Then the king commanded all the people, saying, "Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant."
--2 Kings 23:21 (NKJV)
From the daily Bible reading on June 30, 2013 of Psalm 118:1-12; Ephesians 3; 2 Kings 22-23.
Josiah was a mere eight years old when he became king of Judah after his father, Amon, was killed by his own servants. Josiah's father and grandfather, Manasseh, had done great evil in God's eyes during their reigns, re-instituting idolatry throughout the land and leading the people to sin. All the good that King Hezekiah had accomplished in destroying idol worship and tearing down the high places was completely undone by the wickedness of his son and grandson. But his great-grandson Josiah chose to follow the old king's example and did right in the sight of the Lord.
In his eighteenth year of ruling over Judah, Josiah initiated repairs to the damage done to the temple of God during earlier regimes and troubled times, using the very funds collected from the people as they entered the temple. During this reconstruction period, a hidden copy of the "book of the law" was located. This may refer to the entire Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) or merely to the book of Deuteronomy or to portions of scripture containing the Law of Moses, but any other copies not hidden away by the holy men were likely destroyed by Manasseh in his evilness. The high priest Hilkiah gave the book to Josiah's scribe Shaphan who read it to the king. Upon hearing the words from the book, Josiah was filled with grief (he "tore his clothes") because he realized that God's commandments had not been upheld and obeyed for many years. He feared what the consequences of their disobedience might be, so he sent his most trusted advisors to seek God's will from a holy woman of Jerusalem. She affirmed the king's fears by prophesying that God would indeed punish the people of Judah with an unquenchable wrath. But she added that because Josiah had humbled himself and sought God's will, that the Lord would spare him the retribution to come, for it would not be exacted until after his death. In his desire to serve God and to try to spare his people, Josiah renewed the covenant with God and stepped up his efforts to reform the nation once again. Among his reformations was restoring observance of the Passover, which had not been strictly adhered to since the time of the Judges of Israel.
Jesus set us free from the Laws of Moses and the observance of Passover, but that doesn't mean we are at liberty to do as we please. We should obey our Lord's commands and His commission to us. And we should observe His Holy Communion, first performed during Passover so long ago. We must never again allow the word of God and Jesus to be hidden away or destroyed, but share all that is written of the Gospel of the New Covenant. Amen.
Heavenly Father, throughout the history of Your creation, You have forged covenants with Your beloved children, mankind, all of which You have diligently kept. We mortal men, on the other hand, have failed to keep them all, with the exceptions of a few remarkable men and women who truly loved You and feared You and obeyed Your word. Father, may we be more like those exceptions than like the many that surround us. We pray in the precious name of Jesus the Christ, our Lord. Amen.
In his eighteenth year of ruling over Judah, Josiah initiated repairs to the damage done to the temple of God during earlier regimes and troubled times, using the very funds collected from the people as they entered the temple. During this reconstruction period, a hidden copy of the "book of the law" was located. This may refer to the entire Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) or merely to the book of Deuteronomy or to portions of scripture containing the Law of Moses, but any other copies not hidden away by the holy men were likely destroyed by Manasseh in his evilness. The high priest Hilkiah gave the book to Josiah's scribe Shaphan who read it to the king. Upon hearing the words from the book, Josiah was filled with grief (he "tore his clothes") because he realized that God's commandments had not been upheld and obeyed for many years. He feared what the consequences of their disobedience might be, so he sent his most trusted advisors to seek God's will from a holy woman of Jerusalem. She affirmed the king's fears by prophesying that God would indeed punish the people of Judah with an unquenchable wrath. But she added that because Josiah had humbled himself and sought God's will, that the Lord would spare him the retribution to come, for it would not be exacted until after his death. In his desire to serve God and to try to spare his people, Josiah renewed the covenant with God and stepped up his efforts to reform the nation once again. Among his reformations was restoring observance of the Passover, which had not been strictly adhered to since the time of the Judges of Israel.
Jesus set us free from the Laws of Moses and the observance of Passover, but that doesn't mean we are at liberty to do as we please. We should obey our Lord's commands and His commission to us. And we should observe His Holy Communion, first performed during Passover so long ago. We must never again allow the word of God and Jesus to be hidden away or destroyed, but share all that is written of the Gospel of the New Covenant. Amen.
Heavenly Father, throughout the history of Your creation, You have forged covenants with Your beloved children, mankind, all of which You have diligently kept. We mortal men, on the other hand, have failed to keep them all, with the exceptions of a few remarkable men and women who truly loved You and feared You and obeyed Your word. Father, may we be more like those exceptions than like the many that surround us. We pray in the precious name of Jesus the Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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