It had been ignored for up to 57 years after the days of hezekiah, but during the 55 year reign of manessah, 2 years of amons reign and 18 years of josiahs reign up to this point. First, josiah shows the influence a person can have from a very young age. While hilkiah was clearing the treasure room of the temple he. Then he made a solemn covenant before yahweh to obey it, and all the people stood to the covenant.
Our father in heaven, we thank you for this book which we have been studying through the summer, for these kings, godly and otherwise. Just as he had done at bethel, josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of israel had built in the towns of samaria and that had aroused the lord s anger. It was during this time that hilkiah discovered the book of the law. The finding of the book of the law by hilkiah in the temple marks a distinct.
He renewed the covenant and made everyone pledge their faithfulness to it, acts that parallel the. All the people pledged their allegiance to the covenant. Deuteronomic reform history of religion britannica. Similar characteristics and charges between joshua and king josiah are outlined, focusing on gods call for the leader to obey and meditate on the law. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the temple of. Josiah was the king of judah from roughly 640 to 609 b. King josiah made a vow to keep all the laws written in it. Josiah made a public, binding agreement to completely obey the lord by doing all that was commanded in the book of the covenant that the people had just heard read to them. King josiah said he would follow the lord and keep his commandments and gods laws with his whole heart and soul. Josiah renews the covenant then the king called together all the elders of judah and jerusalem. The article focuses on the thematic parallels between the biblical figures of joshua and king josiah as found in the old testament passages of joshua 1. This bible story tells the account of josiahs life and focuses on how he helped israel follow the book of the law again. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirtyone years in jerusalem. King josiah made all those present in jerusalem and the elders of the tribes of judah and benjamin listen to a reading of the book of the covenant and to renew the peoples pledge of their alliance to yahweh and his covenant with israel 2 chr 35.
A brief summary of the contents of 2 kings 2223 is as follows. Josiah told all the people, keep the passover to the lord your god, as it is written in this book of the covenant. Also the fact that josiah clearly responded to the book by having the people enter into a covenant 2 kings 23. Beginning with the elders, he called the people to the house of the lord. We thank you for the king of kings who never failed the covenant, who will lead us to that heavenly home, who is even now preparing a place. Josiah renewed the covenant to follow the lord and keep his commands with all his heart and all his soul. The book that grieved josiah reformed bible studies. The only other mention of the ark of covenant in scripture occurs almost 700 years later when its mentioned briefly in the book of hebrews 9. Josiah reads the book of the covenant to the peoplethey covenant to keep the commandmentsjosiah overturns the worship of false gods, removes the sodomites, and puts down idolatryidolatrous priests are slainjudah holds a solemn passoveregypt subjects the land of judah. King josiah ordered the priests to remove and burn everything made for other gods that was in the temple. Josiah died in battle against the egyptian pharaoh necho at megiddo. The king and all the people celebrated this season with great joy and thankfulness. The hebrew bible states that the priest hilkiah found a book of the law in the temple during the early stages of josiahs temple.
During the repair, hilkiah, the high priest, found the book of the law of the lord given by moses. Josiahs covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders. The covenant was based on the declarations of the book of the covenant, the words of which were first read in the hearing of all the people. Much can be learned from josiahs life that is positive. The second book of kings the reigns of manasseh, amon. Josiahs covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of judah and of jerusalem. The account of the religious reforms of king josiah of the southern kingdom comes almost at the tail end of the story of the tragic decline of israel under the monarchy.
This bible story tells the account of josiahs life and focuses on how he. After he had done all this, he commanded, keep the passover unto the lord your god, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Josiah continued to remove all the evil priests, idols, wooden images and. All the people pledged themselves to the covenant 2 kin 23. We provide love, support, a job, skills, education, a place to live, and a sense of family for orphan or trafficked asian teenage girls. What happened to the book of the law in the time of josiah. The king went up to the house of the lord and all the men of judah and all the inhabitants of jerusalem with him, and the priests and the prophets and all the people, both small and great. Hilkiah gave the book to josiahs secretary, shaphan, who read it to josiah. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the temple of the lord. In 622, in the course of his reform, josiah promulgated what was called the book of the covenant or book of the law, which is identified as part of the book of deuteronomy in the redaction of the beginning of the seventh century b. Much can be learned from josiah s life that is positive. A blog about jesus christ who comes again to rule the earth as king of kings and lord of lords.
It is the especial duty of all churches, and of all believers, to search diligently into what god finds fault with, in his word, and to be deeply impressed with that, so far as they find themselves guilty. Because josiah was a righteous king, he tore his clothes in repentance upon hearing the lost book read aloud v. Josiah article about josiah by the free dictionary. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant. King josiah said he would follow and do the laws that were written in the book. Deuteronomy is one of the four mostfrequently quoted old testament books in the new. We make a covenant before the lord to keep all his commandments written in the book of the law.
Was the book of the law lost for a long time that king josiah never saw it before. Josiahs immediate procedure was to call to the temple a representative assemblageelders, prophets, priests, populaceand to read to them this book of the covenant 2 kings 23. Then the people, following the example of their monarch, pledged themselves to walk after the lord, to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all. What happened to the ark of the covenant is a question that has fascinated theologians, bible students, and archeologists for centuries. A crucial part of josiah s reign was his rediscovery of the law of the lord. After josiah, egypt and babylon will swoop in, installing jerusalems last puppet kings and. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had.
There was no king like him, who turned to the lord with all his heart. Josiah brought all the people together and josiah himself read in their hearing the book that had been found. Thus began a period of reform that lasted until the death of josiah 2 kings 22. In the modern canon it appears in a later redaction. Then king josiah stood by a pillar and made a promise to god. Book of the law and book of the covenant are descriptive terms for the scriptures at that time. He went up to the temple of the lord with the people of judah, the inhabitants of jerusalem, the priest. Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them.
The josiah narrative begins and ends with typical formulaic expressions found throughout the book of kings, with a slight distinction between the israelite and judean kings. Deuteronomic reform, great religious reformation instituted in the reign of king josiah of judah c. After josiah ascended the throne, the book of the law was found in the. Josiah tore his robes when he heard parts of the book because he knew that despite his reforms, the country was still far off the mark in obeying gods commands. After the high priest hilkiah found a book of the law in the temple, he had it brought to king josiah, who read it, tore his robes, and sent a delegation to the prophetess huldah. All the people agreed to follow the book of the covenant from god. King josiah was buried in jerusalem in his own tomb, and his son jehoahaz took the role of king. The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the lord, to walk after the lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. He then committed to follow the lord and to keep his commandments. Josiah s covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of judah and of jerusalem.
867 1215 766 340 211 1356 1123 1074 897 542 585 950 992 262 817 883 1400 1440 1508 220 262 153 420 475 1228 354 1189 193 170 61 1143 10 611 134