Josiah Reigns in Judah (2 Kings 22:1-2)
2 Chronicles 34:1 – 13 “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.
Josiah Destroys Idolatry (1 Kings 13:1-10; 2 Kings 23:4-20)
In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his father David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images. Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. Then he burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them. He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.
Josiah Repairs the Temple (2 Kings 22:3-7)
Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz, the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.
So they went to Hilkiah the high priest and gave him the money that had been brought into the house of God, which the Levites at the doors had collected from the people of Manasseh and Ephraim, from all the remnant of Israel, Judah, and Benjamin, and from the people of Jerusalem. They put it into the hands of the supervisors of those doing the work of the house of the LORD, who in turn gave it to the workmen restoring and repairing the house of the LORD. They also gave money to the carpenters and builders to buy dressed stone, as well as timbers for couplings and beams for the buildings that the kings of Judah had allowed to deteriorate. And the men did the work faithfully. The Levites overseeing them were Jahath and Obadiah, descendants of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam descendants of Kohath. Other Levites, all skilled with musical instruments, were over the laborers and supervised all who did the work, task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
Sometimes reading the stories of the kings of Judah and Israel is extremely depressing. One man after another messes up, leading his people further and further into spiritual La Brea tar pits. But the story of Josiah gives us one last ray of light and encourages us that even if someone comes from a bad background, even if someone becomes a king as a child, righteousness can still prevail with proper advisors and supporters.
King Hezekiah was righteous but fathered Manasseh, who brought idolatry back to Judah. Manasseh repented once in captivity in Babylon and returned to Jerusalem to try to undo the horrors that he had created. When Manasseh’s son Amon ascended to the throne at age twenty – one, he proceeded to bring back full – bore idolatry. Amon was so terrible that his own servants killed him in the palace after only two years of his rule. Now Amon’s eight-year-old son, Josiah, has become king.
Miraculously, Josiah loves God and serves Him whole – heartedly just as King David did. These comments are a high tribute to whomever has trained Josiah in the ways of God. Josiah begins to seek God when he is sixteen and when he is twenty, he cleanses Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles, and idols of every sort, cast and carved. Josiah crushes all these items to dust and then scatters that dust over the graves of those who had worshipped those idols. Josiah kills the pagan priests and burns their bones on the pagan altars, desecrating them. Not only does Josiah do this in Jerusalem and Judah, but also throughout the Northern Kingdom as well. “Josiah did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali, and in the ruins around them. He tore down the altars and Asherah poles, crushed the idols to powder, and cut to pieces all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.”
Why can Josiah go throughout most of the Northern Kingdom cleansing it? Sadly, the Assyrians have already killed most of the citizens of the Northern Kingdom or carried them off into captivity. Now that the idolators have perished, there is nobody left to oppose Josiah. And Josiah’s coming has been foretold from the time Jeroboam built the altar at Bethel.
The story is told in 1 Kings 13. Jeroboam has just built two big altars, complete with golden calves, one in Dan and the other in Bethel. “And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. The man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you shall he offer the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.”
When Josiah is twenty – six years old, to cleanse the land and the temple, he orders that the temple in Jerusalem be repaired. These are the first repairs in a long time, and there is a great deal to do. Moved by the Holy Spirit, people from all over Judah and from much of the Northern Kingdom have donated money for this cause. Even though this work is beyond the scope of the traditional duties of the priests, they assume positions as supervisors and general contractors, assuring that the work is done properly.
Once more, Ezra carefully records the names of those handling most of the duties. Even though these men have died thousands of years ago, God is still reminding us of their faithfulness and their attention to their tasks. Never assume that God does not know your circumstances! Never feel that your efforts have gone unnoticed or unappreciated! God knows! God sees! God understands!
Tomorrow we will continue the story of Josiah. Josiah acted righteously and loved God because people whose names have not been recorded here discipled him properly. We must train our children while they are young; it is a mistake to leave children alone and assume they will make right choices later. If we love our children, we will train them in the ways of God and discipline them. Proverbs 13:24 tells us, “A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them.” (The Message)
We must always remember that God is watching and taking note of our efforts. When we are discouraged and feel that our struggles are in vain, we should turn to God, the only One who truly knows us.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. Help us to love You more each day than we did the day before. And help us to train the children around us so that they will truly know You, the One True Living God. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
November 18, 2022 at 1:25 am
I think we are raising the* altars of the Baals again in the USA, with abortion!*