Sunday, February 13, 2011

The absolute standard of ethics

I have been reading though the book of 2 Kings which records the steady decline and eventual end of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel. In describing the many different kings the assessment is either, "he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD" or "he did was right in the eyes of the LORD."
It is interesting to me that the text never says anything like, "he did was good for the people" or "he had a good heart but was a bit selfish" or "he was a much admired leader" or "he consistently applied his own ethical standard".
This also reminds me of how the period of Judges is described as
  In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Judges 21:25
The engraving is Josiah reads the Book of the Law aloud to the elders.

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