Young King Does Right #T

The Scripture lesson is in 2 Kings 22.  Josiah began his reign in Jerusalem at the age of eight.  We are told that he followed in the steps of David and did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, turning neither to the left nor to the right.

Presently we see the king when he was about 26 years of age order the repair of the temple.  A historical preview is here in order.  Solomon dedicated the Temple in 950 BCE.  We are studying Josiah in about 622 BCE.  A lot of time has passed between these two monarchs.  Everything built with human hands falls into disrepair and decay.  And so the temple through neglect and abuse from time to time had been repaired twice prior to Josiah's day.  About 800 BCE it was repaired by Joash (2 Chronicles 24:12) and also about 100 years prior to Josiah by Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:12).  And Josiah now finds the building falling to staves, so to speak.

I found it interesting that when King Josiah ordered the money for the repairs conveyed to the workmen who would be responsible that he stated that an accounting was not necessary, "because they are honest in their dealings." (2 Kings 22:7)  The question lurking in my mind is this:  Are there today reliable people, honest in their dealings, in whom such complete trust might be placed?  As difficult as we may find it to believe, given human nature and the proclivity to avarice, apparently Josiah's trust was not misplaced.

The real thrust of the chapter is the finding of "the book" and the King's sorrow and agony over the wickedness of the people.  God told him that He would rain punishment and destruction on Jerusalem, but that mercifully He would let Josiah die before he saw this terrible thing because "Your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord." (v. 19)

Josiah died in battle around 601 BCE and fifteen years later the Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians.

Notes on the narrative.
1.  The chronology is from the website of The Temple Institute, Jerusalem, Israel.
2.  Herod's Second Temple, completed in 64 CE, was considered one of the wonders of the ancient world.  It was destroyed by Titus's Roman forces in 70 CE.
3.  It is a goal of devout Jews to rebuild the Temple yet again.

God who made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands. Acts 17:24

Hulda and the King

Today take a peek at II Kings chapter 22.  Nay, read the entire chapter, for therein we find the eight-year old Josiah comes to the throne.  He will reign for thirty-one years. 

We are told that "he did 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."  (verse 2)

Now Josiah followed a series of kings who had engaged in wickedness, strayed from the Lord and even established worship of heathen gods.  But one day during the work to reconstruct the temple, Hilkiah the high priest found a book of the law.  He gave the book to Shaphan the scribe who read it and took it to King Josiah and read it to him.

When the king heard the words he rent his clothes in anguish.  Josiah commanded Hilkiah, Shaphan and three others to go to Hulda, a woman of Jerusalem who was a known prophet.  Josiah charged that they ask her concerning God's will as he recognized that the "wrath of the Lord is kindled against us because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book." (verse 13)

Hulda confirmed that God's wrath would not be quenched.  But because the king has a tender heart and he humbled himself before the Lord, the people would not be spared, but the king would die before he saw the desolation of Jerusalem.

His emissaries brought him this word of the Lord through Hulda the Prophet.

Now read chapter 23 in which Josiah cleans house and discover the circumstances of his death.

Takeaway:  The judgment of the Lord is stayed if we are contrite and repent of our sins.