Josiah-the Good

by J.C. RADCLIFFE | Category: Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings | Jul 1932

Great possibilities lie before those who, like Josiah, make a good and early start. The days are those of increasing dangers and difficulties for the young especially. The "Living God" of Josiah, however, is the same Living God even in our day. To those who put their trust in Him and lay hold of Him, He will prove Himself to be all-powerful and all-sufficient.

When Josiah was but twelve years old he began to purge the land from the high places and idolatry of all kinds, and it is evident that he had some entrance into the land formerly occupied by the ten tribes, for we read, "And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali."

It was at this time that a very remarkable prophecy had its fulfilment, the very name of this king having been mentioned more than three centuries before-"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Bethel: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. And he cried against the altar by the word of Jehovah, and said, 0 altar, altar, thus saith Jehovah: Behold, a child shall be horn unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee" (1 Kings 13. 1, 2). We see from 2 Kings 23. 15, 16, how literally this was fulfilled. No divinely given prophecy falls short of complete fulfilment; fulfilled prophecy is the sign-manual of God to the Sacred Writings, and is one of the greatest miracles the world has known.

It was, as we see, in this Asa-like spirit that Josiah commenced his memorable reign; in the eighteenth year of his reign when he had purged the land, he sent three who were in responsible positions to repair the house of Jehovah his God. It was at this time that Hilkiah the priest found the hook of the law of Jehovah by Moses ("Hebrew," by the hand of Moses, R.M.). This possibly may have been the identical manuscript which Joshua read from in the wilderness (see Joshua 1. 8). It seems incredible that no other copies of the law were in existence, for as we have seen in our remarks on the kings of Judah, when any work and service well-pleasing to God, was undertaken, it was always based on the law of Moses. This and other considerations make it probable that this was a special temple-copy. Of course, in the apostate state of the kingdom during the reign of Manasseh and Amon many ordinary copies of the law may have been destroyed.

It will be perceived that it was at the time they were doing what was to their hand to do in seeking to repair the house of Jehovah, that they found the law of Jehovah given by Moses (the words in the R.M., 2 Chronicles 34. 30, are suggestive - given "by the hand" of Moses). God imparts more light and truth to those who are already walking in the light that He has given to them- "In Thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36. 9). "If any man willeth to do His will, he shall know of the teaching whether it be of God" (John 7. 17). May God, indeed, give us a disposition like unto the Psalmist who said- "I have inclined mine heart to perform Thy statutes, For ever, even unto the end" (Psalm 119. 112). Possibly there may be an allusion to the finding of the book of the law of Moses, in Jeremiah-about the same time historically-"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy words were unto me a joy and the rejoicing of mine heart" (Jeremiah 15. 16).

The closing scene of this eminently good king of Judah is not only sad, but, shall we say, somewhat mysterious; and in this connection the words of 2 Chronicles 35. 20 are suggestive, "After all this." From a natural standpoint it is not by any means the ending that might have been expected from one of the most excellent of the best of Judah's kings; but according to the divine fiat, the time had arrived for the darkest days of Judah to commence, "And I will cause them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah" (Jeremiah 15. 4). It seems indisputable in the light of the context that what Neco said was true, "I come not against thee this day... forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that He destroy thee not," for in the next verse the words of the inspired chronicler (Ezra perhaps) are to the same effect, "Josiah hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God." If we had not this statement confirming what Neco said we might fairly draw a conclusion that what the heathen monarch said was feigned out of his own heart.

One of the sins of God's people at this period of their history was that at one time they relied upon Assyria for help, and at another upon Egypt. To this fact Jeremiah refers in the words "Why gaddest thou about so much to change thy way? thou shalt be ashamed of Egypt also, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria" (Jeremiah 2. 36). Even from a natural standpoint it was a pity that Josiah should have mixed himself up with the politics of the surrounding nations, and seems rather strange after Jeremiah's admonitions from the mouth of Jehovah. The period was transitional, Assyria had been weakened and its final collapse was near at hand; Babylon had not yet come to its full power; and Egypt had recovered a short-lived supremacy. Possibly being under the Assyrian monarch as his suzerain, and being loyal to him, Josiah-conscientious man as we think-may have felt bound to help Assyria against Egypt; or perhaps thinking that if Egypt gained the supremacy over Northern Syria it would be to his disadvantage. This as it may have been, his action reminds us of the proverb, "He that passeth by, and mixeth himself with strife belonging not to him, Is like one that taketh a dog by the ears" (Proverbs 26. 17).

Seeing that God Himself makes no comment upon what may appear to us an act of disobedience-that is if Josiah was given by God to understand at the time that Neco really had a command from Jehovah-it is well for us to let the matter rest there, for God writes of him in no depreciatory manner in the following words "like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to Jehovah with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him."

What we read in Isaiah 57. 1, seems to have an application here, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil." This appears to be strengthened by the fact that after God's commendation of Josiah as cited above, we read the words in the following verse, "Notwithstanding Jehovah turned not from the fierceness of His great wrath, wherewith His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked Him withal" (2 Kings 23. 26).

J.C. RADCLIFFE | Jul 1932
Pithy Points From The Lives Of Judah's Kings