Josiah
| Josiah | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Period | The Divided Kingdom era (c. 7th century B.C.) |
| Family | Great-grandfather: Hezekiah Father: Amon |
| Occupation(Features) | The 16th king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah |
| Activity area | Jerusalem |
Josiah (Hebrew: יֹאשִׁיָּה, Yō’shiyyāh)[1] was the 16th king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah and the grandson of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. His name means “The LORD heals” or “The LORD supports.” He was born to King Amon and Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath. Josiah ascended the throne at the age of eight and reigned for 31 years.[2] He is remembered for initiating a major religious reformation, including the destruction of idols such as the golden calves introduced by Jeroboam, and for his faithful observance of the Passover, which earned him recognition as a king who wholeheartedly followed the Law of God.[3][4][5]
Historical Background
Following the reign of Solomon, the once-united kingdom of Israel was divided into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom, feared that his people might return to Jerusalem—the center of worship in Judah—to offer sacrifices. To prevent their hearts from turning toward the Southern Kingdom, he established golden calf altars in Bethel and Dan, appointed unauthorized priests who were not Levites, and instituted festivals of his own choosing. He also offered sacrifices at these altars, directly defying God’s commandments. At Bethel, while Jeroboam was burning incense at one of these unauthorized altars, a prophet from Judah delivered a divine warning: one day, a descendant of David named Josiah would arise and destroy the high places and altars Jeroboam had built.[6] Despite this prophecy, Jeroboam persisted in his idolatry, even appointing ordinary people as priests.
As time passed, Manasseh, who succeeded Hezekiah as the thirteenth king of Judah, revived the idolatrous practices that his father had abolished. He rebuilt the high places, set up altars to foreign gods, and even set up idols within the temple of the LORD. Manasseh also committed abominable acts, including sacrificing his own son by fire at the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Hinnom.[7] After Manasseh’s death, his son Amon ascended the throne. However, Amon continued in his father’s wickedness, following the same idolatrous practices.[8] As a result, his officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace. In his place, the people of the land made Amon’s son, Josiah, king of Judah.[9]
Reign of Josiah
Accession to the Throne
A descendant of David,[10] Josiah became king at eight years old. Despite his youth, he “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD.” In the eighth year of his reign, Josiah began to seek the God of David, and by the twelfth year, he started purging Judah and Jerusalem of idols. He endeavored to govern the nation in accordance with the will of God.[11]
Temple Restoration
In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah commissioned the high priest Hilkiah—through Shaphan the secretary (scribe)—to oversee the restoration of the temple of the LORD. Hilkiah, in turn, entrusted the Levites with supervising the work and ensuring that the funds collected were properly used for the repairs.[12] During the course of the restoration, the Book of the Law of the LORD was discovered within the temple. Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who read from it and then brought it before the king. As Shaphan read the words aloud, Josiah realized that the foreign invasions and idolatry that had plagued the nation were the direct result of their disobedience to God’s commands. Overwhelmed with grief upon recognizing how far Judah had departed from God’s covenant, Josiah tore his clothes as a sign of deep repentance.[13] He gathered all the people of Judah and publicly read the words of the Law before them. Josiah pledged to follow God’s commandments, statutes, and decrees with all his heart and his soul. The people, moved by his devotion, joined him in renewing the covenant, committing themselves once again to live according to the word of God.[14]
Abolition of Idolatry
The rediscovery of the Book of the Law awakened King Josiah to the importance of strict obedience to God’s commandments, including the proper observance of the Passover. Determined to restore true worship, he launched a nationwide campaign to eradicate idolatry from the land. Josiah ordered the burning of all vessels and images used in idol worship, including the Asherah pole, and destroyed the high places where pagan sacrifices were offered.[15] He tore down the altars in every city and removed the priests who had participated in idolatrous practices.[16] In the Valley of Hinnom (Topheth), where children had once been sacrificed by fire to false gods, Josiah defiled the site to ensure such abominations would never occur again.[17] He also eliminated the horses that had been dedicated to the sun god and burned the chariots used in sun worship.[18] Even the pagan altars built by King Solomon were demolished, and Josiah desecrated the site by filling it with human bones, rendering it permanently defiled.[19]
Josiah’s reforms extended beyond Judah into the territory of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel, which had already fallen to Assyria. This expansion was possible because, during the 7th century BCE, the Assyrian Empire was in decline, weakened by internal strife.[20] In Bethel, Josiah tore down the altar and high place that Jeroboam had built centuries earlier. He removed bones from nearby tombs and burned them upon the altar, thereby defiling it and fulfilling the prophecy spoken during Jeroboam’s reign—that a future king named Josiah, a descendant of David, would destroy those idolatrous altars.[6]
Observance of the Passover
Having purified not only Judah but also the former territories of northern Israel, King Josiah celebrated the Passover with great solemnity. According to the sacred year, the Passover lamb was slaughtered at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. Josiah himself provided 30,000 lambs and young goats and 3,000 cattle for the offerings, while his officials contributed generously to support the priests and Levites in their service.[21] From the time of the Judges through the era of the divided kingdoms, there had never been a Passover observed in such a manner—one in which the priests, Levites, inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah, and even the remnant from the Northern Kingdom of Israel all joined together in unified worship.[22]
The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
After the Passover, Josiah continued to purge the land of idolatry throughout Judah and Jerusalem.[23] Because of his wholehearted devotion, he was remembered as a king who “followed the Law of the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength.” His faith and obedience were recorded in the Bible as a model of true reform and covenant faithfulness.[3]
Death of Josiah
Around 612 BC, the Assyrian capital of Nineveh fell to the allied forces of Babylon (Neo-Babylonian Empire) and Media (Persia), marking the decline of the once-powerful empire. The remnant of Assyria fled to Haran and later formed an alliance with Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt in an effort to resist Babylon’s growing power. When Necho advanced northward toward the Euphrates River to aid Assyria, King Josiah sought to block his passage through Judah. Necho sent envoys to Josiah, declaring that he had no quarrel with Judah and warning him not to interfere.[24] Nevertheless, Josiah disregarded the message and went out to engage him in battle. At the Battle of Megiddo, Josiah was struck by archers. Though he was carried back to Jerusalem, he died from his wounds.[25] The prophet Jeremiah led the people in mourning for Josiah. Josiah was buried in the tombs of his ancestors in Jerusalem, and his son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king of Judah.
Lesson
Although King Josiah had been faithful to God from a young age, it was not until the eighteenth year of his reign that he fully recognized the extent of idolatry within the temple and took decisive action to remove it. Only after rediscovering and understanding the significance of the Passover, one of God’s commandments, did he lead the nation in eradicating every trace of idolatry and initiating a sweeping religious reformation. Because of his wholehearted devotion, the Bible remembers Josiah as a king who followed the Law of the LORD with all his heart, soul, and strength.[3]
In every age, neglecting the Passover leads inevitably to idolatry, even among those who claim to worship God. The only way to avoid idolatry and truly love God is to keep the Passover, which He commanded for our salvation.[26] The Bible teaches that obedience to God’s commandments is the genuine expression of love for Him.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands.
See also
Related videos
- Sermon: The First Commandment & the Passover
References
- ↑ Strong's Hebrew: 2977. יֹאשִׁיָּה, Bible Hub
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 34:1".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "2 Kings 23:25".
- ↑ "Matthew 22:35–38".
- ↑ "Exodus 20:1–3".
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "1 Kings 13:2".
- ↑ "2 Kings 21:2–6".
- ↑ "2 Kings 21:20–21".
- ↑ "2 Kings 21:23–24".
- ↑ "Matthew 1:6–10".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 34:2–3".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 34:12".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 34:18–19".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:2–3".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:4–6".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:8–9".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:10".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:11".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:13–14".
- ↑ Assyria, Britannica
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 35:7–9".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:21–23".
- ↑ "2 Kings 23:24".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 35:21".
- ↑ "2 Chronicles 35:22–24".
- ↑ "Exodus 12:11–12".