Showing posts with label Josiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Josiah. Show all posts

Saturday, December 06, 2008

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 

Friday, December 05, 2008

2 Ch. 34: Josiah's Reforms

2 Chronicles 34:19 "When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes."

Josiah, Josiah. The boy king. The eight year old with more sense in him than the legions of men before him. I guess what strikes me most is that in spite of not even having the book of the covenant in his possession, Josiah still manages to do right in the eyes of God. He did a clean sweep of the idolatry and the false religions, and walked in the ways of David...unwaveringly.

How did he do that? Was it just the example left by David? And probably Hezekiah? Was this history and tradition Josiah's "book of the law?" If so, it's a pretty amazing example of being an example. Etc.

For those who say the Bible, especially the OT is too phallocentric, here is Huldah (a pretty name!) the third prophetess since Miriam and Deborah. And that's just who was mentioned by name. I can only assume there were more.

When the book is eventually found during refurbishing the temple, and is read to Josiah, he tears his robes. He is humble. Me? I would probably instantly swell with pride at how well I was doing without said book. Instead, Josiah is heartbroken for the people. And he understands what God will do to those who haven't kept His commands. It's all right there. There's no way around it. Josiah's knowledge of God was deep enough to the point that he knew God would keep His end of the deal. I imagine that Josiah was even more distraught over knowing that the people he loved and served would endure the coming judgments, while Josiah would be buried in peace.

And disaster, as we know, is coming.

Monday, September 29, 2008

2 Ki. 23: Josiah's 180

2 Kings 23:22 "Not since the days of the judges who led Israel, nor throughout the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah, had any such Passover been observed."

The kingship in Judah looks like a turnover-filled football game. One king will run Judah one way, another king will immediately run it back the other way. And with fervor. No kings appear to just be go-to-work type kings. Either they are ardently for the LORD, or against. And passionately so, and it appears to be tied to religion.

What Josiah does to turn Judah back to the LORD reads like a religious who's who of the idols and practices of the day. Judah, in their polytheism, basically did it all. Baal. Asherah. Starry hosts. High places. Child sacrifice to Molech. The sun, Ashtoreth, Chemosh and Ashtoreth. The mediums, the spiritists, the household gods and the idols. He went so far as to slaughter the priests of the idols, and burn them on the altars meant for these other gods.

Then he commanded the celebration of Passover. Which sounds familiar, but hasn't even been mentioned since Joshua 5. commentary Like a thousand years ago.

But the LORD was still angry because of Manasseh, and despite Josiah's efforts to remove and destroy these things, Josiah was out of luck, and was killed by the Pharaoh when he took Judah to war. Josiah was even described as following the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his strength (Dt. 6:5). What was the reason for this? Why did the seemingly innocent Josiah have to pay for the actions of Manasseh and those before him? And Judah, the land of David would be subject to the same judgement as Israel.

Jehoahaz is Josiah's replacement, but is imprisoned by Pharaoh Neco so he could rule from Jerusalem. Basically an evil king, he turns Judah back around. Jehoahaz dies in captivity, and Josiah's next son, Eliakim is put on the throne by Neco, but is given the name Jehoiakim for some reason. Jehoiakim paid Neco protection money from the taxes. Jehoiakim was evil too.

And I react to this thusly. If God had allowed Josiah to keep ruling, perhaps Judah wouldn't have fallen into these evil kings this soon. But, probably, someone would have. And the hard truth of it is, Judah was in need of judgement, the way God saw it. And Josiah was the unfortunate innocent bearer of blood.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

2 Ki. 22: A Humble Man Rises

2 Kings 22:19 "Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I have spoken against this place and its people, that they would become accursed and laid waste, and because you tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD."

Josiah, another boy king, does right in the eyes of God. Isn't that the case? Except for Manasseh, at least, but Joash was also described as doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD in chapter 12. Children, really. Without their faith tainted by years of human "example."

After 18 years on the throne, Josiah decides its time for remodeling the temple...which probably was in disrepair from lack of use. While the men are fixing it up, they find the book of the law. Which was quite the discovery. How long was it hidden? How was there any sense of right? Was it merely orally passed on? Like a 1000-year game of telephone? It could be an excuse for the state of evil Israel and Judah perpetually found themselves in, had not there been some positive examples along the way.

Anyway, the book is read to Josiah, and of course its very bad news, considering Israel's recent history. He is distraught by this reading, and consults the prophetess Huldah. Its of course not good news for the people or the land, but because Josiah had the sense to humble himself before God, and set his heart right, Josiah himself would be spared from that calamity. God wanted that humility, and did not get it very often. When I think about it, these laws are about humility. About not chasing after self, but living according to what God prescribed. And great reward or evasion of tragedy are the result.

2 Ki. 21: Manasseh's 180

2 Kings 21:17 "I will stretch out over Jerusalem the measuring line used against Samaria and the plumb line used against the house of Ahab. I will wipe out Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down."

Well, the spiritual prosperity was realtively short-lived. Manasseh, Hezekiah's son, didn't pay attention to how his dad ran the place. But he must have at least seen how his grandfather Ahaz did things. Chapter 21 reads a lot like chapter 16. Manasseh was a reformer as his father was, except for evil. Anything his dad tore down, Manasseh restored. Polytheism, child sacrifice, polytheism, desecrating the temple, shedding innocent blood, Manasseh did it all.

And God, of course, was not pleased. This was Judah. Israel had already failed miserably, and now God threatened to deal with Judah the same way, which is what I think that whole business about the measuring line and the plumb line means. As Samaria was devastated, plundered, and resettled, so will Jerusalem. As Ahab was dealt with, so then will be the leaders of Judah. And wiping out the dish...he wants to remove the contents from it...he will keep the dish. Again, God's commitment to a promised land is emphasized, as is his rebuke of his people who refuse to keep his covenant. Whoever comes in and plunders Judah will be used by God, but will still be an enemy of God.

Manasseh kicks off at 67, and is replaced by his 22-year-old son Amon. Amon is Manasseh part II. He basically walks in the same way as his father. Which is not good. Long-lasting reign? Hardly. Two years after his coronation, he is assassinated by his officials. And this is weird, because the people didn't want him assassinated, apparently, because they in turn murdered Amon's killers. So there was some sense of "an eye for an eye" that remained. Or does that speak to a murderous nature embedded in Judah's culture at the time?

Josiah is installed after Amon.