2 Ch. 35: Josiah's Passover and Death

2 Chronicles 35:7 "Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand sheep and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king's own possessions."

Josiah celebrates the Passover. The passage here describes Josiah's Passover as unlike any Passover celebrated before, since Samuel. Hezekiah celebrated Passover though? What's the deal? What was the difference between Hezekiah's Passover and Josiah's Passover? We know that Hezekiah's passover was not exactly done according to the rules laid down for Passover (Ex. 12), so perhaps Josiah's was more in line with those rules.

Another interesting point in Josiah's Passover that gave me pause was how he, the king himself, provided so many sheep, goats, and cattle for the lay people. These people probably did not set aside an animal without blemish, probably were just as unprepared for the Passover as those in Hezekiah's day. The king didn't have to do this, but it is important for a couple reasons. One, because the king set an example to the entire nation that this was an important event to comemmorate the exodus. The second was to show what kind of king Josiah was. He sacrificed of himself so that those who couldn't do it themselves were able to keep the covenant.

The ark is also specifically ordered to stay put in the temple, implying that it went mobile for a while for some reason. Which was not right, because the temple established permanence for God, his people, and essentially the people were not letting God stay put where He needed to be.

Josiah gets all scared when Neco (not Necco) the Pharaoh of Egypt wants to go through Israel to fight someone at Carchemish. Neco's response to Josiah's challenge is very interesting... 

"What quarrel is there between you and me, O king of Judah? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God, who is with me, or he will destroy you."

God was not only active in Israel, he was orchestrating this war between Egypt and what I guess is Syria. Why? I don't know? Perhaps as judgment on Syria? On behalf of Israel? Not sure, but God apparently had a foreign policy as well. Josiah doesn't consult with God to make sure Neco is telling the truth, doesn't talk to any of his prophets...he just makes assumptions that God could not possibly be working through or using this pagan king.

Josiah's intervention is surprising considering the devotion he had generally in walking in the ways of the LORD. It proves disastrous, and winds up being the death of him. But he interfered in what God was doing.

More on Josiah: 2 Kings 21-23, Entries