“Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”
– 2 Chronicles 34:21
Hi James and Ellen,
What would you do if you were at this time the President of the United States of America? If you were at this time the President of the United States of America, would you be intentional about doing whatever it is that you can do to remove anything that would inhibit a guy, gal or kid from communally worshipping God? If you were at this time the President of the United States of America, would you unambiguously mandate that there would be no more denying reading the Bible and praying in schools, no more shows or movies filmed that would encourage immoral lifestyles and no more gambling permitted anywhere? Your grandpaa knows that a kid your age can never become the President of the United States of America. An eight year old kid became a king 2648 years ago. The kid’s name was Josiah. Josiah ruled over God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gals, who were living in the land of area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem for 31 years as their anointed, positioned king. Your grandpaa thinks that Zephaniah – who was one of God’s prophet spokesmen, was probably a close advisor to Josiah for the first 13 years or so after Josiah took on being king over the guys and gals who were living in Judah’s land area. Your grandpaa thinks that when Zephaniah died that Jeremiah – who was another one of God’s prophet spokesmen, mentored Josiah until Josiah’s untimely death during a battle that Josiah really should not have been involved. About four years after Josiah was anointed and positioned as king to rule over the guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem, Josiah initiated a massive purge of all the high places, all the Asherah poles, all the carved and cast images and idols, all the Baal alters and all the incense alters that were being used by guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem. Josiah even saw to it that each priest who worshipped a false god had his bones burned on that god’s alter. Josiah’s absolute commitment to establish a worship norm that would be to only worship God even affected guys and gals who were living in the land areas that had been allotted to the Manasseh, Ephraim and Naphtali Israelite people group tribal clans after God’s specially chosen guys and gals – the Israelite people group guys and gal, entered into the land area that God was giving them to always to have to live in as their very own land. Your grandpaa does not know why Josiah – while being such a young kid, had the kind of influence that he had to do what he did but the kid was able to bring about some serious reforms in the land area of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem as well as in the land area that had become known as Israel and which had been overrun by the Assyrian people group’s army about 75 years earlier. Josiah’s grandpa – who was Hezekiah, was a God-fearing guy. Josiah can trace his ancestry back to David.
Once Josiah had purified his country’s land area from priests who worshipped inanimate manmade gods and had ridded his country’s land area of the evil things that tempted guys and gals to worship, Josiah took on repairing the temple of God that was located in the city of Jerusalem. Josiah had been Judah’s king by this time for 18 years. Josiah would still be only 24 years old. Josiah instructed Maaseiah, Shaphan, and Joah to head up overseeing the restoration of the temple of God. Jahath, Obadiah, Zechariah and Meshullam – all from the Levi tribal clan, were asked to take on the responsibility of supervising each Levi tribal clan worker as each worker – whose day jobs were being secretaries, scribes and doorkeepers, went about doing their various jobs of restoring the temple of God to be readied to be worshipped in again. During the renovation of the temple of God, Hilkiah – who was the designated high priest during this time, happened across in the temple of God the book of the Law which had been given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Hilkiah gave the book of the Law to Shaphan who in turn passed the book of the Law on to Josiah. After Josiah had Shaphan read verbally from the book of the Law, the Chronicles Books’ author recounts in 2 Chronicles 34 Josiah’s response to what was read in verse 21, “‘Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD’s anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”’ Josiah took literally and very seriously what he heard Shaphan read to him from the book of the Law. Josiah gave orders for Shaphan, Hilkiah, Ahikam, Abdon and Asaiah to look for Huldah – who was the resident prophetess who lived in the Second District in the city of Jerusalem, to ask her what she understood or knew about was going to happen because of their years and years of sinful rebellion against God’s mandated rules, regulations and laws that had been explicitly written down in the book of the Law for God’s specially chosen guys and gals to obediently obey. Huldah sent a message back to Josiah telling him that because his heart had been receptive to the words of the Book of the Covenant and because he had humbled himself before God by ripping his robes before God and crying in God’s presence that Josiah would not in his lifetime see the disaster that God would unfold soon on His specially chosen guys and gals who were living in the land of Judah and in the city of Jerusalem.
Do you have the Josiah courage to fight the evil that can be found everywhere in the United States of America?
2 Chronicles 34 (994)