He established and organized all the Levites again in their courses. C. L. G. The prophetic activity of Jeremiah began in the reign of Josiah; he was a contemporary of his relative the prophetess Hulda and of his teacher Zephaniah. He rather gave his life to covetousness. [8] Eliakim had his name changed by Pharaoh Necho of Egypt to Jehoiakim.[9]. Josiah was an amazingly unique king. Josiah would have been six years old when Manasseh died. Josiah, the boy king, was only eight when he assumed the throne. Josiah was influenced by the prophet Zephaniah. [23], For much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, it was agreed among biblical scholars that this "Book of the Law" was an early version of the Book of Deuteronomy, but recent biblical scholarship sees it as a largely legendary narrative about one of the earliest stages of the creation of Deuteronomistic work. The very things he had learned from Deuteronomy (Deut. It is a wonderful time of working together to rebuild the true worship of God. This occurred after the assassination of his wicked father Amon (2 Kings 21:19-23). While Hilkiah was clearing the treasure room of the Temple he discovered a scroll described in 2 Kings as "the book of the Law",[16] and in 2 Chronicles as "the book of the Law of the LORD given by Moses". Can you see him directed his servants? The instruments and emblems of the worship of Baal and "the host of heaven" were removed from the Jerusalem Temple. See more ideas about king josiah, bible crafts, bible crafts for kids. In the Kidron Valley is where King Josiah‘s priests dumped the ashes of the false gods after his purification spree to rid Jerusalem of idol worship, temple prostitutes and child sacrifice.. He, along with his people, then entered into this new covenant with the Lord to keep the commandments of the Lord. For the faithful remnant that had endured so many years of wickedness it must have been a time of great excitement and hope. He could destroy the images, but he could not eradicate the idols out of his people’s hearts. When Josiah became king of Judah in about 641/640 BCE, the international situation was in flux. The account of his reign in 2 Kings 22 – 23 is almost entirely taken up with a presentation of his cultic reform program in the eighteenth year. 17:12 where “the man” is mentioned who will do presumptuously and not hearken to the judgment of the priests. According to rabbinic interpretation, Huldah said to the messengers of King Josiah, "Tell the man that sent you to me ..." (2 Kings 22:15), indicating by her unceremonious language that for her Josiah was like any other man. Josiah’s grandfather was the notorious king Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-16) who was responsible for loosening all restraints on morality and idolatry. {16} He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well with him: was not this to know me? The dire irrevocable doom would make most men give up but not Josiah. He turned that curiosity into a zeal when he became convinced. Approximately forty years in both cases. There are two accounts of Josiah's death in the Bible. Did you know that Zephaniah, the prophet, was his cousin? If this is the case, there may be an echo in verse 23. Josiah reigned 31 years in Jerusalem, “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” (2 Chronicles 34:22 … Did his grandfather try to influence him for good? [6] His grandfather Manasseh was one of the kings blamed for turning away from the worship of Yahweh. King Josiah’s personal leadership, authority, and example brought about spiritual renewal throughout Israel, brought God’s protection and blessings, and undoubtedly extended the time of Israel’s independence. Yet, he didn’t. Both 2 Chronicles 34:3 and 2 Kings 22:2 emphasize that Josiah walked in the ways of King David. 34:2 to describe Josiah. In the story, we see also a faithful high priest in Hilkiah. Josiah was the grandson of Manasseh, king of Judah, and ).When his father was assassinated, Josiah, then only eight years old, was proclaimed king. He was the last good king; the evil of his four … After all these years a book lay forgotten, the book of the law of the Lord given by Moses (2 Chr. [25] In fact, some recent European theologians even go so far as to posit that most of the Torah and Deuteronomistic History was composed and finalized several centuries later, during the Persian period. 34:33 cp. Konrad Schmid, "The Persian Imperial Authorization as a Historical Problem and as a Biblical Construct," in G.N. The king read all the book in their ears and then publicly declared his covenant before the LORD. [13] Zedekiah was the last king of Judah before the kingdom was conquered by Babylon and the people exiled. No archaeological evidence for Josiah as a person exists. {15} Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? 1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. After this six-year campaign to eradicate the sin of Israel he returns to Jerusalem and turns his sights to repairing the house of God. Chronicles, in contrast, tells about three stages of the reform: (1) in the eighth year of his reign (632 B.C.E.) Josiah is credited by most biblical scholars with having established or compiled important Hebrew scriptures during the "Deuteronomic reform" which probably occurred during his rule. י אוש י הו ,י אש י הו ), son of Amon, king of Judah (640–609 B.C.E. It was a fight that he should never have been involved in. No doubt then that Josiah had his own personal copy of the book of the Law but he didn’t keep it to himself. He grabbed hold of the promises and never let go. The reaction of Josiah to the word is exemplary. Josiah was eight years old when his father was murdered. According to 1 Kings 13:1–3 an unnamed "man of God" (sometimes identified as Iddo) had prophesied to King Jeroboam of the northern Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), approximately three hundred years earlier, that "a son named Josiah will be born to the house of David" and that he would destroy the altar at Bethel. Since the period of the judges what was celebrated for the first time Josiah became king as a child of only eight, and soon took an interest in the LORD, contrary to his father King Amon. King Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. Committing ourselves to a covenant with God, living our life in faith and leaving a legacy that is pleasing to God. Early in life he instituted reforms and took steps against idol worship. burned human bones on them.” [2 Kings 23:20] “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the He truly took this to heart as he humbled himself and kept the commandments. Manasseh humbles himself at the end of his fifty-five-year reign and tries to right the wrong, but his son Amon forsakes the way of the Lord. Humility was needed. Of whom, at least under that name, there is no mention in thee history of the reign of Josiah’s sons, 2Ki 23 2Ki 24.But in Jeremiah 22:11, there is mention of Shallum the son of Josiah king of Judah, which reigned instead of Josiah his father; which most conceive to be the … Start studying Josiah's Reform. It’s for certain that covered the sites with human bones.” [2 Kings 23:14] “Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and. From that early age, king Josiah On his return march, Necho found that Jehoahaz had been selected to succeed his father, Josiah. He wiped out all of the pagan cults that had formed within his land. 35:25, List of artifacts in biblical archaeology, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, The Three Deaths of Josiah and the Strata of Biblical Historiography, "Tiny First Temple find could be first proof of aide to biblical King Josiah", List of Jewish leaders in the Land of Israel, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Josiah&oldid=995087000, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 19 December 2020, at 04:04. He developed improved pottery bodies by a long process of systematic experimentation, and was the leader in the industrialisation of the manufacture of European pottery (the Chinese having achieved this long before ). Pro-King Josiah. Josiah must have diligently followed the instruction in verse 18 to write out his own copy of the law. You would think, then, that he would be easily influenced, no doubt governing Judah by means of a group of regents who served as his advisors. Necho then took Jehoahaz back to Egypt as his prisoner. So as we partake of this new covenant in his blood let us stand by it, putting off the old man with his deeds and being renewed in the spirit of your mind to serve the living God. When you say, “Go!” King Josiah will … For sure, King Josiah knew of this Babylonian king as he would have heard of his exploits in the nation surrounding him and would soon face him in battle. Josiah consulted the prophetess Huldah, who assured him that the evil foretold in the document for non-observance of its instructions, would come, but not in his day; "because", she said, "thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thyself before the Lord". The very wicked king Ahaz has a son Hezekiah who was a mountain of faith. And the only exception to this destruction was for the grave of an unnamed prophet he found in Bethel (2 Kings 23:15–19), who had foretold that these religious sites Jeroboam erected would one day be destroyed (see 1 Kings 13). King Josiah decided to oppose the advance of the Egyptians, despite the objections and warnings of the Prophet Jeremiah. That’s a great leader. {13} Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work; That saith, I will build me a wide house and large chambers, and cutteth him out windows; and it is cieled with cedar, and painted with vermilion. Hezekiah in turn hands over the kingdom to his son Manasseh who made Judah to do worse than the heathen around them. 15:16). 2 Chronicles 34: 19 -21 King Josiah realized that they had not been obeying God and that the Lord was angry with them for this reason. Josiah’s father, Amon, was no better. [47] Though it may not directly mention King Josiah by name, it does appear to be from the same time period in which he would have lived. When King Josiah stood for what was right, others joined in and got excited about serving the Lord. Josiah’s Reform and the Book of the Law Donald W.B. Friedmann, p. 129], compare Maimonides in the introduction to "Yad"; in, Lamentations Rabbah 4:1; Targum II Chron. Jeremiah influenced the nation on how to mourn for and remember this godly king. No sooner does he hear the word then he rends his clothes at the very implications (v. 19). Do our kids know that there is a treasure in their own homes? He was eight years old when he became king, and reigned for 31 years in Jerusalem. Verse 15 is about the future king that would be “one from among thy brethren” and in verse 20 “his heart was not to be lifted up above his brethren.” The righteous king was supposed to see himself as a man from among his brethren. Then in Chapter 22, ten years into the reign of his grandson King Josiah, the High Priest found a Torah scroll and they were not even familiar with its contents. When King Josiah stood for what was right, others joined in and got excited about serving the Lord. Then King Josiah contributed to the laypeople, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and 3,000 bulls; these were from the king’s possessions.And his Josiah reigned for thirty-one years, from 641/640 to 610/609 BCE. Josiah ruled as king of Judah roughly between 640 and 609 B.C (2 Kings 22–23; 2 Chronicles 34–35). or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? Nothing could hold him back. This was it! At the age of twenty he does something about it. It was a personal mission. 2 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and followed the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left. There’s no doubt in my mind that the Lord Jesus Christ took so much to heart from the life of King Josiah. King Josiah of Judah (ruled 640–609 b.c.e.) He eventually calls him “the king” in verse 26. [14] The Chronicler records in detail the execution of this programme, whereas the account in 2 Kings begins with the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem, which both accounts say was initiated in the eighteenth year of his reign. He was sixteen years old when the record says he “began to seek after the God of David his father” (2 Chr. He was the son of the evil King Amon and the grandson of King Manasseh. We must seek out and strengthen the positive things of Bible study, prayer and meditation on the Word. [46], The only textual sources of information for Josiah's reign are from the Bible,[4] notably 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35. According to the account of Kings, the reform was motivated by the discovery of "Book of the Torah" in 622 B.C.E. he started "to seek the God of David" (IIChron. Secondly, we should take on his zeal. In the kings record we have some unexpected twists and turns. [30] Huldah was not only a prophetess, but taught publicly in the school,[31] according to some teaching especially the oral doctrine. It’s fascinating that much of what he did was before he was even aware of the Law of Moses. He shared it and expected everybody to keep it. ), it became quite clear that Josiah established feudal estates on He preached even knowing the judgments of God were soon to come. I just wanted to pick out some examples this morning for us to consider.[1]. Ve got to brake this into more pieces 609 bc, king of Judah ( 640–609 B.C.E. shared. Did his grandfather, Manasseh, had been lost faithful high priest Hilkiah was the one who taught Josiah influenced! 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