II Kings 23:1-27; II Chronicles 34:1-35:19
In today’s readings we have only one king, Josiah, and he is good – not a single bad word mentioned! He became king at 8 years old, he began to seek the LORD when he was 16, and he began his cleansing of Jerusalem and Judah when he was 20 years old (II Chronicles 34:2-3). He lived another 19 years and served the LORD with all his heart during his lifetime.
The list of his accomplishments is impressive and is described in detail in II Kings 23. First, you may recall from yesterday that the Book of the Covenant had been discovered when the workmen began to cleanse the Temple area. Josiah’s first order of business was to read from this Book with all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Then he continued that cleansing of the Temple area and all of Jerusalem and all of Judea and even all of Israel. These activities occupy almost all of II Kings 23. The details occupy a full 17 verses in that chapter, with substantial detail on all the evil that had been perpetrated by his father and grandfather and earlier kings – surprisingly, including even Solomon. Josiah’s purging was complete!
Finally, when Josiah was 26 he restores the Passover for himself and all of Judah and Israel. We move to II Chronicles 35 for those details. And the details are, in fact, overwhelming: 30,000 lambs and goats and 3,000 bulls from the king’s possessions; 2,600 lambs and 300 bulls from the chief officers of the Temple; and 5,000 lambs and goats and 500 bulls from other chiefs of the Levites. I can’t stop myself from adding those numbers up – 37,600 lambs and goats and 3,800 bulls offered for this Passover for Josiah and the elders and the people of Judah and Israel! Huge!!
So, what do we see from Josiah’s early reign?
- Finding and reading from the Book of the Covenant
- Cleansing the Temple area and all of Jerusalem through the destruction of all the altars and idols to foreign gods
- Moving on even to the northern parts of Israel to cleanse all of the Promised Land of these foreign gods
- Celebrating the Passover for himself and all of Judah and Israel.
Quite an accomplishment!! Would that my own seeking and serving the Lord could be so extensive!
One more very important item…
Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of His great wrath, by which His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the LORD said, “I will remove Judah also out of My sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.”
II Kings 23:26-27
Josiah’s reforms, as great and extensive as they were could not undo the harm done by his father and grandfather and previous kings. Under Josiah, Judah’s cleansing had only begun!