Lesson 374 - Senior

Memory Verse

"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name:  bring an offering, and come before him:  worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness"  (I Chronicles 16:29).

Cross References

I Josiah's Righteous Reign

1. Josiah sought God when he was 16, and at 20 he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem, [2KG:22:1-7]; [2CH:34:1-3].

2. The Book of the Law was found in the Temple and read before the king, [2KG:22:8-11]; [2CH:34:14-19]; [DEU:31:16-17].

3. The king sends to Hulda the Prophetess to inquire of the Lord, [2KG:22:12-17]; [2CH:34:20-25]; [DEU:29:25-27].

4. Because the kings' heart was tender and he humbled himself, judgments would not come in his day, [2KG:22:18-20]; [2CH:34:26-28].

5. The king gathered the people together and they made a covenant with the Lord, [2KG:23:1-3].

II Cleansing of the Temple and the Land

1. Josiah with the help of the people cleansed the Temple and put down the idolatrous priests, [2KG:23:4-14]; [2CH:34:4].

2. Prophecy that was given 350 years previously was fulfilled by Josiah, [1KG:13:1-2]; [1KG:12:28-33]; [2KG:23:15-20].

III Keeping of the Passover

1. It was the greatest Passover ever held from the days of Samuel, [2KG:23:21-23]; [2CH:35:1-19].

2. There was no king, before or after, that turned to the Lords with all his heart, as Josiah did, [2KG:23:25].

3. Josiah is slain in battle by the Egyptians, [2CH:35:20-27]; [ZEC:12:11].

IV Jeremiah's Prophecy

1. Baruch wrote the words of Jeremiah's prophecy and read it to the people, [JER:36:1-10]; [JER:25:3].

2. Fear gripped the people and they wanted the roll read to King Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, [JER:36:11-19].

3. When the king heard the roll read he cast it into the fire, [JER:36:20-26].

4. The Lord tells Jeremiah to write another roll, [JER:36:27-32]. 

Notes

Josiah's Crusade Against Idolatry

Josiah "did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left" [2KG:22:2]). That is the greatest tribute that could be paid to the man. So few are willing to walk in the centre of the will of God. In religion it seems so easy to veer to the right and be cold and formal, or to the left and be fanatical and unbalanced.

By the time Josiah was sixteen he sought the Lord, and before he was twenty he began his purge of Judah. What a good feeling it must have placed in the hearts of Josiah and his group of crusaders as they marched from city to city with their mauls and axes and began cleaning out all the idols, altars, and groves! Oh, how the Lord must have blessed as the graven images crashed to the ground and the men swung their sledges until the stones were pulverised! What a wholesome atmosphere must have been created as the men scraped up the debris and the bonfires burned and the polluted land became clean again! This purge was not the work, of a hasty mob, but a deliberate work of six years to destroy idol worship.

What a glorious day it would be for us if a man like Josiah could go through our land and break all the bottles of liquor, burn all the tobacco, tear down all the theatres and dance halls, break all the gambling devices to bits, and clean out all the haunts of sin!

When Josiah was at Bethel breaking down the altar of the golden calves of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, and burning men's bones thereon, he spied an inscription on a sepulchre. "What title is that that I see?" he asked. The men of the city told him that that was the sepulchre of the prophet who had called him by name and proclaimed the very things he had done to the altar of Bethel.

This prophecy, recorded in [1KG:13:3], was most remarkable in that it was made more than 300 years before Josiah was born. We have no record of anyone's having named his son Josiah during those years or attempting to fulfil the prophecy until the appointed time. Then Amon, a wicked prince, named his son Josiah, although he does not appear to have been aware of the prophecy until after he had fulfilled it.

It must have given Josiah a great satisfaction to know that he was accomplishing the very thing God had foretold that he would do. It was good to know that he was turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, but was in the centre of God's will.

A True Foundation

After the purge, Josiah began the work of repairing and rebuilding the house of God. Too often men in their haste build on the old rubble without first having cleared the ground for a good foundation. Just as cement will not adhere to a rock covered with dirt, so our building will not stand unless it clings solidly to a sure foundation. Any dirt between our building and the rock will result in a faulty bond and a weak structure. Any sin will separate us from the true love of God.

Honest Men

There was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because "they dealt faithfully" [2KG:22:7]). How different this is from our day when public funds must be counted and recounted, and even then there are cases of embezzlement. Josiah must have surrounded himself with a group of honest men instead of clever politicians.

The Book of the Law

"I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD" [2KG:22:8]). That is where one would expect to find in the house of the Lord. In Jesus' day he found changers of money with their money tables in his house. Today, oftentimes one finds pool games, dancing, and even gambling where the Book of the Law should be found.

It was after Josiah had sought the Lord that the Book of the Law was found. If a person is honest and sincere in his search for the Lord, God will let him find the truth. The devil may have many false ways around to deceive the people, but God is able to guide an honest soul into the way of righteousness.

A Tender Heart

"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake . . . I also have heard thee, saith the LORD" [2KG:22:19]). A tender heart! "A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" [PS:51:17]). "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit" [PS:34:18]). Josiah rent his heart as well as his garment [JOE:2:13]), when he heard of the evil pronounced against Judah for their sins. God stayed his judgments and granted mercy unto the people all the days of Josiah because he humbled himself and had a tender heart.

A Covenant with the Lord

After a thorough cleanup of the land, Josiah called all Judah and Jerusalem together to make a covenant with the Lord. The next step was to observe the Passover. Let us not expect to have the Lord bless us in the partaking of the Lord's Supper, which is our Passover, until first we are free from sin and have entered into a covenant to obey the commandment of the Lord. Only those who are saved have a right to partake of the Lord's Supper.

What a Passover they held in the eighteenth year of Josiah! "Surely there was not holden such a Passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah" [2KG:23:22]). With their house in order, and their hearts clean; the Lord was ready to enter His holy Temple.

Jehoiakim's Indifference

With his father Josiah dead, his brother Jehoahaz a captive in Egypt, himself a puppet king of the Egyptian throne, one would think that Jehoiakim would implore the help of God for his land. A fast was proclaimed, but not by the king. The words of Jeremiah were read, but the king was not present, neither were the princes. What a contrast to the days when the king's father, Josiah, led the people in the worship of God. Someone told the princes of the judgments of God which were read from the roll of Jeremiah. The princes sent to hear the words and were afraid and told them to the king. He requested that the book be brought to him.

The king sat in his winter-house in front of the fireplace and his princes stood about the fire when the roll was read to them. As the pages were turned, the king took his penknife and cut them off and tossed them into the fire. This warning that God in His mercy had sent was lightly esteemed. God told Jeremiah: "It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin" [JER:36:3]).

A Warning Today

God's judgments are just as surely decreed for this age: "There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time" [DAN:12:1]). God is calling today that people might repent and get ready to escape His judgments, but the majority toss is off just as Jehoiakim burned the roll. What a pity that sinners fail to heed the warning, when it means their eternal salvation! What a shame that the nations of our day continue on in their sin in the face of the pronounced judgments of God, when He offers peace! The world is looking for a solution for its ills, but is rejecting the Saviour, the only One who can solve the problems. 

Questions

 

1. How old was Josiah when he began to reign?

2. When was the greatest Passover feast in Jerusalem held?

3. Name some of the things that Josiah did prior to this Passover.

4. By whom were some of the idols erected that Josiah destroyed?

5. Why was it not necessary to keep a record of the money for the repair of the Temple?

6. Approximately how long did the idolatrous altar at Bethel stand?

7. Tell some of the good things that were said of Josiah.

8. Who succeeded Josiah to the throne? How long did he reign? What happened to him?

9. What was the answer given by Huldah, the prophetess, to Josiah's inquiry concerning the words in the Book of the Law?

10. What parallel is there between Jehoiakim's attitude and that of men today?