This is the follow-up book to Strength of His Hand, a fellow inmate gave me from the chapel here at FCI Lompoc II. Unfortunately, these are all we have of the five part series.
The story has 2 separate but interrelated tracks. First, King Hezekiah has died, and his oldest son, Manasseh is now King. The second is Prince Amariah, the brother of Manasseh, and Joshua, former chief aid to Manasseh, have left Judea, and are in Egypt seeking asylum where the Pharaoh has granted them land in Elephantine, 400 miles South.
King Manasseh is the exact opposite of his father, eliminating faith in God and His rules, rather he is focused on spirits, idols, magic and the like as his source of wisdom for leadership. That’s why Prince Amariah and Joshua had left as they couldn’t live with it nor do anything about it. The King eventually gets captured by the Assyrians and jailed for several years, and finds God’s punishment too much to take. Eventually he repents to God and returns to his faith, and is returned to Judah back in God’s favor. Once back in Judea, he changes his leadership back to being based on Yahweh.
Meanwhile, Prince Amariah and Joshua and all the exiles make a life for themselves, following God’s orders and rules, still missing home while in exile. Joshua has numerous travails, including family issues with his stepson Nathan. And they had to fight with the Egyptians against Assyria once again, this time saved by God’s power. Afterward, they had heard about King Manasseh being imprisoned, so decided to return to Judah. They were aghast how badly things had become, no leader, no government, no faith. With the King in prison, they commenced to move into the Palace and reinstate Yahweh’s laws. Ultimately upon King Manasseh’s return, he asked for forgiveness and adopted the “old Way” following Yahweh and became the leader he was destined to be.
Clearly Joshua and King Manasseh had to both be reminded of God’s will for their lives, each in different ways. but once they accepted His will, life’s blessings returned for both of them.
If there is a better takeaway for all of us, especially myself, I’d be surprised! Its really eye opening to me how the cycle has to be repeated in life, whether Kings, business people, really all of us!!BJ
