2 Chronicles 34:1-33
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the ways of his father David; 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 still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 5 He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. 6 And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. 7 When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.
8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God. 9 When they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites who kept the doors had gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, from all Judah and Benjamin, and which they had brought back to Jerusalem. 10 Then they put it in the hand of the foremen who had the oversight of the house of the LORD; and they gave it to the workmen who worked in the house of the LORD, to repair and restore the house. 11 They gave it to the craftsmen and builders to buy hewn stone and timber for beams, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. 12 And the men did the work faithfully. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah the Levites, of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to supervise. Others of the Levites, all of whom were skillful with instruments of music, 13 were over the burden bearers and were overseers of all who did work in any kind of service. And some of the Levites were scribes, officers, and gatekeepers.
14 Now when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses. 15 Then Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. 16 So Shaphan carried the book to the king, bringing the king word, saying, "All that was committed to your servants they are doing. 17 And they have gathered the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers and the workmen." 18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.
19 Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 20 Then the king commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Abdon the son of Micah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 21 "Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for those who are left in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out on us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do according to all that is written in this book."
22 So Hilkiah and those the king had appointed went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. (She dwelt in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter.) And they spoke to her to that effect. 23 Then she answered them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to Me, 24 "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah, 25 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath will be poured out on this place, and not be quenched.'"' 26 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, in this manner you shall speak to him, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Concerning the words which you have heard— 27 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the LORD. 28 "Surely 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 calamity which I will bring on this place and its inhabitants."'" So they brought back word to the king.
29 Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 The king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the LORD. 31 Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the LORD, to follow the LORD, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not depart from following the LORD God of their fathers.
King Josiah followed his father Amon to the throne, but not as his father ruled. Josiah did right as God commanded and lived like king David with a heart set in the direction of pleasing the LORD. He listened to God and kept on the straight path, not going aside left nor right as he listened to Him (Isaiah 30:21). He personally went through the land of Judah to destroy the idol altars to ensure that they were eliminated. Then when he sent some to repair the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest discovered the abandoned scriptures and handed it to the scribe Shaphan, who took it to the king along with the report of the restoration work accomplished so far. It was almost an afterthought when He told Josiah, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” and then began reading it out loud to him. When the king heard the word of the LORD and realized the people’s sins against Him in disobeying and disregarding His will commanded in that book, he knew God’s great wrath was due to them, and so sent for a prophet’s understanding of what they should do to repent and seek restoration in God’s eyes for their disobedience and utter rebellion for not keeping what was written for them to live by. Even though Josiah had been doing his best to setting his heart on pleasing God, he did not know all that should be done and the consequences for not following His word. He was a bit like Apollos (Acts 18:25-26), who had the heart for God but needed the more complete understanding to be effective for the work of God. The message for God’s people then, however was bleak; their continued willful disobedience and disregard for the word of God earned His due and certain wrath of judgment as they had been warned time and again along the way (2 Chronicles 36:14-20, Deuteronomy 28:15). King Josiah, however, was given forgiveness in grace because of his heart for God, and was spared that terrible justice. He would love out his life before judgment fell on the nation, being spared seeing that by the LORD’s mercy and goodness in return. Then he stood in the house of the LORD to read the word of God to the elders and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the great and the small, the common man and woman as well as the powerful and influential. All were equally to hear from God. He read the Book of the Covenant of God with His people, and made a covenant to follow Him and live according to that word of God with all the heart and soul. He then made all who heard to make a similar commitment to the LORD to follow His word as it was written so that they resultantly and diligently followed Him. They did not stray from the path of following God as long as Josiah ruled. As we will see, this was not a path they would be able to remain on very long, just as now those who follow the Lord in their own strength and understanding alone are unable to do right unless they are transformed and enabled by the Lord to do so (Romans 3:10, 19-20, 23-24, 7:6). We learn how essential the reading and hearing of God’s word is to follow Him and please Him, that we might know Him and be freed from His wrath we have all deserved since our father Adam (Romans 5:12, 15, 18-20). We therefore make His word our spiritual lifeblood to transform us further in living according to the New Covenant in Christ, being now able to follow it by His indwelling presence. This obedience to His word and will is only possible by our transformation by His working (Philippians 2:12-13) in us. Let us then live like Josiah and Apollos, knowing Who and what we believe and follow according to God’s word. Jeremiah 15:16 should be the song of our heart to live by, constantly consuming and ruminating on His word to live by! We take and eat as well to be God-pleasers.
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