2 Kings 23:28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father’s place. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done. And Pharaoh Neco put him in bonds at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem, and laid on the land a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. And Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the place of Josiah his father, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. But he took Jehoahaz away, and he came to Egypt and died there. And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh, but he taxed the land to give the money according to the command of Pharaoh. He exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land, from everyone according to his assessment, to give it to Pharaoh Neco.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
Josiah the king, who reigned 31 years, that brought back the worship of God, reading of the word of God, and destroying all of the false gods and their places of worship, was replaced as king by his son Jehoahaz who was 23 yr old when Josiah died in battle. He reigned for 3 months and did evil in the sight of God. He was replaced by his brother Eliakim who was 25 yr old. He reigned 11 years and did what was evil in the sight of God.
Thirty-one years of no idol worship. Thirty-one years of temple worship of God. Thirty-one years being led by a godly man. Thirty-one years, so the entire life of these sons of Josiah were exposed to the true worship of God by their father and yet they chose to do what was evil in the sight of God. “They Chose.”
We have been given free will to choose to follow after and obey God or not. The choice is a heart, mind, and soul commitment or not. The choice is to believe in the one true God or not. The choice is to believe in what is written in the Word of God.
If our whole heart, mind, and soul are not choosing to honor, follow, trust, rely on, cling to, and obey God then they have been given over to another choice. This choice is being given over to our sinful nature and that nature chooses to do what is right in its own eyes, what is important to its own self-interest, what is contrary to the Word of God and is so easily done and seems perfectly fine because without God there is only self-satisfying, self-interest, self-seeking, self-worth, self-purpose, self-gratification.
Each person must choose to surrender their heart, mind, and soul into the hands of God or not. Those that choose NOT will never be satisfied or whole.