THE KING’S BUSINESS
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in the eyes of the LORD.” Very' likely what Josiah did was not right in the eyes of many of the leading politicians of the day, but that mattered not as long as it was right in the’ eyes of Jehovah. Josiah was thorough going in his right doing: he “turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” Any one who would please God must not “turn aside either to the right hand or to the left.” Any one who would please God must not “turn aside either to the right hand or the left” from anything that God prescribes in His word. Abun dant blessing awaits everyone who thus obeys God (John 15:14; 14:21, 23; Deut. 5:32; 17:11, 20; 28:14; Josh. 1:7, 8; 23:6). The trouble with the average Christian is that he seeks simply to obey God in a general way, but feels at liberty to turn to the right hand or left from His Word when it suits his convenience. Josiah was pass ing over' the example of his immediate ancestors, his father and grandfather, and went back to the example of his great ancestor David. But the ways in which we should walk are those of the still greater David, even the Lord Jesús Christ (1 John 2 : 6 ). vs. 3, 4. “For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves (Asherim), and the carved (graven) images, and the molten images. And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images (sun- images) i, that were on high above them, he hewed down; and the groves (Asherim ), and the carved (graven) images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them and strowed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.” Josiah began while still young, six teen years of age, to seek after the God of David his father. Happy is the man who cleanses his way in his youth by taking heed thereto according to God’s word (Ps. 119:9). The time to seek God is in early youth (Ecc. 12:1; 2 Tim. 3:15). The Lord
will be found of those who seek Him with all their heart (1 Chron. 28:9; 2 Chron. 15:2; Jer. 29:13). At twenty years of age Josiah took up right heartily the work of religious reformation. He began with his own city and nation, but carried his work way into Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon, and even unto Naphtali. vs. 5, 6. “And he burned the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, (oflhit ,) and Eph raim, (omit ,) and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks (in their ruins') round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, ahd had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols (and he brake down the altars and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images) throughout all the land of Israel, he returned (and returned) to Jerusalem.” Hezekiah car ried his reform into Ephraim and Manas seh (2 Chron. 30:1, 10, 11; 31:1) but Josiah carried his reformation even further, and apparently more successfully (cf. 2 Kings 23:15-20). Josiah did not return to Jeru salem until he had finished his work. vs. 8-13. “Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the,land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son %of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Jehoaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God and when (omit, when) they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they (and) delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors (, the keepers of the door,) had gathered of the hand o f■Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to (, and of the inhabitants of) Jerusalem. And they put it in (delivered it into) the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house o f the LORD, and they gave it to ( : and the) workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend (gave it to amend and
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