He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. – 2 Chronicles 29:2

Today's Scripture Reading (April 18, 2023): 2 Chronicles 29

I am always intrigued by conversations about the "G.O.A.T." (Greatest of All Time). There are always so many things to consider, including the climate, and competition, when they were alive and engaged in whatever the pursuit might be that is under examination. For instance, in September 2022, C.B.S. News released a list of the best and worst Presidents of the United States. Who do you think should be listed as the G.O.A.T. regarding Presidents of the United States? I can almost hear the Maga World demanding that President Trump be listed as number one. But he wasn't. Trump didn't even make the top ten. Of the forty-five presidents to date, C.B.S. ranked The Donald as number 43. The current President came in at number 19, one position behind G.O.P. favorite Ronald Reagan (coming in at number 18). I know you're not asking me, but I think both might be ranked a little higher in this poll than historians will rank them when a few years have passed.

So, who is the G.O.A.T.? The top three presidents, according to the poll, are George Washington (#3), Abraham Lincoln (#2), and Franklin D. Roosevelt (#1). F.D.R. gets first place not just because of his incredible popularity, he is the only American President who was elected to four terms, but also because of the time in history during which he was the leader of the nation, which included the worst years of the depression and the entirety of World War II. But an argument could probably be made for any of the top three to be the G.O.A.T. It is important to note that each of the top three where in some way "War Presidents;" for Roosevelt, it was World War II, Lincoln was the President during the American Civil War, and Washington, while not technically a War president, was the first president of the United States and a product of the American Revolutionary war. World War I President, Woodrow Wilson, was ranked number 13 in the poll.

If you ask many people who were the Greatest King of Israel, the consensus might be that David was the greatest. But I believe that an argument could be made for Hezekiah. David was a great King, and in many ways, he set the standard for a good King of the descendants of Jacob. But Hezekiah came into a situation where he had to try to restore Israel to the place where God had designed the nation to be. Since the days of David, many good kings had not removed the High places. But Hezekiah took direct action against these popular altars, which God had prohibited. Neither Hezekiah nor David were perfect, but Hezekiah was a good King who likely owed much of his morality to the teaching of the godly mother who had brought him up. And as a result, Hezekiah shared what his mother had taught him with the nation, restoring God to the prime position of the country. And I think that should put Hezekiah at least in the conversation as the Greatest King of Judah/Israel of All Time.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Chronicles 30