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History repeats itself but will King Josiah break the cycle in 2 Kings 22-23?
King Josiah is the last of our good Kings of Israel and only eight years old when he takes the throne in 2 Kings 22. In the 18th year of his reign, he begins to repair the temple and uncovers a national treasure…the Book of the Law. Things are looking up until they take a nasty turn in 2 Kings 22-23.
Not long ago we talked about another boy-king, Joash, who was hidden from the wicked Queen Athaliah. He began his reign in a similar noble way. However, unlike King Josiah, he failed to stay faithful to the Lord after his mentor died. Maybe if he’d found the same treasure as Josiah is about to uncover it would have helped him stay loyal.
What was the book of the law that Josiah found?
King Josiah’s workers are repairing the temple when they discovered the precious Book of the Law given to Israel through Moses. The Jews call it the Torah and it includes the first five books of the Christian Bible–Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
Hilkiah, the priest who is in charge of repairing the temple, brings the book to King Josiah and reads it to him. All the king has to do is listen and–as we’re about to find out–the results are astounding.
It’s such a great Biblical example of the faith that can come from listening to the Word of God. Reading the Bible and Bible commentary are important, but there are special graces that come when we choose to listen to the Word of God as it is read to us.
Luckily, King Josiah does choose to listen, and the Book of the Law has a profound impact on him. He tears his robes in repentance saying, “Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” (2 Kings 22:13)
What a life-changing moment for King Josiah. The Book of the Law was all his people had to guide them, and they’d lost it. No wonder they also lost their way.
Lost and Found: The Book of the Law That Changed a Nation
Accidents happen, right? Things are lost in history, sometimes forever. But God gave specific instructions to prevent this in Deuteronomy 17:18 when he commanded every king to make a copy of the Book of the Law for himself and keep it with him at all times, studying it all the days of his life.
Instead, the Bible tells us just three kings in 300 years tried to uphold the law–Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and now Josiah. No wonder the book was lost.
We may see echoes of this in our own life. When we set aside the Bible, ignoring God’s call to return to His Word daily, we begin to lose our way. But, like King Josiah, when we return to God’s Word, the results are life-changing.
2 Kings 23 – Too Little, Too Late?
King Josiah’s eyes are open now. The Promised Land comes with a contingency–to obey the Lord. He is horrified at how badly they have failed and sends for guidance from the nearest prophet–who happens to be a prophetess–Huldah.
She does not mince words. Judah has indeed gone too far. They chose the wrong path and they will suffer because of their unfaithfulness to God.
However, because of King Josiah’s humble repentance, he will be buried in peace. Disaster will not strike Judah during his lifetime.
Josiah’s Holy Rampage: A Nation Purged of Idolatry
Responding in faith to this prophecy, King Josiah gathers all his people and reads every word of the Book of the Law to them. Then he renews the covenant in the presence of the Lord.
King Josiah declares he will follow the Lord and keep His commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and soul as the Book of the Law demands. All the people follow his example, pledging themselves to the covenant as well.
Then King Josiah goes on a holy rampage completely destroying all idol worship that has been established in Judah over the years. Not only that, he goes into the areas that used to be Israel–Bethel and Samaria–and destroys the places established as idol worship there.
He leaves no stone unturned, even burning the bones of the idolatrous priests on their own altar, fulfilling a 300-year-old prophecy. “By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” (1 Kings 13:1)
Revival and Reform: Josiah’s Mission to Cleanse the Land
King Josiah ordered his people to celebrate the Passover as it is written in the Book of the Law. The only other king to celebrate the Passover was Hezekiah.
This is exactly why God wanted the kings to read the book of the law. Because otherwise they would forget critical elements of their heritage. The Passover is a celebration of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It’s the reason they were even in a land of their own.
King Josiah is not done ridding the land of evil. He eliminates the mediums and spiritists. He is even so bold as to go into homes and rid them of false gods, idols, and other detestable things to fulfill what the Book of the Law commanded.
A King’s Faith vs. A Nation’s Fate
“Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:25)
Josiah found God when he found the Book. His faith clicked into place, and he became like David. And, like David, he accomplished so much with and for the Lord.
Even though he knew Judah was destined to suffer for its past sins, King Josiah did the right thing. Maybe he was hoping God would change His mind. Sometimes He does.
But God’s ways are not our ways. This time, the consequences for sin would stand. God declared he would remove his presence from Judah and Jerusalem as he had from Israel. We know this will not be good, and the air is filled with dread as Judah’s impending doom approaches.
Judah’s Kings in Chains
On Judah’s path to destruction, there are three devastating foreign attacks. The first happened during King Hezekiah’s reign at the hand of the King of Assyria. The second is about to take place during King Josiah’s reign when the King of Egypt teams up with the King of Assyria.
King Josiah marches out to battle, and he is killed. Just like that, the last good king of Judah is gone.
The next two kings are brothers, both sons of King Josiah with different mothers. The first king, Jehoahaz, is anointed by the people. He reigns for just three months and does evil in the eyes of the Lord.
Then the Pharaoh carries him off in chains to Egypt and appoints Jehoahaz’s brother Eliakim as king. He changes his name to Jehoiakim and makes him a puppet king to collect takes from the people of Judah. King Jehoiakim does evil in the eyes of the Lord and, in Chronicles 36, we learn he is carried off in shackles by the King of Babylon.
From Faithful Father to Wayward Sons: The Tragic Fall of Judah
How could the sons of King Josiah turn to evil so quickly? He undoubtedly taught them about God because he followed the Book of the Law so closely and in Deuteronomy 11:18-21 it clearly commands we teach our children about the Lord.
Both boys were in their mid-twenties when they became kings, plenty old enough to have learned about God from Josiah. Yet even with such a faithful father they chose to turn away from their faith.
It seems symbolic that one son was carried off to Egypt, the country God redeemed Judah from, and the other brother was brought to Babylon, the country God condemned Judah to in our previous episode.
As the people watch their kings led away in chains, it’s as if God is saying to them, “Judah, how could you forget how I saved you from slavery in Egypt? If only you had loved me, you could have stayed in the Promised Land, but now your future is in Babylon. Judah, Judah, wake up!”
But in 2 Kings 22-23 the house of Judah and the line of David is dwindling. In our next episode, Judah and its kings will meet their end. After that, there is only one more king from the line of David left in the entire Bible, and He doesn’t appear until the New Testament!
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Show Notes:
- Kings of Israel
- The Path to Good or Evil
- Scene 1: King Josiah Discovers the Long Lost Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:1-13) (James 2:5) (Deuteronomy 17:14-18) (Deuteronomy 11:13-17)
- Scene 2: What Will Become of Judah? (2 Kings 22:14-20)
- Scene 3: King Josiah Calls for a Covenant Renewal (2 Kings 23:1-3)
- Scene 4: King Josiah Demolishes Idolatry (2 Kings 23:4-20) (1 Kings 13:1-2)
- Scene 5: King Josiah Celebrates the Passover (2 Kings 23:21-25)
- Scene 6: Judah Must Face the Consequences (2 Kings 23:26-27)
- Scene 7: King Josiah Was the Last Good King (2 Kings 23:28-30)
- Scene 8: How Could Josiah’s Sons Fall So Far? (2 Kings 23:31-37) (Deuteronomy 11:18-21)
Themes of 2 Kings 22-23:
The transformative power of God’s Word. When King Josiah reads the Book of the Law, his immediate repentance shows the life-changing impact of returning to God’s Word. This serves as a reminder that neglecting Scripture leads to spiritual decline, but rediscovering it brings renewal and revival.
Faithfulness in a time of judgment. Despite knowing that Judah’s fate is sealed because of past sins, King Josiah remains committed to following God. His unwavering faith and dedication to reform illustrate that true obedience isn’t about outcomes. It’s about honoring God, even when consequences are unavoidable.
A good king, but a doomed nation. King Josiah stands out as the last good king of Judah, but his faithfulness is not passed down to his sons. Their swift return to evil highlights that personal devotion to God cannot be inherited.
