Josiah's story continues...
So, in the previous chapter, 22, Josiah had learned the details of God's word and was convicted on behalf of his whole nation. He had his men seek the Lord on the matter and learned that it was too late for Judah, who was to be devastated; but Josiah would be spared of that.
II Chronicles 34 gives us the prequel, the backstory as to how this young king did so much so early.
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and walked in the ways of David his father; and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet a boy, he began to seek the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherim, and the carved and the metal images. II Chronicles 34: 1-3, ESV, biblegateway.com
It's significant to note that Josiah sought the Lord and started the reforms BEFORE the hidden scriptures were found and read to him. The Lord was supernaturally working in him!
In II Kings, verse 1, Josiah now gathers the elders. Then he brings together all of Jerusalem to hear a reading of the Book of the Law. He leads the group in a covenant with the Lord to follow the Lord, His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with their whole hearts.
Next comes Josiah's reforms
- cleaned the foreign idols out of the temple, burn them in the fields of Kidron, hauled off the ashes
- deposed all of the priest who had committed and led false worship
- burned the Asherah that had been established in the temple, ground the ashes to dust
- broke down the male prostitute stations that had been added to the temple and the woman's idolatrous hangings
- sent his priests out to defile and break down the high places of idolatrous worship in the high places, and kept the priests of the high places out of the temple.
- defiled the area used to sacrifice children
- removed the horses and chariots that had been dedicated to the sun gods
- removed all of the false altars that had been erected in and around the palace and temple
- basically removed all remnants of the various idolaters in Judah and throughout the northern region that had been Israel.
In the Wiersbe commentary, Be Distinct, he explains that Josiah, specifically, destroyed and then defiled the idol worship area that had originally been established by Solomon as place for his heathen wives to worship their gods. Josiah was sent on a mission to clean up everything, even the way back stuff before God hauled them all away. God does not forget!
And then this seismically significant reform:
Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah. II Kings 23:15, ESV, biblegateway.com
I often refer to the Israel exile, and eventually, Judah's exile. However this one verse really marks an end in the history of Israel--the cleansing of the sins left by Jeroboam, who caused millions to sin with him over hundreds of years. The consequences continued for centuries, since the Assyrians left behind a bastardized faith in those left in the northern tribal regions; but the original offending altar finally came down. And it was a king of Judah who saw to it. The Lord is longsuffering, until He's not.
Josiah went even further as to pull the bones of the previous leaders of the rebellious northern kingdom out of their tombs and crushed them to dust, except he left the tombs of the prophets in place who had predicted these events. He then goes throughout the cities of Samaria and does likewise- pulling down shrines and altars that had been so offending to the Lord.
And then there is this gem. One simple sentence.
And he sacrificed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem. II Kings 23:20, ESV
In case you were thinking Josiah was some sort of fresh-faced boy scout...yikes.
9.11.24
In verse 21 King Josiah requires all of the people to celebrate the Passover to the Lord, bringing everyone back to that touchpoint of the faith. Never forget the Sacrifice of the Lamb.
Verse 22 is a sad commentary suggesting that the Passover, probably, had not been celebrated since the time of the judges, including none of the kings of Israel or Judah. Not that the Passover wasn't celebrated; but not by command of the king that all celebrate unto the Lord. Good kings, such as Hezekiah, observed it; but not as a command to the whole combined kingdom in Jerusalem.
Wiersbe has an interesting point that the reason people from both northern Israel and throughout Judah were able to come to Jerusalem for the formal Passover was because Assyrian power was failing and Babylon hadn't peaked yet- so travel was possible. Think about that. Think about what God had to maneuver for this small window of peace for this celebration to be possible. To pause to juggernaut empires for this one righteous king to be able to call his people to celebrate the Lord and the memory of the Passover. it's really mindboggling.
II Chronicles 35 goes into great depth on the Passover celebration, including returning the sacred Ark back to the Temple. Sounds like they had hidden it, probably from Manasseh and that had been a burden to them. This chapter details the offerings and sacrifices, as well as the many participants in the ceremonies.
Verse 24 gives an interesting take on why Josiah removed the mediums, spiritualists, idols, and such. "...that he might confirm the words of the law..." When we mix and match and include the Bible as just one of many sources of truth, we call God a liar. Jehovah Elohim, our God is One.
Here's the amazing summary of Josiah:
Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. II Kings 23:25
That's a truly amazing tribute. I'm, honestly, just hoping for "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Sadly, verse 26 goes on to tell us that, although Josiah was a positive standout, the Lord's longsuffering had come to its end for the rest of Judah. Fierce wrath. That is shutteringly bad. And the author firmly lays it at the feet of what Manasseh had done to provoke him.
Verse 27 gives us the exact words of God, casting out Judah and Jerusalem as He done with the northern kingdom of Israel.
Verse 28 starts the usual wrap up of the rest of the acts of Josiah, but verse 29 adds on the tale of Josiah meeting the king of Egypt in battle and being killed. His servants brought him home and buried him in his own tomb.
Verse 30 states that the people compelled Josiah's son, Jehoahaz, to be the new king.
II Chronicles 35 goes into more depth about the death of Josiah. It sounds like he, too, had his fallen moment- as all of the good kings. Neco, the king of Egypt, only wanted to move through Palestine, not to fight; and even spoke the words of God to convince Josiah; but Josiah didn't believe him and went to fight.
It also has more details about how all of the people of Judah mourned for him, including Jeremiah lamenting for him.
Jehoahaz
Jehoahaz gets three paragraphs...
- He was 23.
- He reigned three months in Jerusalem.
- His mother and gradfather's name. (His grandfather was Jeremiah, but I don't know yet if that's THE Jeremiah. I think it is. [Wiersbe said it's not THE Jeremiah becase he was unmarried.])
- He did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his fathers had done. (Not his actual father. That dude rocked.)
- He was kidnapped by the Egyptian king, Neco- who had killed Josiah- and held for ransom.
- We learn that Jehoahaz dies in Egypt.
Eliakim aka Jehoiakim
We learn, starting in verse 34, after taking Jehoahaz captive, the king of Egypt makes another son of Josiah the new king of Judah. His name was Eliakim, but Neco changed it to Jehoiakim, which is how we know him in the book of Daniel.
Jehoiakim pays the ransom to Neco- gold and silver. Doesn't sound like it helped get his brother home safely, though.
He was 25 years old and reigned 11 years, although we're about to learn that his reign was a season of constant loss and humiliation for his people- so not a great leader from where I am sitting.
The Ryrie footnote points out that, as a vassal of Egypt for four years, he paid them tribute from the people, but still built a luxurious palace for himself (Jeremiah 22).
And, of course, he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his fathers had done.
It's so sad that Josiah's goodness didn't have a bigger influence on even his own sins; but that's why God's longsuffering ran out. The rot had spread through the barrel of apples and He had to dump them all out to save those that were still save-able.
God is longsuffering, America, until He's not.