Lesson 13 - 2 Kings 22:3-20 - KING JOSIAH DID RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD
INTRODUCTION: This will be our final lesson in the books of 1 and 2 Kings. In 1 Kings, we started with the reign of Solomon and the completion of the Temple, the story beginning as the united Davidic kingdom but ending as a nation divided into two kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north. We were introduced to the great prophet Elijah and his successor Elisha and traced their many efforts to turn the Northern Kingdom away from its idolatry and sin and back to the worship of YHWH, the LORD God of their forefathers who had formed them as a nation and delivered them from slavery in Egypt. But as we saw, the Northern kingdom, led by a series of evil kings, fell even further away from God, so that the many warnings pronounced by the prophets like could not bring them back; and in 2 Kings, we saw the Northern kingdom fall further into sin and apostasy. The broad truth we learned from those lessons was that the Lord God is certain to judge His people when they disobey His Commandments and turn their backs on Him. We saw the how the Northern Kingdom cease to exist as an identifiable nation in 722 B.C., when they were decisively conquered by the Empire of Assyria and their people removed from the land permanently, never to return, so that the 10 tribes of the north had effectively been removed from existence. Today, in 2 Kings 22:3-20, we'll cover the final years of the Kingdom of Judah and the bold efforts of Josiah, its young king, when he initiates a project to repair Gods' Temple in Jerusalem, and in the process, discovers the lost Book of Moses.
Summary of vv. 1-2 (skipped): These verses report Josiah rise to the throne of Judah at age of eight, after his father had been assassinated, after which he reigned for a period of 31 Years (640-609 B.C.) From the very beginning, despite his youth and inexperience, God had purposed Josiah to be a king who: "[D]id right in the sight of the LORD and walked in all the way of his father David, nor did he turn aside to the right or to the left" (22:2). Today, we'd call him a 'straight arrow' leader.
Read 2 Kings 22:3-7 - REPAIRING THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
3 Now in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, 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 count the money brought in to the house of the LORD which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people. 5 Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the LORD to repair the damages of the house, 6 to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 7 Only no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully."
v. 3: "Now in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam the scribe, to the house of the LORD saying," - As recorded in 2 Chron. 34:8, at age 24, king Josiah instituted a project for the restoration of Solomon's Temple. The structure, now over 340 years old, had been allowed to deteriorate over many years of neglect by evil kings and corrupt priests. "Shaphan" was the leading official in Josiah's government who did the 'legwork' to ensure that the king's plans and policies were properly acted upon and brought to completion.
v. 4: "Go up to Hilkiah the high priest that he may count the money brought into the house of the LORD which the doorkeepers have gathered from the people." - We see from this verse that the office of "high priest," after being neglected for year, has been reinstituted in the Temple. The parallel verses in 2 Chron. 34-35, reflect that prior to Josiah's reign, the Temple has been desecrated with pagan idols and altars, which Josiah subsequently ordered to be removed and destroyed. He also instituted a campaign throughout Judah to destroy the pagan idols and altars had been set up in 'high places' at various locations in the kingdom. Under the supervision of "Hilkiah, the high priest," Josiah had established a fundraising campaign for the restoration of the Temple. Now, he asks Hilkiah to complete an accounting of funds raised thus far.
vv. 5-6: "Let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD, and let them give it to the workmen who are in the house of the LORD to repair the damages of the house, 6 to the carpenters and the builders and the masons and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house." - Here, Josiah directs Hilkiah to disburse the funds to the "workmen who have oversight"-i.e., the project managers-who will direct the skilled craftsmen and procure the materials needed to accomplish the work.
v. 7: "Only no accounting shall be made with them for the money delivered into their hands, for they deal faithfully." - Here, Josiah makes it perfectly clear that he doesn't want the overseers responsible for restoration of the Temple to be 'micro-managed.' According to 2 Chron. 34:12, all of the overseers in the project were selected Levites whose reputations for personal honesty and integrity were beyond reproach. This is a complete contrast to the usual state of affairs, where job managers are required to expend a great deal of time justifying their work to their superiors.
Read 2 Kings 22:8-10 - I HAVE FOUND THE BOOK OF THE LAW IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD
8 Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, "Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD." 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
v. 8: "Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it." - Most expositors interpret this to mean the entire Pentateuch, and the historian Josephus concurs with this view; some think was solely the Book of Deuteronomy. Shaphan probably didn't take the time to read the entire book but read enough to realize its authenticity and the urgent need to make it known to the king.
v. 9: "Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, "Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the LORD." - The verse refers back to the king's instructions in vv. 5-7, above. Shaphan reported back to the king that all the money earmarked for work on the Temple had been delivered to the overseers per his previous order.
v. 10: "Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, 'Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.' And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king." - Shaphan does not undertake to describe the significance of the book Hilkiah gave him, insofar as he's not a scholar in the Law and has only read a portion of it. At any rate, he sat down and began reading this newly found book to king Josiah. The text doesn't reveal how long he read or identify the substance of what the reading covered.
Read 2 Kings 22:11-13 - THE KING HEARD THE WORDS AND TORE HIS CLOTHES
11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant saying, 13 "Go, inquire of the LORD for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us."
v. 11: "When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes." - Josiah's reaction at the reading of God's Law was one of immediate conviction, as expressed by the tearing of his clothes, a Hebrew expression of extreme sorrow and anguish. Most scholars believe that the king's distress sprang from Judah's guilt and the fear of God's punishment for it. The broad truth of this passage is that the revelation of God's Word gives conviction, correction, and wisdom to the godly men and women who accept it. Because King Josiah accepted the truth of God's Word from the outset, he fully grasped that Judah had greatly sinned against God by all the forbidden things done in the nation during the reigns of the evil kings who preceded him-the sin debt had to be paid.
vv. 12-13: "Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant saying, 13 "Go, inquire of the LORD for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." - The men named in v. 12 were the king's trusted advisors. Ahikam had been the protector of Jeremiah during the reign of the evil king Jehoiakim (Jer. 26:24) and Achbor was the son of the prophet Micah (2 Chron. 34:20). Their assignment was to find a prophet or prophets so that the king can learn what is to done; and if at all possible, how to avoid judgment that was surely forthcoming. From what he had learned from the book of the Law thus far, Josiah realized that the entire nation was in very deep trouble.
APPLICATION 1: The revelation of God's word produces conviction, correction, and wisdom to godly men and women who are willing to accept it. Acceptance means that the person receiving God's word believes it to be the truth. Because King Josiah accepted the newly found book of God's Law as God's truth from the outset, he fully grasped that fact that the nation of Judah had greatly sinned against God by all of the forbidden things allowed during the reigns of the evil kings who preceded him. The same principle applies to modern Christians who accept the Bible as the inerrant Word of God. When we measure the Word of God against the state of the world we live in today, like Josiah, we must fully grasp that God's coming judgment is inevitable. It's only a matter of when.
Read 2 Kings 22:14-17 - THEY WENT TO HULDAH THE PROPHETESS
14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15 She said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 thus says the LORD, "Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched."
v. 14: "So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her." - Why the leading prophets of this timeframe, Jeremiah and Zephaniah, were not consulted isn't made clear. Since neither of them lived in Jerusalem, it may be that they simply were hard to reach at that time. The prophetess "Huldah" is unknown in the OT except for her mention here. In any event, however, it seems that Huldah was the only person having the prophetic gift who was accessible at this time. Since God rarely spoke to a nation through a woman, Huldah's case is a remarkable exception to the general rule inasmuch as her prophetic status in this instance is on par with that of prophets like Jeremiah and Isaiah.
v. 15: She said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'Tell the man who sent you to me," - This might seem to be an inappropriate response to the request of a king, but we need to understand that Huldah isn't speaking for herself but for YHWH, the LORD God of Israel. By calling Josiah a "man," Huldah was simply making it clear that Josiah is a mortal and fallible human being like the rest of the people and was not to be regarded as a deity, which was a common but false belief among the kings of many pagan nations. The Pharaoh of Egypt, for example, was given the status of 'god-king.' The opening, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel" (which often precedes prophetic utterances in OT Scripture), means that Huldah is delivering a message given to her by God, word-for-word.
v. 16: "thus says the LORD, "Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read." - As Josiah had rightly feared, God's judgment for Judah's misdeeds was certain and would "bring disaster" not only upon the land, but also upon "its inhabitants." The sin debt previous incurred by the evil rulers and the people who had turned away from the God of their fathers would be paid in full. As we know, this judgment did in fact take place in 587 B.C (about 40 years later), when the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took the people of Judah into captivity; and in the process, the entire city of Jerusalem and God's Temple were completely demolished, stone-by-stone.
v. 17: "Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched." - This verse specifies the charge of Judah's wrongdoing. Their sins were unpardonable. It was not simply a matter of breaking God's commandments, but because they had: (1) "forsaken Me"-completely turned their backs on their LORD God (as if He didn't exist); (2) "burned "incense to other gods"-the equivalent of offering prayers to other gods; and (3) provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands-that is, they worshiped wooden or stone idols made by their own hands.
APPLICATION 2: Any nation that persists in disobeying God's Word runs the risk of going past the point of no return. God's warnings of judgment can be conditional. When the people of a nation turn back to God in faith, confess their sin and honestly repent, God's judgment might be avoided altogether. However, God will only allow a nation to so far before judgment becomes inevitable, which, in today's text, was the case with the judgment pronounced against Judah by the prophetess Huldah. As Christians, we even look forward to the day when Jesus Christ will return in glory to judge the world. God's Words tells us that: "when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. (Matt. 25:21-33).
Read 2 Kings 22:18-20a - YOUR EYES WILL NOT LOOK UPON ALL THE DEVESTATION
18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD, this is what you shall say to him: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: 'Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 since your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become an object of horror and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,' declares the LORD." 20 Therefore, behold, I am going to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not look at all the devastation that I am going to bring on this place.'"
vv. 18-19: "But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the LORD, this is what you shall say to him: "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: 'Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 since your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become an object of horror and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have indeed heard you,' declares the LORD." - Here, God informed Josiah that He would spare him from the horrors of the coming judgment because his heart was "tender" and he "humbled [himself] before the LORD." His heart was "tender" in the sense that what he learned from hearing God's word made his heart ache over the spiritual condition of his kingdom and its people; and his response to God's word by tearing his clothes was an outward sign of his deeply felt inward humility.
v. 20: "Therefore, behold, I am going to gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not look at all the devastation that I am going to bring on this place.'" -Here, God mercifully informs the king that he would not live to see this evil time but would go to his grave in peace. As reported in 2 Chron. 35:20-25, King Josiah was mortally wounded in 609 B.C. in the battle of Megiddo to prevent the Egyptian forces from traveling across Judah to fight the massed forces of Assyria. Josiah was brought home and gathered "to his fathers."
APPLICATION 3: Even in the midst of God's righteous judgment, He will spare the faithful. In today's text God did this by allowing King Josiah to fall in battle, thus sparing him from the final agony of seeing his kingdom obliterated by the Babylonian armies 40 years later. Under the New Covenant, we call this event the rapture. The rapture of the church is the occasion in which God "snatches away" all believers, living and dead, from the earth in order to make way for His righteous judgment to be poured out on the earth during the tribulation period (1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:50-54). The doctrine of the rapture was not taught in the OT times, which is why Paul referred to it as a "mystery" now revealed (1 Cor. 15:51-52).
