II Kings 22:1-7, II Chronicles 34:1-14
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” (II Kings 22:1-2)
Josiah was Hezekiah’s great grandson. His grandfather had initially rebelled against God, but later turned to him. His father rebelled and was killed at about twenty four years of age. The murderers were executed and the people made Amon’s eight year old son king.
Josiah would become another of the great kings of Judah, seeking the Lord like his great Grandfather, starting from an early age. Unlike Joash, he did not seem to have a priest like Jehoiada to guide him. Apparently his mother had a major impact on his desire to serve God, guiding him until he was mature enough to make his own decisions.
“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, and the carved images, and the molten images.
And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved 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. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.” (II Chronicles 34:3-5)
When he was sixteen, Josiah really became interested in God, studying his commands. About the age of twenty, he began to actively promote the worship of God and eliminate the other religions.
He actively destroyed the idols that his father had made, and cut down the groves of trees for nature worship, grinding them up and sprinkling the powder over the graves of their worshipers. He killed the priests of those religions and burned their bodies on their altars, Eliminating false religion in Jerusalem and Judah.
“And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” (II Chronicles 34:6-7)
The nation of Israel had been replaced with a mixed group from Assyria, Judah had been a tributary of Assyria since Manasseh’s day, and when he cleaned out idolatry from Judah, Josiah went on into the main part of Israel doing the same thing. Apparently the Assyrians were not upset by his actions, perhaps remembering what had happened when they ignored God themselves. Later he would return for more thorough cleansing.
“And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.” (II Kings 22:3-6)
Buildings deteriorate with use, and the temple was more than two hundred years old. It had been stripped of much of the gold and silver to pay off the Assyrians under Manasseh and Amon, both of whom had also modified it for worship of other gods. Six years after he had begun to lead Judah back to worshiping only God, Josiah began a restoration of the temple to it’s original state.
Since the time of Joash, they had kept a chest at the door of the temple to collect people’s offerings for the maintenance of the Temple. Nearly everyone who came tot eh temple donated whether from Judah or not. Several times the money had been used to pay the tribute, but it had been accumulating since Josiah became king. Josiah asked for a report as to how much was available for that purpose, so that it could be given the various tradesmen as needed.
“And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house: Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.” (II Chronicles 34:9-11)
“Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.” (II Kings 22:7)
Because truth and honesty were such important moral values in Jewish society, it was not important to require an accounting of the tradesmen, because they had an established reputation for honesty. It becomes an issue where people value truth less than profit.
“And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music.
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.” (II Chronicles 34:13)
Levites from the various branches of the family organized and oversaw the restoration, seeing that materials were delivered and coordinating the different workmen.
“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath. And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” (II Kings 22:1-2)
Josiah was Hezekiah’s great grandson. His grandfather had initially rebelled against God, but later turned to him. His father rebelled and was killed at about twenty four years of age. The murderers were executed and the people made Amon’s eight year old son king.
Josiah would become another of the great kings of Judah, seeking the Lord like his great Grandfather, starting from an early age. Unlike Joash, he did not seem to have a priest like Jehoiada to guide him. Apparently his mother had a major impact on his desire to serve God, guiding him until he was mature enough to make his own decisions.
“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, and the carved images, and the molten images.
And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that were on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved 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. And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.” (II Chronicles 34:3-5)
When he was sixteen, Josiah really became interested in God, studying his commands. About the age of twenty, he began to actively promote the worship of God and eliminate the other religions.
He actively destroyed the idols that his father had made, and cut down the groves of trees for nature worship, grinding them up and sprinkling the powder over the graves of their worshipers. He killed the priests of those religions and burned their bodies on their altars, Eliminating false religion in Jerusalem and Judah.
“And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” (II Chronicles 34:6-7)
The nation of Israel had been replaced with a mixed group from Assyria, Judah had been a tributary of Assyria since Manasseh’s day, and when he cleaned out idolatry from Judah, Josiah went on into the main part of Israel doing the same thing. Apparently the Assyrians were not upset by his actions, perhaps remembering what had happened when they ignored God themselves. Later he would return for more thorough cleansing.
“And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house, Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.” (II Kings 22:3-6)
Buildings deteriorate with use, and the temple was more than two hundred years old. It had been stripped of much of the gold and silver to pay off the Assyrians under Manasseh and Amon, both of whom had also modified it for worship of other gods. Six years after he had begun to lead Judah back to worshiping only God, Josiah began a restoration of the temple to it’s original state.
Since the time of Joash, they had kept a chest at the door of the temple to collect people’s offerings for the maintenance of the Temple. Nearly everyone who came tot eh temple donated whether from Judah or not. Several times the money had been used to pay the tribute, but it had been accumulating since Josiah became king. Josiah asked for a report as to how much was available for that purpose, so that it could be given the various tradesmen as needed.
“And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
And they put it in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house: Even to the artificers and builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.” (II Chronicles 34:9-11)
“Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.” (II Kings 22:7)
Because truth and honesty were such important moral values in Jewish society, it was not important to require an accounting of the tradesmen, because they had an established reputation for honesty. It becomes an issue where people value truth less than profit.
“And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and other of the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of music.
Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and were overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.” (II Chronicles 34:13)
Levites from the various branches of the family organized and oversaw the restoration, seeing that materials were delivered and coordinating the different workmen.
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