The covenant was based on the declarations of the book of the covenant, the words of which were first read in the hearing of all the people. He then committed to follow the lord and to keep his commandments. Josiah brought all the people together and josiah himself read in their hearing the book that had been found. Josiah renews the covenant then the king called together all the elders of judah and jerusalem. What happened to the book of the law in the time of josiah. It is the especial duty of all churches, and of all believers, to search diligently into what god finds fault with, in his word, and to be deeply impressed with that, so far as they find themselves guilty. A blog about jesus christ who comes again to rule the earth as king of kings and lord of lords. King josiah was buried in jerusalem in his own tomb, and his son jehoahaz took the role of king. We provide love, support, a job, skills, education, a place to live, and a sense of family for orphan or trafficked asian teenage girls. All the people agreed to follow the book of the covenant from god. Josiah died in battle against the egyptian pharaoh necho at megiddo. It had been ignored for up to 57 years after the days of hezekiah, but during the 55 year reign of manessah, 2 years of amons reign and 18 years of josiahs reign up to this point. Josiahs covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders.
After josiah ascended the throne, the book of the law was found in the. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the temple of the lord. Josiah slaughtered all the priests of those high places on the altars and burned human bones on them. The book that grieved josiah reformed bible studies. Josiah was the king of judah from roughly 640 to 609 b. Was the book of the law lost for a long time that king josiah never saw it before. The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the lord to follow the lord and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
Josiah article about josiah by the free dictionary. It was so called because the book of the law found in the temple of jerusalem c. Josiahs immediate procedure was to call to the temple a representative assemblageelders, prophets, priests, populaceand to read to them this book of the covenant 2 kings 23. King josiah made a vow to keep all the laws written in it. Josiahs covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of judah and of jerusalem. During the repair, hilkiah, the high priest, found the book of the law of the lord given by moses. The book of the law found josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in jerusalem thirtyone years. Josiah s covenant then the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of judah and of jerusalem. The second book of kings the reigns of manasseh, amon. Josiah renewed the covenant to follow the lord and keep his commands with all his heart and all his soul.
Josiah continued to remove all the evil priests, idols, wooden images and. Josiah reads the book of the covenant to the peoplethey covenant to keep the commandmentsjosiah overturns the worship of false gods, removes the sodomites, and puts down idolatryidolatrous priests are slainjudah holds a solemn passoveregypt subjects the land of judah. The king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the lord, to walk after the lord, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant which are written in this book. The account of the religious reforms of king josiah of the southern kingdom comes almost at the tail end of the story of the tragic decline of israel under the monarchy. After josiah, egypt and babylon will swoop in, installing jerusalems last puppet kings and. Deuteronomic reform history of religion britannica. The king and all the people celebrated this season with great joy and thankfulness. Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirtyone years in jerusalem.
Then the people, following the example of their monarch, pledged themselves to walk after the lord, to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all. In the eighteenth year of his reign, king josiah of judah ordered the caretakers of the ark of the covenant to return it to the temple in jerusalem 2 chronicles 35. Deuteronomic reform, great religious reformation instituted in the reign of king josiah of judah c. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant. Book of the law and book of the covenant are descriptive terms for the scriptures at that time.
Also the fact that josiah clearly responded to the book by having the people enter into a covenant 2 kings 23. King josiah said he would follow the lord and keep his commandments and gods laws with his whole heart and soul. Because josiah was a righteous king, he tore his clothes in repentance upon hearing the lost book read aloud v. King josiah ordered the priests to remove and burn everything made for other gods that was in the temple. Deuteronomy is one of the four mostfrequently quoted old testament books in the new. This bible story tells the account of josiahs life and focuses on how he. After the high priest hilkiah found a book of the law in the temple, he had it brought to king josiah, who read it, tore his robes, and sent a delegation to the prophetess huldah.
Thus began a period of reform that lasted until the death of josiah 2 kings 22. The hebrew bible states that the priest hilkiah found a book of the law in the temple during the early stages of josiahs temple. After he had done all this, he commanded, keep the passover unto the lord your god, as it is written in the book of this covenant. Beginning with the elders, he called the people to the house of the lord. Hilkiah gave the book to josiahs secretary, shaphan, who read it to josiah. A brief summary of the contents of 2 kings 2223 is as follows. Then king josiah stood by a pillar and made a promise to god. The article focuses on the thematic parallels between the biblical figures of joshua and king josiah as found in the old testament passages of joshua 1.
The josiah narrative begins and ends with typical formulaic expressions found throughout the book of kings, with a slight distinction between the israelite and judean kings. Much can be learned from josiah s life that is positive. King josiah made all those present in jerusalem and the elders of the tribes of judah and benjamin listen to a reading of the book of the covenant and to renew the peoples pledge of their alliance to yahweh and his covenant with israel 2 chr 35. Then he made a solemn covenant before yahweh to obey it, and all the people stood to the covenant.
It was during this time that hilkiah discovered the book of the law. Josiah tore his robes when he heard parts of the book because he knew that despite his reforms, the country was still far off the mark in obeying gods commands. First, josiah shows the influence a person can have from a very young age. The finding of the book of the law by hilkiah in the temple marks a distinct. King josiah said he would follow and do the laws that were written in the book. There was no king like him, who turned to the lord with all his heart. This bible story tells the account of josiahs life and focuses on how he helped israel follow the book of the law again. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant, which had been found in the temple of.
Following josiah s example, all the people promised to keep the stipulations of the mosaic covenant see notes on 11. He went up to the temple of the lord with the people of judah, the inhabitants of jerusalem, the priest. Josiah, manassehs grandson, became king of judah when he was only eight years old. Similar characteristics and charges between joshua and king josiah are outlined, focusing on gods call for the leader to obey and meditate on the law. The only other mention of the ark of covenant in scripture occurs almost 700 years later when its mentioned briefly in the book of hebrews 9. Our father in heaven, we thank you for this book which we have been studying through the summer, for these kings, godly and otherwise. A crucial part of josiah s reign was his rediscovery of the law of the lord. We make a covenant before the lord to keep all his commandments written in the book of the law. Josiah made a public, binding agreement to completely obey the lord by doing all that was commanded in the book of the covenant that the people had just heard read to them.
By studying josiahs life we are reminded that the bible is all we need. In the modern canon it appears in a later redaction. Josiah told all the people, keep the passover to the lord your god, as it is written in this book of the covenant. What happened to the ark of the covenant is a question that has fascinated theologians, bible students, and archeologists for centuries. The lord made this declaration during the reign of josiahs reign v. He renewed the covenant and made everyone pledge their faithfulness to it, acts that parallel the. We thank you for the king of kings who never failed the covenant, who will lead us to that heavenly home, who is even now preparing a place. In 622, in the course of his reform, josiah promulgated what was called the book of the covenant or book of the law, which is identified as part of the book of deuteronomy in the redaction of the beginning of the seventh century b. All the people pledged their allegiance to the covenant. Just as he had done at bethel, josiah removed all the shrines at the high places that the kings of israel had built in the towns of samaria and that had aroused the lord s anger.
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