

Hezekiah is succeeded by his son Manasseh (2 Kings 20:21).
 

3313

698BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

55

3313

698BC

Manasseh began his reign 3313 years after creation at the age of 12 years old, and ended his reign with his death fifty five years later, 3368 years after creation, or 643BC.

2 Kings 21:1
“Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hephzibah.”

Manasseh did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 21:2), he erected alters to Baal (2 Kings 21:3). He practiced witchcraft and divination (2 Kings 21:6), and he did much evil in the sight of the Lord provoking him to anger (2 Kings 21:6).

What a contrast, Manasseh’s father Hezekiah is one of the most righteous Kings to have ruled over the Kingdom of Judah, but his son is one of the most evil and wicked. So great was the wickedness of this King that God declares that he will bring judgement upon Judah as a result.

So great was the wickedness of this King, that the Bible records God’s response to the spiritual state that Manasseh lead Judah into.
 

2 Kings 21:10-15
“(v10) Now the lord spoke through His servants the prophets, saying, (v11) ‘Because Manasseh king of Judah has done these abominations, having done wickedly more than all the Amorites did who were before him, and has also made Judah sin with his idols’; (v12) therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears shall tingle.’ (v13) ‘And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.’ (v14) ‘And I will abandon the remnant of my inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; (v15) because they have done evil in My sight, and have been provoking Me to anger, since the day their fathers came from Egypt, even to this day.’”

Manasseh was succeeded by his son Amon (2 Kings 21:18).
 

Manasseh ended his reign with his death 3368 years after creation.

3368

643BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

2

3368

643BC

Amon began his reign 3368 years after creation at the age of 22 years old, and ended his reign with his death two years later, 3370 years after creation, or 641BC.

2 Kings 21:19
“Amon was twenty two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.”

Amon did evil in the sight of the Lord, it appears that Amon continued on from where is father Manasseh left off (2 Kings 21:20-21). 2 Kings 21:22 goes on and tells us that he forsook the Lord, the God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.

After reigning for only two years on the throne of Judah, his servants conspired against him and killed the King (2 Kings 21:23). King Amon was succeeded by his son Josiah (2 Kings 21:24, 2 Kings 21:26).
 

3370

641BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

31

3370

641BC

Josiah began his reign 3370 years after creation at the age of 8 years old, and ended his reign with his death thirty one years later, 3401 years after creation, or 611BC.

2 Kings 22:1
“Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.”

Josiah did right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David (2 Kings 22:2). Here we find in Josiah another righteous King of Judah, he institutes a program to repair the temple, and in the process finds an old scroll that had not be seen in years perhaps even decades (2 Kings 22:8). The scroll is read out to the King who straight away realizes that Judah has not lived up to their part of Gods covenant (2 Kings 22:10). Josiah immediately seeks out God’s will for the Kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 22:13).

I have always wondered what was written in the scroll that they had found, the contents of the scroll clearly upset King Josiah. So much so that he sends his advisers to seek out a prophet, to get God’s guidance on the matter. It maybe a little speculation, but I have wondered for some years whether the missing scroll contained the details relating to the keeping of the Sabbath years. This is the reason God sent Judah into captivity for 70 years: they had not kept the Sabbath year and rested the land every 7 years as God had commanded. The Babylonian captivity of Judah was 70 years long for this was the number of Sabbaths owing to God.

After hearing the contents of the scroll Josiah sends his advisers to seek out a prophetess named Huldah who lives in Jerusalem. The Word of the Lord was not good for the nation Judah, God promised to judge it and its inhabitants for their wickedness, and idol worship (2 Kings 22:15-17).

But the prophetess Huldah brings another prophecy (word from the Lord), this time the prophecy is directed at King Josiah. God promises to stay his anger and judgement against the Kingdom of Judah until after King Josiah is dead. God promises that King Josiah will not see the judgement of God on Judah.

2 Kings 22:18-20
“(v18) But to the king of Judah who sent you to enquire of the Lord thus say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, regarding the words which you have heard, (v19) because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,’ declares the Lord. (v20) ‘Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, neither shall your eyes see all the evil which I will bring on this place.’ So they brought back word to the king.”

The author of the proverb in Proverbs 15:8-9 writes, “(v8) The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright [or righteous] is His delight. (v9) The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but He loves him who pursues righteousness.” God loves nothing better than to answer the prayers of the righteous.

No greater example could you find in the Bible, of a righteous man crying out to God, and God delighting to reward His servant for his righteousness and faithfulness unto God. We should all stand back and take a leaf from the book of this young King. This is even more amazing when you realise that the Bible records such righteousness from a boy who became king when he was 8 years old. Note: Josiah was in the eighteenth year of his reign when the scroll was found, making him around 26 years old.

Josiah died at age 38 after ruling Judah for 31 years, he is killed by Pharaoh Neco King of Egypt (2 Kings 23:29). He was succeeded by his son Jehoahaz (2 Kings 23:30).
 

3401

610BC

Name

Reigned

Years From Creation:

Year BC

3 Months

3401

610BC

Jehoahaz began his reign 3401 years after creation at the age of 23 years old, and ended his reign three months later, 3401 years after creation.

2 Kings 23:31
“Jehoahaz was twenty three years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.”

Jehoahaz did evil in the sight of the Lord (2 Kings 23:32). Jehoahaz is taken captive by Pharaoh Neco King of Egypt; he was imprisoned in Riblah in the land of Hamath (2 Kings 23:33). Later Pharaoh Neco King of Egypt takes Jehoahaz to Egypt, and he dies there (2 Kings 23:34).

Pharaoh Neco King of Egypt appoints Eliakim another one of King Josiah’s sons as king of Judah in his place, and he changes his name to Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34).

Note: Josephus the Roman historian records that Jehoahaz ruled for 3 months and 10 days.

Summing up this section on the Kings of Judah, we find that Judah has been ruled by 19 Kings and one Queen to this point in time. There are three more Kings of Judah that I will cover in the next Chapter of this book, making a total of 23 Rulers of Judah. The Kings of Judah start with King Saul 2910 years after creation (1101BC), and end with King Zedekiah (Mattaniah) 3423 years after creation (588BC), spanning 513 years.

3401

610BC