Josiah and reformation
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¶ Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the
daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
.2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. |
1
- Josiah was eight His father, Amon,
was only 24 when he was slain and Josiah was made king 2ki2124.
2 - Did that which was right A bright spot among wicked kings. In his eighth year as king he began to seek the Lord 2ch3403. |
| .3
And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king
sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the
house of the LORD, saying,
.4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: |
3 -
Eighteenth
year He had begun reform in his twelfth year 2ch3403.
3 - Shaphan Was father of Ahikam, a friend to Jeremiah je2624. 4 - Sum the silver ... gathered Joash had taken a similar collection 2ki1209. |
| 5 And let them deliver it
into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the
house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which
is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house. .7 Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully. |
5 -
Deliver
it To "repair the breaches."
5 - Breaches From bedeq, "gaps." From neglecting the Lord's house, we neglect attendance at worship and personal prayer and Bible study. Isaiah was given a strong message on the topic. The people were to build the wall. They were to repair the spiritual foundations. For faithful Sabbath observance they would be blessed. See is5812,13. 7 - No reckoning ... faithfully Praise God for those who are true under all circumstances 2ki1215. Overseers are named in 2ch3412. |
| .8
And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found
the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book
to Shaphan, and he read it.
9 And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD. 10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. |
8 -
Book
of the law See on 2ch3414.
9 - Have gathered The original text reads "poured out," that would be money from the chest. 10 - Read it before the king The passages read may have been from Deuteronomy. Compare 2ki1209-11. |
| .11
¶ And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book
of the law, that he rent his clothes.
12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king's, saying, .13 Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. |
11
- Rent his clothes He realized the gravity of obedience and
disobedience.
12 - Ahikam He had provided protection for Jeremiah je2624 who was the father of Gedaliah, governor of Judea following Nebuchadnezzar's capture of Jerusalem 2ki2522. 13 - Enquire The message from the ancient book was to be for everyone. Those chosen to seek the Lord included Josiah's most trusted servants. It was a serious situation. The people had wandered far from the Lord. Compare ps119176, je5006. |
| 14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her. | 14
- Hulda the prophetess During the reign of Josiah several
prophets were active. they included Jeremiah, je0102,
Habakkuk and Zephaniah zp0101.
And the prophetic gift was also active at other times.
14 - She dwelt ... in the college "rather, 'in the Misnah,' taking the original word as a proper name, not a school or college, but a particular suburb of Jerusalem. She was held in such veneration that Jewish writers say she and Jehoiada the priest were the only persons not of the house of David (2Ch 24:15,16) who were ever buried in Jerusalem." (JFB) |
| 15 And she said unto them,
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
16 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: .17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched. |
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| 18 But to the king of Judah
which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith
the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
19 Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD. 20 Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. |
19 - Tender Josiah was receptive to the Spirit of God but apparently the nation was still in apostasy and the predicted punishment would not be stopped v17. |
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