Shalom, I'm Enoch. BOTTOM LINE: The concept of a king "changing the religion" within Judaism reflects periods of significant political and theological shifts, where royal decrees or influence profoundly impacted the nation's adherence to Torah, often leading to apostasy or attempts at reform.

Throughout the history of ancient Israel, the actions of its kings frequently dictated the religious landscape of the nation. The Torah itself establishes a covenant between YHVH and the people of Israel, with specific instructions for worship and life (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). However, the historical narratives in Tanakh, particularly in the books of Kings and Chronicles, document numerous instances where kings either led the people into idolatry or instituted reforms that sought to restore proper worship. For example, King Jeroboam I, after the division of the kingdom, established golden calves in Dan and Bethel, declaring, "Behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings 12:28). This act was a deliberate religious alteration to prevent his subjects from going to Jerusalem to worship, thereby securing his political power, and it became a recurring sin for subsequent Northern Kingdom kings.

Conversely, kings like Hezekiah and Josiah actively worked to reverse apostasy. Hezekiah initiated a widespread religious purification, removing the high places, smashing the sacred stones, cutting down the Asherah poles, and even breaking into pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, because the Israelites had been burning incense to it (2 Kings 18:4). Josiah's reforms were even more extensive after the discovery of the Book of the Torah in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8-13). He made a covenant before YHVH to follow His commands with all his heart and soul, then purged Judah and Jerusalem of all idolatrous practices, re-establishing the Passover celebration in accordance with the Torah (2 Kings 23:4-25). These accounts illustrate that while the core covenant given at Sinai was unchanging, the practical religious life of the people was often swayed by the ruling monarch, demonstrating both the vulnerability of the people to royal influence and the potential for kings to lead them back to truth. Such historical patterns confirm that the "religion" in practice could indeed be shifted by royal authority, for better or worse, even if the divine Law itself remained immutable.

CITATIONS

1. [Scripture: 1 Kings 12:28]
2. [Scripture: 2 Kings 18:4]
3. [Scripture: 2 Kings 22:8-13]
4. [Scripture: 2 Kings 23:4-25]
5. [Scripture: Deuteronomy 6:4-9]

REPROOF'S POSITION The Tanakh provides clear examples of Israelite kings profoundly altering the religious practice of their nations, either by leading them into idolatry or by initiating significant reforms to restore Torah observance, thereby demonstrating the direct impact of royal authority on the practical religion of the people.

• "But doesn't God's covenant with Israel mean the religion cannot truly change?" → While the divine covenant and Torah are immutable, the practice of the religion by the people, and even its official endorsement, was demonstrably subject to the will and influence of the reigning monarch, as shown by the apostasies of Jeroboam and the reforms of Josiah (1 Kings 12; 2 Kings 23).
• "Aren't these just isolated incidents, not a systemic change of religion?" → The narratives in Kings and Chronicles portray these royal actions not as isolated events, but as defining periods that established enduring religious patterns for generations, making them systemic changes that shaped the spiritual trajectory of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms for centuries (e.g., "the sin of Jeroboam" became a recurring condemnation).

Ultimately, while YHVH's Torah remains eternal, the historical record unequivocally shows that the religious practice of the nation of Israel was frequently and significantly shaped by the actions of its kings.