2 Kings 22-23 Josiah
Josiah takes the throne. It is time for Judah’s greatest return to the Lord. God said that there was none before or after him who turned so fully to Him.
Josiah isn’t the youngest king to take the throne of Israel or Judah. That honor belongs to Joash of Judah. He was crowned king at the age of seven after being hidden in the Temple for six years. Josiah was not hidden. He was able to witness his grandfather’s reform and his father’s return to idolatry. He saw the contrast with his own young eyes. And he chose to follow the Lord with his WHOLE heart. Let’s rejoin our story and see where the Spirit takes us with it today.
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Young Josiah watches as his abba is laid in his own tomb. The last two years, his abba was so busy running, or ruining, Judah that he had little time for his children. They were pushed away while Amon revived the idolatry in Judah. Josiah is MORE than happy that he was separated from his abba. He did NOT like the idols and the killing of babies.
Manasseh, Josiah’s grand abba, made time for him. He took him to the House of the Lord. He told him about the mistakes he had made and how God had forgiven him. THIS was the kind of life that appealed to Josiah. For his grand abba had more love for him in one hug than his abba had in his whole life.
Josiah wasn’t naive. His grand abba had done some horrible things. He told Josiah of them himself. But he also told Josiah of God’s love and forgiveness. And he taught him to honor the Lord. Even during these years, his abba could not be bothered with him. So, as he watches his abba being placed in his tomb, Josiah isn’t sad.
The very next event is the execution of the men responsible for his abba’s death. There are seven of them in total. They are each brought to the executioner in the city square. One at a time, they shuffle up to the block. Straps are applied across their backs to keep them in a kneeling position, and then the blade of the axe drops across their necks, severing their head from their shoulders. It is a gruesome sight and Josiah wants to look away. He doesn’t though. He stands silent witness as the men who conspired to kill his abba meet their end.
Josiah wonders about their reasons. He had no part in discovering who they were or what their reasons for doing as they did is. He also had no part in their sentence. These things are not yet his to decide. But his time for making some decisions is quickly approaching.
Once all these tasks are complete, the people bring Josiah to the pillar in the Temple where kings are crowned. Josiah thinks it strange that, even with all the changes his abba did to the Temple of the Lord, the people still insist on crowning their new king here. He vows in his heart to make things right in the Temple of the Lord. “I don’t know how, but someday I will make it like my grand abba said it should be.”
Josiah is grateful to the high priest of the Lord for helping him during the early years. Not only is he and advisor, but he is a teacher. “I have no wish to rule the kingdom of Judah, but I do wish that the king of Judah know the precepts of the Lord, as well as be knowledgeable in matters of state, reading, and mathematics. Only then will he be a good and godly king.”
Josiah pays close attention to his lessons and puts them into practice daily with the people who come to him. His judgments are just and fair. He will NOT be bought or swayed by public opinion.
After eight years of learning about the Lord of his people, Josiah sets his heart to knowing Him personally. He visits the Temple daily. He attends the morning and evening sacrifices and spends time praying each day. He truly believes that this is the ONLY way that he will be a godly king. “Knowing ‘of’ something is not the same as ‘knowing’ it intimately. And our God desires to be known” Josiah reminds himself every day.
Four years later, Josiah is ready to begin the task of bring Judah back to the Lord. He is now twenty years old. Old enough that the people all respect his decisions. Old enough that the high priest considers him a man.
“Call the priests, the Levites, and the elders of Jerusalem together before me” Josiah tells his runner.
The message goes out and the appointed men gather before the king. Josiah looks them all over. “These are good men” he says to himself. “Just the ones to trust with the work.” After a minute, Josiah addresses those present. “It is time to set to work. And where better to start than here in the city of the Lord.”
“What work would you have us do, my king?”
“We are going to clean the Temple of the Lord and the city of ALL foreign gods. After we rid Jerusalem of all that is sinful, we will move on to the rest of Israel. I pray with my whole heart that this will be the last time this task has to be done. But I know the heart of man. Without the Lord, man’s heart is set on evil. What we do will be undertaken with HIS heart.”
Everyone is excited. The priest and Levites have been waiting for this day for some time. The leaders of the city are wary of the impact this will have on the people. Since Amon’s death, those who worship the Lord have emerged from hiding, but those who worship other gods are still present among the people.
It takes three days to remove the altars and items representing other gods from the Temple. It will take another week to purify it. The city takes longer, as some try and hide their idols. But Josiah is firm. Not even household gods are to remain among the people. This includes the ‘household gods’ and altars that Ahaz set up on the roof of the palace.
As these detestable things are being gathered, they are also being burned and ground into powder. Once everything in the city, including the chariots and horses dedicated to the sun gods, and the Temple are completely destroyed, Josiah sets his sights on the rest of the nation.
Josiah personally goes, with a platoon of his men, throughout all of Judah first. They search out every high place, every altar, every Asheroth pole, and any priests that stand before them. Josiah pitches in physically and tears down every altar, chops down every Asheroth pole, and kills the priests to those detestable gods. EVERYTHING is burned and then defiled in some way to prevent the people from returning to them once the king leaves the area.
In the town squares, Josiah personally pleads with people to bring their household gods for destruction. If the people decided to, they could hide their household idols from destruction. Josiah prays that he can convince them to bring them for destruction on their own.
The people of Judah listen to their king and bring their household gods and small idols to him. They are piled in the center of the city square and burned. After they are burned, they are ground to dust under the people’s feet. There is great rejoicing as the people stomp out the last vestiges of idolatry in their hearts.
After going through all of Judah, Josiah sets his sights on the defunct kingdom of Israel. Josiah and his men approach the golden calf at Bethel that Jeroboam erected. This was Israel’s that they never repented of.
Ropes are thrown around the calf’s head and horns. It takes every man pulling and pushing from behind to topple this monstrosity. When it finally falls, the men descend on it with axes and torches. The metal is heated in places to allow the axe to penetrate the metal better. As the work proceeds, some wonder about the gold that was used to make it.
“My king, this gold could be put into the treasury of the Lord.”
“Never let that be said again. And do not taint your own lives with this accursed gold. It has served to make Israel sin since it was first fashioned. It will destroy any lives it touches if it were to leave here. It is fit for nothing but dust. Destroy it ALL!”
No one raised the question again. Every part of the calf Jeroboam erected is broken in pieces then ground into dust. After this, Josiah has the men collect the bones from the nearby graves. These are to be scattered over the place where the altar stood and over the place where the calf stood.
While gathering the bones, Josiah notices on grave with a monument set before it. “What is that monument that I see?” (2 Kings 23:17a).
The men who live in the city, who has come out to watch Josiah’s work, answere him. “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel” (2 Kings 23:17b).
Josiah is pleased to see this memorial to the man of God. “Let him be; let no man move his bones.”
When Josiah and his men are finished at this site, he goes into the cities and persuaded the people to bring out their household gods as well. Every high place he desecrates, and anywhere that there are priests of the gods of the other nations ‘ministering’ to the people, he kills them and burns their bones on their alters. This is to defile the places set up to other gods. Josiah goes through ALL the lands of Israel and Judah, removing ANYTHING honoring any god except the Lord. Josiah even desecrates the altars Solomon set up for his wives to worship their foreign gods, which he eventually joined them in these places. He does not allow the people to worship the Lord on the high places either.
Josiah’s last stop is in the territory of Dan where the second golden calf resides. As with the calf at Bethel, it is pulled down, broken into pieces, and ground into dust. The priests who are there are killed and their bodies burned on their detestable altar.
Having cleansed the land of all idolatry, Josiah returns home. He feels clean for the first time in his whole life. Until he notices the state of the Temple. It didn’t just need cleaning; it needs a significant number of repairs done. Josiah has been on the throne for eighteen years when he turns his full attention to this task.
Josiah sends for Shaphan, the son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the Lord. When he comes to stand before Josiah, he gives him a precious task. One that he himself cannot do, but MUST be done to honor the Lord.
“Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may count the money that has been brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the threshold have collected from the people. And let it be given into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord, and let them give it to the workmen who are at the house of the Lord, repairing the house (that is, to the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons), and let them use it for buying timber and quarried stone to repair the house. But no accounting shall be asked from them for the money that is delivered into their hand, for they deal honestly” (2 Kings 22:4-7).
While emptying out the treasury, the high priest, Hilkiah, finds a dust covered scroll. Only its leading end is visible within an embroidered bag. Hilkiah brushes the dust off of the bag. He immediately starts coughing. He covers his face with the sleeve of his robe until the dust settles. Once the air isn’t swirling around him anymore, he loosens the cords holding the end of the bag tight around the scroll. He carefully pulls it from the bag and begins reading the first few lines.
Hilkiah is so surprised that he nearly drops the scroll when he realizes what it is. “This is the very book of the Law of Moses” he whispers in awe.
Shaphan, who is in the hallway focused on counting out the money hears Hilkiah say something. He can’t quite make it out. He puts his head inside the room where Hilkiah is working. “Did you say something to me?”
“No. I was speaking to myself. But come over here and see what I have found.”
Shaphan steps into the area of the room where Hilkiah is working. Shaphan sees him cradling something with tender care. Shaphan looks at what Hilkiah is holding. “It’s a scroll.”
“It’s not just any scroll. It is unarguably the MOST important scroll in ALL of Israel.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Read it for yourself.”
With that, Hilkiah carefully hands the scroll to Shaphan. Shaphan takes it and carefully unrolls the first section. His eyes go large as he too recognizes what he is reading. “Is this what I think it is” quietly asks Shaphan.
“If you are thinking that it is the book of the Law of Moses, then you are right.”
“What a find!” Shaphan doesn’t know what to do now. It feels wrong to simply slip it back into its place.
“Why don’t you take it and read it. If you are convinced that it is the authentic article, then bring it to the king.”
Shaphan is overjoyed with this task. He wants to sit down right here and now, but he has work that has to be finished first. “I will take it and read it as soon as I lay the money into the hands of the builders.”
Hilkiah helps Shaphan finish his task so that he can begin reading the scroll. As soon as the last coin is placed in the hands of the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, Shaphan retires to his quarters.
Shaphan spends the rest of the day and all night reading the scroll. He doesn’t stop until he reaches the final word. He is breathless with excitement! “This truly is the Law of Moses! I have to read it to the king at once.”
With this decision made, Shaphan goes to the throne room. He has the scroll and a report for the king. He starts off with the easy part. “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord” (2 Kings 22:9).
“Wonderful! When will the work begin” asks Josiah.
“It should begin in a few days. I imagine it will take that long to hire skilled tradesmen.” Shaphan pulls the scroll from the recesses of his cloak and holds it out where Josiah can see it. “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book” (2 Kings 22:10).
Josiah looks at it for a moment before motioning for Shaphan to read it aloud. As Shaphan reads, tears begin to course down Josiah’s face. He recognizes it as quickly as Hilkiah and Shaphan had, but he wants to keep listening.
Josiah’s heart is nearly broken in pieces as Shaphan reads the portion of God’s warning to His people at the end.
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
“The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. The Lord will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways. And all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you. And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your livestock and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you shall only go up and not down, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
“But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
“The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. The Lord will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it. The Lord will strike you with wasting disease and with fever, inflammation and fiery heat, and with drought and with blight and with mildew. They shall pursue you until you perish. And the heavens over your head shall be bronze, and the earth under you shall be iron. The Lord will make the rain of your land powder. From heaven dust shall come down on you until you are destroyed.
“The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. You shall go out one way against them and flee seven ways before them. And you shall be a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth. And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away. The Lord will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed. The Lord will strike you with madness and blindness and confusion of mind, and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you. You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall ravish her. You shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it. You shall plant a vineyard, but you shall not enjoy its fruit. Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat any of it. Your donkey shall be seized before your face, but shall not be restored to you. Your sheep shall be given to your enemies, but there shall be no one to help you. Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes look on and fail with longing for them all day long, but you shall be helpless. A nation that you have not known shall eat up the fruit of your ground and of all your labors, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually, so that you are driven mad by the sights that your eyes see. The Lord will strike you on the knees and on the legs with grievous boils of which you cannot be healed, from the sole of your foot to the crown of your head.
“The Lord will bring you and your king whom you set over you to a nation that neither you nor your fathers have known. And there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone. And you shall become a horror, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples where the Lord will lead you away. You shall carry much seed into the field and shall gather in little, for the locust shall consume it. You shall plant vineyards and dress them, but you shall neither drink of the wine nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your territory, but you shall not anoint yourself with the oil, for your olives shall drop off. You shall father sons and daughters, but they shall not be yours, for they shall go into captivity. The cricket shall possess all your trees and the fruit of your ground. The sojourner who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower. He shall lend to you, and you shall not lend to him. He shall be the head, and you shall be the tail.
“All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that he commanded you. They shall be a sign and a wonder against you and your offspring forever. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and lacking everything. And he will put a yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you. The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle, a nation whose language you do not understand, a hard-faced nation who shall not respect the old or show mercy to the young. It shall eat the offspring of your cattle and the fruit of your ground, until you are destroyed; it also shall not leave you grain, wine, or oil, the increase of your herds or the young of your flock, until they have caused you to perish.
“They shall besiege you in all your towns, until your high and fortified walls, in which you trusted, come down throughout all your land. And they shall besiege you in all your towns throughout all your land, which the Lord your God has given you. And you shall eat the fruit of your womb, the flesh of your sons and daughters, whom the Lord your God has given you, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemies shall distress you. The man who is the most tender and refined among you will begrudge food to his brother, to the wife he embraces, and to the last of the children whom he has left, so that he will not give to any of them any of the flesh of his children whom he is eating, because he has nothing else left, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in all your towns. The most tender and refined woman among you, who would not venture to set the sole of her foot on the ground because she is so delicate and tender, will begrudge to the husband she embraces, to her son and to her daughter, her afterbirth that comes out from between her feet and her children whom she bears, because lacking everything she will eat them secretly, in the siege and in the distress with which your enemy shall distress you in your towns.
“If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you. And you shall be plucked off the land that you are entering to take possession of it.
“And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. And among these nations you shall find no respite, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot, but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you. Night and day you shall be in dread and have no assurance of your life. In the morning you shall say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and at evening you shall say, ‘If only it were morning!’ because of the dread that your heart shall feel, and the sights that your eyes shall see. And the Lord will bring you back in ships to Egypt, a journey that I promised that you should never make again; and there you shall offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but there will be no buyer” (Deuteronomy 28)
By the time Shaphan finishes reading, Josiah is on his knees. At the final words, Josiah tears his clothing and drops his head in shame. Shaphan waits quietly as his king composes himself. He understands the king’s reaction. He had one similar to it as he read the words of the Lord to His people.
Josiah slowly rises to his feet. He looks at his throne and chooses not to sit on it yet. He is so humbled by God’s words that he does not feel worthy to occupy it right now. He turns to Shaphan. “Gather before me Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and yourself, and Asaiah the king’s servant. I have a task for you all.”
Josiah paces the throne room while Shaphan goes to collect everyone that the king named. When all are assembled before him, Josiah makes an urgent plea. “Go, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us” (2 Kings 22:13).
Hilkiah is overjoyed at the king’s response to the scroll. Quickly Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah go together to the home of Huldah the prophetess. Her husband was the keeper of the wardrobe. When they come to her, they told her of finding the book of the Law of Moses and the king’s desire to seek the Lord on behalf of the people.
As soon as they were finished speaking, Hudlah speaks the words of the Lord. “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read. Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched. But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the Lord, when you heard how I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the Lord. Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place’” (2 Kings 22:15-20).
The men hurried back to the throne room to tell Josiah all that was said. Josiah has very mixed feelings about the Lord’s message. His heart aches for the distress that all the kings before him caused to the Lord. He aches for the punishment that will soon rain down on the people. But he rejoices in knowing that God’s punishment will not happen in his lifetime. One other thing that he takes notice of is that God addresses Josiah’s reluctance to sit on the throne. In God’s first words, He called him “the man who sent you to Me.” Later though God identifies him as the king Judah and speaks of seeing him as he tore his clothes. God is reaffirming that HE has placed Josiah on the throne of Judah. After realizing this, Josiah makes his way to his throne and sits down in the very seat that the Lord God of Israel has called him to.
Josiah speaks to all the men who are still standing in the throne room. “This book of the Law is not just for the priests or even the king. It must be read before the whole people. All of Judah must renew the covenant with our God. Gather ALL the people together; the leaders of Judah, the Levites, the priests, and all the people great and small. We will enter the Temple of the Lord our God three days from now.”
Word goes out immediately to all the provinces of Judah. When the third day arrives, the city is packed in like wheat in a sheave. Josiah leads the procession to the Temple. He takes the same place on the stairs that he occupied as he was crowned king of Judah. Hilkiah follows him, holding the scroll. Josiah takes it from Hilkiah’s hands and looks out at the people. He waits until a hush falls over the whole crowd before speaking.
“People of Judah, chosen people of the Lord our God, here what the Lord has said to His people from the days of Moses. Today, I hold here in my hands, the book of the Law of Moses. I am going to read it in the presence of all of you gathered here today. When I am finished, I will pose a question that each of you must answer for yourselves.”
An absolute hush falls over the people as they ready their hearts to hear the words of the Lord. Josiah’s voice rings out loud and clear, reaching every ear. The people’s hearts rise and fall as the words speak of their future, when obedient and when disobedient. Many of the words spoken this day are familiar to the people, even if they haven’t been living by them. Others are new and challenging. The people listen to EVERY word and take them ALL into their hearts.
Josiah finishes the very last word. He hands the scroll back to Hilkiah. Josiah’s face shows the evidence of the tears he has been shedding. Several times during reading the scroll, he had to pause and clear his throat, as it was choked with tears. Josiah turns and looks straight at the vestibule doors that are still in need of repair. He puts his hand out on the pillar beside him and swears a solemn oath to the Lord.
“Lord God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel. I am unworthy to be standing in Your presence, yet You have called me to do so. You have chosen me and this people out of all the people of the earth. You knew us before we were born, and You called us Yours. Today, I want to fully affirm that I AM YOUR child. I will do all that I do to honor You. I will walk in the ways that You have given me through Your word. I will faithfully follow You all the days of my life.”
Josiah now turns to the people. “I promised you a question after I finished reading the book of the Law of Moses. My question to each of you is, will you each join with me in covenanting to the Lord to follow His precepts and statutes. To faithfully walk in all He has commanded His chosen people to do?”
A sound that shook the very heavens above came from the people. “We will!”
Josiah did not poll each person. He took it on faith that ALL of the people had covenanted with the Lord. Josiah had another announcement for the people. “Not since the days of Hezekiah has the Passover been observed. There are yet two and a half months until the 14th of Nissan. We have until that date to finish repairs on the Temple of the Lord and to prepare our hearts to meet together here in Jerusalem and celebrate His Passover. When the people came together on that momentous Passover under King Hezekiah, some had not consecrated themselves to the Lord. There is plenty of time between now and the day the Lord set aside for each man to make himself right with the Lord. I will provide the Passover lambs for all the people as you are all part of my household. All you need do is come before the Lord ready to receive. Spread the word throughout all of Israel as well. They are welcome to join us, once they too have consecrated themselves to the Lord.”
Hilkiah blessed the people and sent them to their homes to make preparations.
Josiah watches with excitement as the Temple is repaired. The workmen have promised to finish by the 1st of Nissan so that the priests can dedicate the renewed House of the Lord.
The day of the new year dawns and the king calls the priests together. The Temple is finished. It is time to get ready for the Passover.
“Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel. Prepare yourselves according to your fathers’ houses by your divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son. And stand in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers’ houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers’ household. And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses” (2 Chronicles 35:3-6).
The priests are more than happy to be returning the Ark of the Covenant to its rightful place. It had been moved during the restoration. This movement of the Ark back into its place signified the completion of the restoration and the beginning of the rededication of the Temple.
Everyone and everything are ready. The day is joyful and full of celebration. The city is teaming with people intent on honoring the Lord. Josiah’s shepherds have Passover lambs and goats ready for the people. He is not the only one contributing this day. The elders of Judah and even the Levites are contributing to the people and the priest’s Passover offerings. Josiah gives 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 bulls. The officials contribute 2,600 lambs and goats and 300 bulls. The Levites contributed 5,000 lambs and goats and 500 bulls. No one went without a sacrifice. The slaughter of the Passover lambs went long into the night. The Levites roasted the priest’s portions to make certain that the priests and the Levites who were serving received their portions.
The Feast of Unleavened bread went on for the next seven days. The people were joyous, kind to one another, and more than anything else, praising the Lord their God. Nothing was left undone and no one left unblessed. This Passover celebration eclipsed ALL those before it, all the way back to the time of Samuel the prophet of God. It was done exactly as the Lord commanded. NO deviations and NO substitutions.
On the eight day the people begin leaving Jerusalem. A semblance of peace returns to the city after all is cleaned up. The normal traffic of people looks almost lonely after being so full for so many days.
The Lord gives Judah peace during Josiah’s reign. From Josiah on down to the lowest servant walks in the ways of the Lord to the very best of their abilities. Josiah rules on disputes according to the Law, and the people respect that same Law in their own lives. The celebrations that the Lord commanded the people to observe are faithfully carried out each year. Not a single Passover goes unrecognized in all the years of Josiah.
As time goes on, Josiah gets even closer to the Lord, but he cannot help but notice what is going on in the nations around him. Josiah has been on the throne for thirty-one years when Pharaoh Neco leaves Egypt and goes to the Euphrates to face the Assyrian king in battle. Josiah personally goes to meet Pharaoh Neco, in hopes on avoiding a battle between the two nations that might impact Judah. Josiah has decided that he will stand with the Assyrians if war comes, as they already control the lands of the northern kingdom of Israel.
“Great Pharaoh, I plead with you not to engage in battle with the Assyrians. You are both powerful nations, and I fear that your conflict may spread to other nations. I will stand against you if need be, but this is not my desire.”
Pharaoh looks down his nose at Josiah. “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you” (2 Chronicles 35:21).
Even though Josiah has spent years developing a relationship with the Lord, he does not recognize His voice in the mouth of Pharaoh Neco. He withdraws as Neco’s command, but he does not leave. Josiah returns to his camp and disguises himself. He and his men join in the battle at Megiddo. The battle is fierce and Josiah puts himself in the middle of it. He is severely wounded by an arrow from one of the archers. Josiah says to his servant; “Take me away, for I am badly wounded” (2 Chronicles 35:23).
Josiah is quickly taken from the battle field and transferred into a second chariot that speeds him to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, the doctors do all they can to heal Josiah’s wounds but it is not to be. Josiah dies in his own bed.
The whole nations mourns Josiah’s passing. There had never been another king like him who followed the Lord so faithfully. The singers and even the prophet Jeremiah compose songs of lament for Josiah. These songs remind the people of all the good he has done.
The people of Judah make Jehoahaz king in his abba’s place. And they compare him to his father from that moment on.
(to be continued)
I wish there were more stories of what Josiah did while he was king. I wonder what he did in the 13 years following the restoration of the Temple and reinstitution of the Passover. Why did he decide to go out to meet Pharaoh Neco? How much longer would he have ruled if he had heeded the words of God through Pharaoh Neco? I have to believe that this too was part of God’s plan. God certainly knew that Josiah was going to stick around and fight. If He TRULY wanted Josiah to go back to Jerusalem, HE could have made it happen. God allowed Josiah the choice.
I wonder if Josiah had any big sins like King David did. We see David’s flaws but are spared seeing Josiah’s. NO man is perfect, so I have no doubt that there are a few ‘skeletons in his closet’. But Josiah was faithful to remove ALL the idols from the land. He left NOTHING of other gods for the people to turn to. When Hezekiah ‘cleansed’ the nation, he did not deal with the altar of Ahaz or the altars of Solomon. Josiah doesn’t even let these stand.
There would be more built after Josiah’s death. I’m SO glad Josiah didn’t consider Judah a lost cause. He fought for the people and their relationship with the Lord all his days.
Father God, thank You for men like Josiah that You put in place. I KNOW that You have the power to turn the hearts of leaders. To move nations to where You want them to be. I wish I knew what is Your will and what is man getting his way, for a time. But, then again, maybe I don’t want to know. All I really need to do is trust You, no matter what comes. I KNOW that ALL that You have said will be, WILL BE. I know the ‘final score’ and You WIN! That’s enough for me.
