14While they were bringing out the money that had been taken into the temple of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses...
29Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30He went up to the temple of theLord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
29Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30He went up to the temple of theLord with the people of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the priests and the Levites—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. 31The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord—to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book.
32Then he had everyone in Jerusalem and Benjamin pledge themselves to it; the people of Jerusalem did this in accordance with the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
33Josiah removed all the detestable idols from all the territory belonging to the Israelites, and he had all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. As long as he lived, they did not fail to follow the Lord, the God of their ancestors.
Thoughts: Josiah was the last good king in both Judah and Israel. He began to show his devotion to God by having the altars and poles set up to foreign gods torn down. He took offerings (giving much himself) for the Temple and its repairs. It perhaps is not accident that while they were bringing out these gifts the Book of the Covenant Law (probably Deuteronomy) was found. Most likely it had been hidden during the terrible reign of Manasseh.
But the king and the people did not just read the Book, they renewed the covenant and then sealed it with the second restorative Passover (like Hezekiah's). The ironic thing is this renewal did not save them. It made them very aware that they were in danger of losing their land because they had forsaken their god. While the people renewed their faith under Josiah's lead, they fell right back into backsliding away from God after Josiah's untimely death.
From Josiah's grandfather, Manasseh's, time on the people became like a ping pong ball batted between Egypt in the south and the powers of Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece in the north. Josiah's effort to battle against the king of Egypt was totally outmatched, and a terrible mistake by the godly king. Normally Judah fought only defensive wars- but this was an offensive one. Hezekiah was the last Judean king to win a victory until the Maccabees (a few years before Christ).
But the king and the people did not just read the Book, they renewed the covenant and then sealed it with the second restorative Passover (like Hezekiah's). The ironic thing is this renewal did not save them. It made them very aware that they were in danger of losing their land because they had forsaken their god. While the people renewed their faith under Josiah's lead, they fell right back into backsliding away from God after Josiah's untimely death.
From Josiah's grandfather, Manasseh's, time on the people became like a ping pong ball batted between Egypt in the south and the powers of Syria, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece in the north. Josiah's effort to battle against the king of Egypt was totally outmatched, and a terrible mistake by the godly king. Normally Judah fought only defensive wars- but this was an offensive one. Hezekiah was the last Judean king to win a victory until the Maccabees (a few years before Christ).
Prayer: let me listen to your law. Have mercy on us despite our wicked ways, O Lord.
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