Reflections on 2 Chronicles 34

 2 Chronicles 34 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled thirty-one years from Jerusalem.
2. He followed the example of his ancestor David and always obeyed the LORD.
3. When Josiah was only sixteen years old he began worshiping God, just as his ancestor David had done. Then, four years later, he decided to destroy the local shrines in Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the sacred poles for worshiping the goddess Asherah and the idols of foreign gods.
4. He watched as the altars for the worship of the god Baal were torn down, and as the nearby incense altars were smashed. The Asherah poles, the idols, and the stone images were also smashed, and the pieces were scattered over the graves of their worshipers.
5. Josiah then had the bones of the pagan priests burned on the altars. And so Josiah got rid of the worship of foreign gods in Judah and Jerusalem.
6. He did the same things in the towns and ruined villages in the territories of West Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as the border of Naphtali.
7. Everywhere in the northern kingdom of Israel, Josiah tore down pagan altars and Asherah poles; he crushed idols to dust and smashed incense altars. Then Josiah went back to Jerusalem.
8. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's rule in Judah, after he had gotten rid of all the sinful things from the land and from the LORD's temple, he sent three of his officials to repair the temple. They were Shaphan son of Azaliah, Governor Maaseiah of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, who kept the government records.
9. These three men went to Hilkiah the high priest. They gave him the money that the Levite guards had collected from the people of West Manasseh, Ephraim, and the rest of Israel, as well as those living in Judah, Benjamin, and Jerusalem.
10. Then the money was turned over to the men who supervised the repairs to the temple. They used some of it to pay the workers,
11. and they gave the rest of it to the carpenters and builders, who used it to buy the stone and wood they needed to repair the other buildings that Judah's kings had not taken care of.
12. The workers were honest, and their supervisors were Jahath and Obadiah from the Levite clan of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Levite clan of Kohath. Other Levites, who were all skilled musicians,
13. were in charge of carrying supplies and supervising the workers. Other Levites were appointed to stand guard around the temple.
14. While the money was being given to these supervisors, Hilkiah found the book that contained the laws that the LORD had given to Moses.
15. Hilkiah handed the book to Shaphan the official and said, "Look what I found here in the temple--The Book of God's Law."
16. Shaphan took the book to Josiah and reported, "Your officials are doing everything you wanted.
17. They have collected the money from the temple and have given it to the men supervising the repairs.
18. But there's something else, Your Majesty. The priest Hilkiah gave me this book." Then Shaphan read it aloud.
19. When Josiah heard what was in The Book of God's Law, he tore his clothes in sorrow.
20. At once he called together Hilkiah, Shaphan, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, and his own servant Asaiah. He said,
21. "The LORD must be furious with me and everyone else in Israel and Judah, because our ancestors did not obey the laws written in this book. Go find out what the LORD wants us to do."
22. Hilkiah and the four other men left right away and went to talk with Huldah the prophet. Her husband was Shallum, who was in charge of the king's clothes. Huldah lived in the northern part of Jerusalem, and when they met in her home,
23. she said: You were sent here by King Josiah, and this is what the LORD God of Israel says to him:
24. "Josiah, I am the LORD! And I intend to punish this country and everyone in it, just as this book says.
25. The people of Judah and Israel have rejected me. They have offered sacrifices to foreign gods and have worshiped their own idols. I can't stand it any longer. I am furious.
26. "Josiah, listen to what I am going to do. I noticed how sad you were when you heard that this country and its people would be completely wiped out. You even tore your clothes in sorrow, and I heard you cry.
27. (SEE 34:26)
28. So before I destroy this place, I will let you die in peace." The men left and reported to Josiah what Huldah had said.
29. King Josiah called together the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30. Then he went to the LORD's temple, together with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, the priests, and the Levites. Finally, when everybody was there, he read aloud The Book of God's Law that had been found in the temple.
31. After Josiah had finished reading, he stood in the place reserved for the king. He promised in the LORD's name to faithfully obey the LORD and to follow his laws and teachings that were written in the book.
32. Then he asked the people of Jerusalem and Benjamin to make that same promise and to obey the God their ancestors had worshiped.
33. Josiah destroyed all the idols in the territories of Israel, and he commanded everyone in Israel to worship only the LORD God. The people did not turn away from the LORD God of their ancestors for the rest of Josiah's rule as king.

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Why is one person's heart responsive to the Lord and another's is not? Why does one who has no godly influence around them begin to seek the Lord? This is the situation with Josiah who followed his father, Amon, as king at the age of 8. Amon was an evil king who ruled for only two years. His father, Manasseh, who ruled before him was also an evil king, probably the worst king Judah had. Though he turned to the Lord later in his reign and brought limited reform to Judah, it was no doubt his evil influence that stayed with his son Amon rather than the good that came later. But what about Josiah? Had the reform of his grandfather Manasseh planted a seed in his heart that directed him toward the Lord?

Whatever the influence, at the age of 16 Josiah "began to seek the God of his ancestor David." (34:3) Four years later he began "to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images." (34:3) He personally oversaw the reform which was extensive. His reform inevitably led, six years later, to repairing the temple. This proved to be providential. It should be noted that providential events are to be expected when we set ourselves on a path to follow the Lord and continue on that path faithfully seeking the Lord's guidance. If we travel that path on "autopilot" allowing it to become a mindless routine we follow we will likely miss the providential events along the way. But if we are continually seeking the Lord's guidance we will see them and be offered the opportunity to follow new paths that the Lord lays before us. If recognized and accepted these new opportunities will lead to more and more significant and rewarding events in God's providence. Each new opportunity, however, becomes a crises of faith. Will I trust the Lord for this new turn in the journey or play it safe by remaining on my current pathway?

What was the providential event that occurred with the repairs to the temple? A long-lost copy of the "book of the law of the LORD written by the hand of Moses" was discovered in the temple. (34:14) We have already wondered about Josiah turning to the Lord without any obvious positive spiritual influence to do so. Now we wonder even more at his motivation to do so realizing he had no copy of scriptures available to him to guide him in his personal devotion to the Lord or in the reform he led. The book was brought to Josiah and a short passage from the book read to him. In hearing it he tore his clothes expressing his grief at what he had heard. He immediately instructed those who brought the book to him to inquire of the Lord concerning the words of the book, saying, "great is the LORD's wrath that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD in order to do everything written in this book." (34:21) The passage read to him evidently revealed the curse that would be brought on the nation should it turn away from the Lord.

Those sent by the king to inquire of the Lord went to a prophetess by the name of Huldah. She told them, "This is what the LORD says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah, because they have abandoned Me and burned incense to other gods in order to provoke Me with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched." (34:24-25) The prophetess added for the king's benefit, however, "because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God . . ." the Lord says, "Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants." (34:27, 28)

Having heard this word from the Lord, the king gathered the leaders and all the people of Judah and had the words of the book read in their hearing. Then he made a covenant with the Lord to keep His commandments written in the book and had the leaders and the people do the same. Throughout his reign the nation "did not turn aside from following the LORD God of their ancestors." (34:33)