II Chronicles Chapter 34
Please read: II Chronicles 34 –
The chronicler has been concentrating his writings on the events of the southern kingdom of Judah. He is concerned about writing the history of the kingdom of Judah because they were eventually taken captive just as the northern kingdom was and the people returning from exile needed to hear about their past to encourage them for a brighter future. The events of this chapter were also recorded in II Kings 22. The two chapters are very closely aligned, providing us with much detail about the next king of Judah, King Josiah. Here we read about another little boy taking the throne of Judah just as we did in chapter 23 when King Joash was crowned at only seven years old.
One of the most striking things about this chapter is when the Book of the Law of Moses was found in the temple and was read before the king and he tore his clothes and he wept. The Book of the Law of Moses contained the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. And the king was upset and rightfully so when he heard about the curses that would come upon them if they abandoned God and worshipped other gods. King Josiah knew that the people of Judah and those few left in Israel, deserved the wrath and the judgement of God written about in those books. The Bible tells us that King Josiah humbled himself and sought the LORD by seeking a prophet or a seer.
Another similar passage that describes the people weeping as they heard the words of the Law can be found in the book of Nehemiah.
Nehemiah 8:9-10 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the LORD your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Reading the Word of God has a way of bringing to light our own personal sin and reminding us of who God is. Perhaps this is why many people do not read the Bible. Perhaps they are afraid of what they know they will find in the Bible that is contradictory to their lifestyle. God’s Word is powerful. It has the power to change lives with just one reading of it.
Let's Reflect
1. The Bible says that King Josiah did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD. We might wonder how this could be so, since his father Amon and his grandfather Manasseh were so evil. At age 16 what does it say he began to do?
2. King Josiah must have been learning about God from the priests because the Book of the Law had not yet been found. From what he learned about God as a young boy, he knew that he needed to rid the land, Judah and much of Israel, from what?
3. The cleansing out the land took a long time. He started it in the 12th year of his reign and it wasn’t until they began the repair of the temple that the Book of the Law was found. What year of King Josiah’s reign did he begin the repair of the temple?
4. Monies had been collected to repair the temple from all of Judah and from surviving people of Israel. What tribes of the northern kingdom are mentioned as contributors to the funds for the repairs of the temple?
5. According to verse 14 who was it that found the Book of the Law? Wouldn’t you like to know exactly where he found it?
6. The Book was brought to the king and read before him. We don’t know how much was read to him, but it was enough to make him tear his clothes and to weep. What did the king order the men to do regarding the Book? See verse 21.
7. They found for the king a prophetess, but she confirmed what King Josiah had heard, judgement was coming upon Judah. She also had a personal message for the king from God. What was that message?
8. Despite coming judgement, the king did not bury his head in the sand. He took action. What did King Josiah do in the days he had left as the king of Judah?
