King Josiah’s Reign

Reading: 2 Chronicles 34-35

Daily-Devotion:

Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, reigned 55 years; his son Amnon reigned 2 years. Each of those kings was evil. Amnon’s son, Josiah, began his reign when he was 8 years old. He reigned 31 years and did what was right in the sight of the LORD.

When he was 16 years old, he began to seek the God of David, his ancestor. When he was 20, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, and sacred poles, and carved & cast images. They pulled down the altars of the Baals, demolished the incense altars, and made dust of the images scattering it over the graves of those who worshipped them. This purge went into all of Israel, including Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon as far as Naphtali in the north of Israel.

In the 18^th year of his reign, when he was 26 years old, he began to repair the Temple. While this work was in process, they found the book of the law of God. They brought it to King Josiah and read it to him.

When he heard the words of the law of God as given to Moses, he tore his robes, and charged his servants to inquire of the LORD for him, “For the wrath of the LORD on us is great, because our ancestors did not keep the word of the LORD, to act by all that is written in this book.”

Those whom Josiah sent, went to the Prophetess Hulda and spoke to her. She said, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Tell Josiah the LORD says I will bring disaster upon this place and its inhabitants – all the curses written in the book read to you. Because they have forsaken Me and made offerings to other gods, so they provoked Me to anger; My wrath will be poured out on this place. But because your heart was penitent, you will not see all the disaster I will bring.”

Then Josiah gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem with all the people, great and small, and went up to the Temple where he read to them the words of the Law as written by Moses. He then made a covenant with the people to follow the LORD, keeping His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart. He had all in Jerusalem pledged to do this. All his days, they did not turn away from following the LORD.

Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD; on the fourteenth day of the first month, they slaughtered the Passover Lambs. Josiah provided 30,000 lambs & kids plus 6&,000 bulls from his own possessions. His officials willingly gave 2,600 lambs & kids and 300 bulls. The chiefs of the Levites gave to the Levites for Passover offerings 5,000 lambs & kids and 500 bulls. They kept Passover and the feast of unleavened bread after it for seven days in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

After this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, King Neco of Egypt went up to Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out against him. But Necho sent envoys to him saying, “I am not coming against you today, but against the house with which I am at war; and God has commanded me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, so He will not destroy you.”

But Josiah would not turn away from Him but disguised himself. The archers shot King Josiah, who told his servants to take him away. They took him out of his chariot and carried him to Jerusalem in the chariot of his deputy. There he died. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned him. Jeremiah the Prophet uttered a lament for Josiah, and the singers sang of Josiah in their laments. His acts, first and last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. Josiah was a good King, but those who came after him were wicked.

Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, reigned 3 months and Neco took him to Egypt, putting his brother on the throne of David and changing his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. He reigned eleven years; but Nebuchadnezzar came up in his days, whom he served three years before rebelling. Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon as a prisoner. His son, Jehoiachin, reigned for 3 months and 10 days before Nebuchadnezzar took him to Babylon. The final king of Judah was his brother, Zedekiah, who saw his sons killed by Nebuchadnezzar before his eyes were put out.