2 Kings 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

THE LAST GREAT REFORMATION

2 Kings 21:1 to 2 Kings 23:27

Good King Hezekiah was followed on the throne by the most wicked king to ever rule Judah. All the religious gains effected by Hezekiah were soon lost, and the nation plunged anew into idolatry and all its attendant evils. Political independence, so bravely engineered by the father, was willingly surrendered by the son. Judah again fell into the orbit of Assyrian vassal kingdoms. For over half a century the abscess of sin festered in spite of the eleventh-hour effort of a chastened Manasseh to heal the wound. But with the assassination of Manasseh’s son Amon after a brief reign the stage was set for the last and greatest reformation in the history of Judah.

REVIEW OF CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

I. FACTS TO MASTER

A. Identify each of the following:

1. Manasseh

2. Baal

3. Asahiah

4. Amon

5. Asherah

6. Huldah

7. Josiah

8. Shaphan

9. Joshua 4. Moloch/Milcom

10. Hilkiah

11. Nathan-melech

12. Ashtoreth

13. Ahikam

14. Chemosh

15. Achbor

B. Identify each of the following places:

1. garden of Uzza

2. Topheth

3. Kidron

4. Valley of Hinnom

5. Bethel

6. Samaria

7. Geba

8. mount of corruption

9. Beersheba

C. How did each of the following figure in the events of this chapter?

1. line and plummet

2. unleavened bread

3. a dish

4. horses and chariots

5. a book

6. bones

7. ashes

8. Passover

9. powder

II. QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Manasseh was the wicked son of a righteous king; Josiah was the righteous son of a wicked king. What factors may account for this situation?

Manasseh reigned longer than any other king of Judah. Why did God permit such a wicked man to retain the throne for so long?

Was the decree pronounced against Judah and Jerusalem during the reign of Manasseh irrevocable?

How old is the tradition that Isaiah the prophet was slain by Manasseh? How would you assess the historicity of this tradition?

Manasseh repented of his wayward life toward the end of his reign. What success did he have in undoing his own life of sin? What lesson is there in this?

How can you account for Josiah’s righteousness at such a young age?

Josiah began his reforms in his eighth year, yet it was not until his eighteenth year that repair work on the Temple commenced. Why this delay?

What was the book found in the Temple in 621 B.C.? For what purpose was this book taken to Huldah?

Huldah is called a prophetess. What other Biblical women have this title?

What was Jeremiah’s relationship to the reform of Josiah?

Huldah predicted that Josiah would die in peace (2 Kings 22:20), but in fact he died in battle at Megiddo. How is this to be explained?

What was Josiah’s intention when he burned bones on altars throughout the land?

In what sense was the Passover celebrated in Josiah’s day unlike any Passover celebrated since the days of the Judges? (2 Kings 23:22)

Scripture states there was no king like Josiah before or after him (2 Kings 23:25). Virtually the same thing is said of Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:5). How can the statement be true with regard to both kings?

A city gate of Jerusalem

Armed force in the day of the king

Drawings by Horace Knowles from the British and Foreign Bible Society

2 Kings 22:1-2

III. THE REIGN AND REFORMATION OF JOSIAH 22:1-23:27

In view of the corrupt conduct of his father and grandfather, it is surprising that Josiah determined at such an early age to follow the path of righteousness. It has been suggested that the prophet Zephaniah may have exercised considerable influence on the young lad after the assassination of his father. After (1) a brief introduction to his reign (2 Kings 22:1-2), the author describes various developments in the last great reformation in Judah: (2) the Temple repair (2 Kings 22:3-7); (3) the discovery of a lost law-book (2 Kings 22:8-13); (4) the prophetic threat of Huldah (2 Kings 22:14-20); (5) the renewal of the covenant (2 Kings 23:1-3); (6) the intensification of the reformation (2 Kings 23:4-23). To this discussion the author adds (7) an appraisal of the Josianic reformation (2 Kings 23:24-27).

A. INTRODUCTION TO THE REIGN OF JOSIAH 22:1-2

TRANSLATION

(1) Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years; and the name of his mother was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Boseath. (2) And he did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD and he walked in all the ways of David his father and did not deviate to the right or to the left.

Fifteenth King of Judah JOSIAH BEN AMON 640-609 B.C. (Supported by Yabweb)

2 Kings 22-25; 2 Chronicles 34-35

Contemporary Prophets Jeremiah; Zephaniah; Huldah Nahum; Habakkuk

Mother: Jedidah

Appraisal: Excellent

A wise king scatters the wicked, and brings the wheel over them.

Proverbs 20:26

COMMENTS

Josiah was only eight years old when he began to reign. This would mean, since his father died at age twenty-four, that Josiah was born when his father was only sixteen years old. Josiah reigned thirty-one years, from 640 to 609 B.C. (2 Kings 22:1). This was one of the most important periods of world history. The mighty Assyrian empire was crumbling, and the Median and Chaldean empires were forming. It was providential that during this crucial period of history a godly king sat on the throne of David. Concerning Josiah the author of Kings uses an expression used of only one other king, King Hezekiah. He says Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the way of David his father. He never deviated from the right path (2 Kings 22:2).

Josiah, according to the Chronicler, began his reform movement in the eighth year of his reign, and that movement gained momentum in his twelfth year (628 B.C.).[639] At that time the pious young king began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim and carved images and molten images (2 Chronicles 34:3). The next year Jeremiah the prophet began his ministry which must have given powerful impetus to the king’s reform efforts. The reformation reached its climax in the eighteenth year of Josiah (621 B.C.).

[639] The reformation may have proceeded in stages so as to test the reaction of Assyria, which would doubtlessly have regarded such reform as tantamount to rebellion.

2 Kings 22:3-7

B. THE TEMPLE REPAIR 22:3-7

**TRANSLATION

(3) And it came to pass 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 report the silver which is brought to the house of the LORD which the keepers of the door have gathered from the people. (5) And let them deliver it over to the workers, those who have been appointed over the house of the LORD; and let them give it to the workers who are in the house of the LORD to repair the dilapidation of the house, (6) to the carpenters and builders and masons in order to purchase timber and hewn stone to repair the house. (7) However, no thought was taken of the silver which was given into their hand because they worked faithfully.

COMMENTS**

In his eighteenth year, the king dispatched the scribe Shaphan[640] (2 Kings 22:3) to the Temple to take a count of the monies which had been collected to pay for much needed repairs in and around the Temple. This collection must have been accumulating in a box or boxes placed at the entrance of the Temple complex for perhaps as long as six years, i.e., from the twelfth year of Josiah. The order was now given for the high priest to count the collection (2 Kings 22:4) and to distribute it among the superintendents who were in charge of the Temple renovation. They in turn were to hire the skilled laborers (2 Kings 22:5) and to purchase the necessary building materials that would be required to repair and renovate the dilapidated Temple (2 Kings 22:6). The superintendents were men of impeccable honesty in whom full confidence was placed to properly administer the funds (2 Kings 22:7). Their names are recorded in Chronicles along with the fact that they were all Levites (2 Chronicles 34:12).

[640] Chronicles adds that Shaphan was accompanied by Maaseiah the governor of the city and Joah the royal recorder or remembrancer (2 Chronicles 34:8).

2 Kings 22:8-13

C. A LOST BOOK RECOVERED 22:8-13

**TRANSLATION

(8) And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, The book of the law I have found in the house of the LORD! And Hilkiah gave the book unto Shaphan, and he read it. (9) And Shaphan the scribe came unto the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Your servants have gathered the silver that was found in the house, and they have given it into the hand of the workers, the ones who have been ap pointed in the house of the LORD. (10) And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given to me a book, and Shaphan read it before the king. (11) And when the king heard the words of the book of the Law, he rent his garments. (12) And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah the servant of the king, saying, (13) Go inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah concerning the words of this book which was found, for great is the wrath of the LORD which is kindled against us because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book to do according to all that which is written concerning us.

COMMENTS**

On the very day that the royal order came to commence the renovation, Hilkiah sent word back to the king of a striking discovery. During the preliminary surveys which preceded the building operation, an ancient law book had been discovered. Opinions differ as to exactly what this book was. Some think that it was only the Book of Deuteronomy or some part thereof. Others think the book may have been the entire Pentateuch.[641] Hilkiah handed the ancient document over to Shaphan who read enough from it to determine that the book was exceedingly valuable and should be brought to the attention of the king (2 Kings 22:8).

[641] It was the official Temple copy of the sacred book which was found. It would not necessarily be the only existing copy of the Law. Cf. Finley, BBC, p. 493.

Returning to the royal palace, Shaphan reported that the king’s orders concerning the Temple collection had been carried out (2 Kings 22:9). Then Shaphan told the king of the book which had been found in the Temple and read excerpts from that document (2 Kings 22:10). When the king heard the tone and contents of the book, he was quite upset and demonstrated his state of mind by tearing his garments (2 Kings 22:11). He recognized the language of this book to be that of the Law of God. Even though that book had for many years been lost, yet much of its contents had been preserved and handed down orally by the pious of the nation.

In order to confirm his own personal view of the book, the king appointed a committee to make further investigations regarding it. Apparently Hilkiah the high priest was the chairman of this committee. Shaphan the scribe and his son Ahikam[642] were on it as were a certain Achbor and Asahiah[643] (2 Kings 22:12). The committee was charged to enquire of the Lord on behalf of the king concerning the document. Prior to the time of David such inquiry was made through the high priest as he utilized the Urim and Thummim. But since David’s day, one normally consulted a prophet of God in order to ascertain the divine will.[644]

[642] Ahikam once rescued Jeremiah when he was on trial for his life (Jeremiah 26:24). He was the father of Gedaliah who was appointed governor of the land after Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem (Jeremiah 39:14; Jeremiah 40:7).

[643] These names ate spelled Abdon and Asaiah in 2 Chronicles 34:20. Animal names were in vogue at this time. Shaphan (rock-badger), Huldah (mole), and Achbor (mouse) are examples.

[644] See 1 Kings 22:5-8; 2 Kings 3:11; 2 Kings 8:8; Jeremiah 21:2; Jeremiah 37:7 etc.

It was not the purpose of this committee to determine whether or not the book was authentic. Of this there was no doubt. Rather the king wished to ascertain whether the threats which the book contained were to have an immediate fulfillment. Josiah recognized that the nation had been doing, and to some extent continued to do, those very things which were so forthrightly condemned in the Book of the Law. In view of the grave threats which Moses had made against practitioners of idolatry and immorality the king could not help but feel that the wrath of the Lord had already been kindled against the nation. Because of the disobedience of their fathers, the apostasy had continued now for some time. Was the cup of iniquity now full? Would the wrath of the Lord burst forth against Judah any day? (2 Kings 22:13).

2 Kings 22:14-20

D. THE PROPHETIC WORD OF HULDAH 22:14-20

**TRANSLATION

(14) And Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asahiah went onto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah the son of Harhas, the one who kept the garments (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second city); and they spoke unto her. (15) And she said unto them, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Say to the man who sent you unto me, (16) Thus says the LORD: Behold I am about to bring evil against this place and against its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read, (17) because they have forsaken Me, and have made offerings to other gods in order to provoke Me with all the deeds of their hands. And My wrath is kindled against this place, and it shall not be extinguished. (18) But to the king of Judah who has sent you to inquire of the LORD, Thus you shall say unto him: Thus says the LORD God of Israel: With regard to the words which you have heard: (19) Because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard that which I spoke concerning this place and concerning its inhabitants, that they should be a desolation and a curse, and you have rent your garments, and wept before Me, also I will hearken (oracle of the LORD). (20) Therefore, behold I will gather you unto your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought word to the king.

COMMENTS**

It is not entirely clear why the royal representatives chose to consult with Huldah the prophetess. Jeremiah and Zephaniah were the two great prophets of this time. But Jeremiah lived in Anathoth, and Zephaniah may have passed on to his reward before the eighteenth year of Josiah. In short, Huldah may have been the only person immediately available who possessed the prophetic gift. Huldah is said to have lived in the second, i.e., the lower, city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:14). She is the only example of a prophetess in Israel who seems to rank on an equal footing with the prophets.[645]

[645] Miriam (Exodus 15:20), Deborah (Judges 4:4), Isaiah’s wife (Isaiah 8:2) and Anna (Luke 2:36) are called prophetesses, but in a secondary sense, as holy women, having a certain gift of song or prediction from God.

After examining the contents of the scroll, Huldah sent a prophetic oracle back to Josiah (2 Kings 22:15). The king’s worst fears were justified. All the threats in the book would shortly befall Jerusalem and its inhabitants (2 Kings 22:16). The parallel passage in Chronicles uses the phrase all the curses that are written in the book which suggests that the particular passage which had most strongly affected the king was Deuteronomy 28 which begins with a series of curses. Such drastic punishment was justified in view of the fact that Judah had completely turned from God. They burned incense to other gods and constructed abominable images with what appeared to be a determined effort to provoke the wrath of God. The unquenchable wrath of God had been kindled by this apostasy, and that wrath was about to be poured out on Jerusalem (2 Kings 22:17).

The Lord was mindful of the piety of Josiah and the determined reformation effort which he had launched, and so God sent a message of consolation for the godly king (2 Kings 22:18). God had taken note of the inward repentance which Josiah had manifested when the scroll was read in his presence. The king had humbled himself, rent his garments and wept when God’s threatening words against Judah were read before him. Since Josiah had hearkened to the word of God, the Lord had hearkened to the words of Josiah (2 Kings 22:19). Huldah was divinely authorized to assure Josiah that the national destruction threatened in the Law would not occur during his reign. Josiah would die in peace, i.e., he would not personally see the evil time (2 Kings 22:20). It was some three years after the death[646] of Josiah that the divinely appointed agents of Jerusalem’s destruction made their first appearance in Judah.

[646] Josiah died in battle against Pharaoh Necho at Megiddo in 609 B.C., but he was buried in peace in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 35:24-25). The point that Huldah was making was that Josiah would not experience the terrible fate which would befall his nation. He would not be carried off into a foreign land or have his corpse mutilated and abused. Josiah was the last king of Judah to be buried in peace in Jerusalem.