393
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
August 1930
K°- I International £esson Commentary I JSesson Outline and ßxposition ¿Byr¿f. t¿. £¡aderquist ¿Blackboard, Outlines cBy I. § . S toß Çjolden ¿ISext Illustrations Ghildren’s ¿Division ^ ¿By^AlanS. Pearce ¿By Sdith JSillian ¿Young
many centuries before that period. The Hebrew alphabet, as we now know it, was not used in that earlier day. The cunei form (wedge-shaped) writing was used widely. It has been thought by some scholars that this book of the law, found by Hilkiah, was written in the cuneiform script upon clay tablets which had been put in the foundation o f the temple. This may account for the statement that the book was delivered to Shaphan the scribe to read. Possibly he was the only one in the land who was able to decipher this an cient writing. 23:1. Gathered . . . all the elders. These elders were heads of families, rep resentative leaders of Judah. V. 2. T he king went up to the house of Jehovah. The temple had now been re stored. The king summoned all the people to renew the worship of Jehovah and re establish the covenant. All the men of Judah. It was a great mass meeting, in cluding prophets, priests and other lead ers, and the whole populace, small and great. Read ' in their ears. The king, as the appointed head o f the nation, took his place as'one subject to the law of God —a very noble example. V. 3. Made a covenant. The ancient covenant which God had made with Abra ham and his successors was renewed and ratified. To walk after Jehovah. That is, to heed everything that Jehovah de manded in His law. Commandments . . . testimonies . . . statutes. Every kind of law, civil, ceremonial, formal and infor mal, was accepted. With all his heart, and all his soul. No reservation of mind or heart was tolerated. There was a com plete response to the law o f Jehovah as revealed in the book. All the people stood. Led by the king, by a rising vote they solemnly declared their adherence to the covenant. III. The New Reformation (23 :21-24). V. 21. Commanded all the people. The feast of the Passover was the occasion of an annual gathering at Jerusalem. The priests conducted the Passover rites, but King Josiah stands out as the prominent leader. Keep the passover. This feast was celebrated in commemoration o f the de liverance o f Israel from Egypt and the preservation of the firstborn from the death angel (Ex. 12:12, 13). Christ, our Passover, died on the Cross at the time o f the Passover feast. V , 22. Not kept such a passover. There had been great Passover celebrations (cf. Josh. 5:10, 11; 2 Chron. 30:13-26), but none so largely attended (2 Chron. 35: 18), or so fully and exactly kept accord ing to the prescribed law (2 Chron. 35:6). V. 23. Passover kept to Jehovah. With modesty and reverence Josiah care fully guarded against- undue honor or praise being given to himself, or even to
but Josiah was promised that it would not come in his time. The king had a long and good reign. He lost his life at Me- giddo in a conflict with Pharaoh Necho, king of Egypt. * * * H eart of the L esson I. The King’s Record (22:1, 2). V. 1. Was eight years old. Josiah was a child in years, but under the influence of good counsellors became a wise ruler from the beginning. Reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. Like other good kings of Judah, he had a l o n g and prosperous r e i g n . Mother's name Was Jedidah. Nothing is t o l d us of his mother’s character but it is not unlike ly that the boy king owed to his mother much of his devo tion to Jehovah. V. 2. Did that which was right. An expression which was unfortunately not often used concerning Judah’s kings (cf. 14:2; 17:3; 29:2), Note particularly that Josiah did that “which was right in the eyes o f Jehovah.” No doubt he displeased very many in the nation who loved to do evil, but his one concern was that he should please God. Walked in all the way o f David. David was called his “ father” in the sense that he was. an ancestor. David was far from perfect, but he was a sincere worshiper of God, and when he turned aside from the right path he knew how to repent and confess. Turned not aside. Josiah had a fixed purpose to please God in every circumstance and he steered a straight course. II. The Book o f the Law (22:8; 23 :l-3 ). V. 8. Hilkiah the high priest. All that is said of Hilkiah indicates that he was a man o f strong character and intense loy alty to Jehovah. Shaphan the scribe. The scribes read and taught the law. I have found the book o f the law. This would naturally signify the whole of the Penta teuch. There is no reason why this may not have been the case. Delivered the book to Shaphan. It was formerly thought that the art £>i writing was not known at the time o f the Exodus. Recent discov eries have proved that there was an ex tensive literature in Moses’ time and even
September 7, 1930 Josiah, a Royal Reformer Lesson : 2 Kings 22; 23:1-3, 21-25; 2 Chronicles 34 and 35. ( Lesson T ex t: 2 Kings 22:1, 2, 8; 23:1- 3, 21-25.) Golden T ex t : “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:105). * * * L esson in O utline I. The King’s Record (22:1, 2). 1. His reign—-31 years. 2. His character—“did right.” 3. His walk—“turned not aside.” II. The Book of the Law (22:8; 23: 1-3). a. The great assembly. b. Hearing the law. c. Covenant to keep the law. III. The New Reformation (23:21-24). 1. The great Passover (21-23). 2. The land cleansed from idolatry (24). IV. The King’s Photograph (23:25). 1. Wholehearted for Jehovah. 2. Wholehearted for Jehovah’s law. * * * A pproach to the L esson TOSIAH was one of the best and great- J est kings o f Judah as also one o f the noblest men of the Bible, His grandfather, Manasseh, had a record that was far from good. His father was Amon, during whose brief reign the kingdom was all but debauched and destroyed. Because Josiah’s heart was open to Jehovah and because he was willing to receive the counsel of a good mother and of such godly leaders as Jeremiah, the prophet, Hilkiah, the, high priest, Shaphan, the scribe, and Huldah, the prophetess, he be came a strong advocate of righteousness and a foe of every form o f evil. Josiah’s first reform began in the eighth year of his reign, when he was sixteen years old. Much of the idolatry that had flourished was removed from the land (cf. 2 Chron. 34:3-7). Not content with mere negative reform, he set himself next to repair the temple of Solomon and to restore the worship of Jehovah (2 Ki. 22:3-7; 2 Chron. 34:8-13). After the re newing o f the covenant, he proceeded to further and more drastic reformation. The “high places” throughout the whole land were destroyed, beginning at Jerusa lem. The- reformation could not turn away the judgment of Jehovah from Judah, 1. The law recovered (22 :8). 2. The law accepted (23:1-3).
I f you are not already a regu lar subscriber to this Bible Fam ily Magazine take advantage of our special offer and fill in the coupon on page 40.8.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker