King Hezekiah brought about extensive religious change in Judah. He commanded that the temple be refurbished, and the idols be removed from all over the land. Also, Hezekiah reinstituted the tithe and religious services. Hezekiah also made sure that in case of siege, Jerusalem would have enough water. He accomplished this by expanding the perimeter of the city walls so that the city’s main source of water, the Gihon Spring, was included in the city’s defenses. In addition, Hezekiah built an underground tunnel six hundred yards in length through solid rock so that the water could flow freely into the city without the enemy knowing. The tunnel exists today, and is visited frequently by tourists.

King Josiah was a good king, too. After Hezekiah, there were a couple of bad kings, so many of Hezekiah’s reforms were abandoned. When Josiah became king, he set about to set things right. He commanded that the temple be refurbished. During the renovations, the high priest found the book of law. When the laws were read to him, Josiah mourned, because he realized Israel had not done as God commanded. After that, Josiah made many positive reforms in Israel by getting rid of idolatrous temples, and reinstituting the worship of God.