II Kings 22; 23:1-20
INTRODUCTION. Hezekiah was followed on the throne by his son, his grandson, and then his great-grandson Josiah. When he ascended the throne, Josiah was only eight years old. His father and grandfather who had reigned before him were extremely wicked, leading the people of Judah into sin and polluting the land with idolatry.
A. JOSIAH'S FIRST AND SECOND REFORMS
1. Josiah was ___________ years old when he began to reign in Judah. (II Chron.
34:1)
2. Josiah's first reform occurred in the eighth year of his reign when he began to _______________ the God of David his father. (II Chron. 34:3)
3. Josiah's second reform occurred in the twelfth year of his reign when he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the: (II Chron. 34:3)
a. ____________________
b. ____________________
c. ____________________
d. ____________________
B. JOSIAH'S THIRD REFORM AND THE BOOK OF THE LAW. In the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign (when he was 26 years old), he began his third reformation.
Josiah ordered the repair of the temple, and in the process the high priest Hilkiah found the book of the law. When the book was read before Josiah, he tore his clothes, for the people of Judah had strayed from the commandments of the Lord.
Josiah commanded Hilkiah to inquire of the Lord concerning the words of the book.
Hilkiah consulted the prophetess Huldah who revealed that the Lord would bring evil upon Judah because they had forsaken him and worshipped idols. But con- cerning King Josiah, because his heart was tender and he humbled himself before the Lord, the evil would not occur until after his death.
Josiah 13 - 2
1. In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah ordered the repair of the temple, and Hilkiah, the high priest, found the _________________________ in the temple. (II Kings 22:8)
2. Shaphan, the scribe, took the book to Josiah and _______________ it before the king. (II Kings 22:10)
3. When Josiah heard the words of the book of the law, he ________________.
(II Kings 22:11)
4. Josiah commanded Hilkiah to inquire of the Lord for him and the people of Judah regarding the words of the book. The Lord's anger was great because their fathers had not _____________________ the words of the book. (II Kings 22:13)
5. Hilkiah went to the prophetess Huldah to seek her advice. She predicted that evil would come upon Judah and its inhabitants because they had _________
God and burned incense to other gods. (II Kings 22:15-17)
6. Josiah would be spared from these calamities because: (II Kings 22:18-19) a. his _______________ was tender
b. he _______________ himself before the Lord c. he _______________ his clothes
d. he _______________ before the Lord
7. The Lord would gather Josiah to his grave in _______________, and he would not see the _____________ the Lord would bring upon Judah. (II Kings 22:20)
C. JOSIAH'S COVENANT, REFORMS, AND PASSOVER CELEBRATION. Josiah gathered all the people of Judah together at the temple and read to them all the words of the book of the law that had been found. Before the assembly he made a covenant with the Lord to keep all the statutes and commandments contained within the book.
Josiah continued with his reforms, destroying the remnants of Baal worship, idola- trous altars, houses of sin, and cult objects of worship to the sun, moon, and stars.
He slew the idolatrous priests and burned men's bones on the pagan shrines, thus defiling them to prevent the people from rebuilding them. He then ordered the people to observe the Passover feast according to all the words of the law.
Josiah 13 - 3
1. Josiah made a covenant with the Lord and the people to follow the Lord, keep his __________________, __________________, and _________________
with all their heart and soul. (II Kings 23:3)
2. One of Josiah's many reforms occurred at Bethel where he: (II Kings 23:15-16) a. _______________ down the altar
b. took bones out of the sepulchres and _______________ them on the altar Note. This was a fulfillment of the prophecy by the man of God to Jeroboam which had been spoken about 300 years previously (I Kings 13:1-2).
3. One sepulchre Josiah did not disturb was that of the ____________________
who came from Judah and prophesied against the altar of Bethel which Josiah had just destroyed. (II Kings 23:17-18)
4. In the eighteenth year of King Josiah the _______________ was held to the Lord in Jerusalem. (II Kings 23:23)
5. Such a Passover had never been held from the days of the ______________, nor in all the days of the ______________ of Israel and Judah. (II Kings 23:22)
D. JOSIAH'S DEATH. In 609 B. C. when Josiah had reigned for thirty-one years, he went to battle against Pharaoh-Necho, king of Egypt, and was killed in the battle at Megiddo. His body was brought back to Jerusalem for burial, and all the people mourned for him.
1. When Josiah died, who mourned for him? (II Chron. 35:24)
2. What prophet lamented for Josiah? (II Chron. 35:25)
CONCLUSION. As a young man Josiah sought the Lord to serve him and was dedi- cated to restoring the true worship of God. Because of his humility and tender heart, the Lord granted him peace and prosperity during his thirty-one year reign.
Josiah removed all the ___________________ out of the land and made all the peo- ple in Israel serve the Lord their God. How long did the people serve the Lord? (II Chron. 34:33)
Chart No. 1