A Covenant Renewed

MEMORY VERSE: Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to Thy Word.” —Psalm 119:9

II KINGS 22:8-13; 23:1-3

JOSIAH was the last of Judah’s righteous kings. He was the grandson of Manasseh, who was a very wicked king. Amon, Josiah’s father, reigned two years, and he followed in the steps of his father, Manasseh. Although Josiah endeavored the best he could to bring about reforms in Judah, and to bring the nation back into favor with the Lord, it was too late to save the kingdom from overthrow. On this point the record states:

“And like unto him [Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord 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. Notwithstanding the Lord 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.”—II Kings 23:25,26

One of the Lord’s providences which helped Josiah greatly upon the righteous course which he undertook was the finding of the book of the Law in the temple. It is believed by some historians that this “book” which was found in the temple in Josiah’s day was the Book of Deuteronomy, which Moses had ordered should be placed in the ark of the covenant, that it might later witness against the people. (Deut. 21:24-26) This may well be, but in any event the instructions contained in this book had a powerful influence in the mind and heart of Josiah

Josiah recognized from having this book read to him that the people of Judah had come far short of living up to God’s requirements, so he appointed a committee to visit a prophetess, Huldah. His instructions were: “Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.”—vs. 13

The committee learned from Huldah that the wrath of the Lord was indeed kindled against Judah, and that the kingdom would be destroyed. Nothing that Josiah could do would change this. But Josiah was a good king, and the Lord honored this, and made a concession, which was that the evils he purposed to bring upon Judah as punishment would be postponed until Josiah died. To Josiah, the Lord said:

“Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place.”—II Kings 22:19,20

Here is another evidence of the graciousness of our God. It also substantiates one of the basic truths taught in the Bible; namely, that the dead are asleep in death; that they “know not anything.” (Eccl. 9:5) If the dead know more than the living, as some suppose, then Josiah would have been more keenly aware of the sufferings through which his people passed after he died than if he had remained alive. But the Lord said that after Josiah died his eyes would not see these evils, meaning that he would be unconscious in death.

While Josiah now knew that Judah as a kingdom was doomed, and that his work of reformation would not change this, he did not permit this knowledge to deter him in his great desire to do all he could to restore the true worship of God. He called together a general assembly of the people into the house of the Lord, and caused the book of the Law to be read to them. Then the king, leading in the ceremonies, “made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul.”—II Kings 23:3

It is interesting to note the expression, “with all their heart and all their soul.” This is essentially the language Moses used in his summary of the meaning of the Law with respect to man’s relationship to God, as found in the Book of Deuteronomy. (Deut. 13:3) Surely Josiah caught the spirit of the Law and did his best to put it to work in the lives of the people.

QUESTIONS

Did Josiah’s righteous rule restore the kingdom of Judah to God’s favor?

What concession did the Lord make to Josiah concerning the evils to come?

How does this concession prove that the dead are really dead?

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