Long before the days of Josiah, God met Moses on a mountain. They cut a covenant—that is, God made promises and God’s people made promises. And if God’s people kept their promises to keep God’s laws, then God would bless them. If they didn’t, they would experience curses, not blessings. When Josiah was king, God’s people “did not turn away from following the Lord” (2 Chron. 34:33). They kept their side of the deal. They destroyed idols and worshiped God alone. They started to rebuild the temple and celebrate the Passover again. But after Josiah died, God’s people went back to their usual pattern. There was hardly a promise they didn’t break. They were supposed to be a kingdom of priests, but instead they were a collection of grumblers and rebels. God was so patient with them. He gave them lots of chances to repent—to turn from sin back to God. He gave them a thousand years to repent—from the time of Moses on the mountain to the day of Josiah’s death. But eventually, a thousand-year pattern of breaking your promise is too much. God had promised that if they broke their end of the covenant, they would be cursed. A promise is a promise. So God promised that he would kick Judah out of the promised land—just like he banished Adam and Eve from Eden.