2nd Kings Chapter Twenty-three

 2Ki 23:1  And the king sent, and they gathered to him all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 

2Ki 23:2  And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and every man of Judah, and all the ones living in Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, from small to great; and he read in their ears all the Words of the Book of the covenant that was found in the house of Jehovah. 

2Ki 23:3  And the king stood by the pillar, and made the covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep His commandments, and His testimonies, and His statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to lift up the Words of this covenant that were written in this Book. And all the people stood to the covenant. 

2Ki 23:4  And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring out from the temple of Jehovah all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for Asherah, and for all the host of the heavens. And he burned them at the outside of Jerusalem, in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 

2Ki 23:5  And he caused to cease the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had given place to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places around Jerusalem, and those burning incense to Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to constellations, and to all the host of the heavens. 

2Ki 23:6  And he brought out the sacred pole from the house of Jehovah to the outside of Jerusalem, to the torrent Kidron, and burned it at the torrent Kidron, and ground it to powder, and threw the powder of it on the graves of the sons of the people. 

2Ki 23:7  And he broke down the houses of the male prostitutes that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women were weaving shelters for Asherah. 

2Ki 23:8  And he made all the priests come in out of the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests burned incense, from Geba to Beer-sheba, and broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on a man's left hand at the gate of the city. 

2Ki 23:9  However the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. 

2Ki 23:10  And he defiled Topheth in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that no man could cause his son and his daughter to pass through the fire of Molech. 

2Ki 23:11  And he caused to cease the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entrance of the house of Jehovah, by the room of Nathan-melech the eunuch, that was in the suburbs. And he burned with fire the chariots of the sun. 

2Ki 23:12  And the altars that were on the top of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of Jehovah, the king broke down, and ran from there and threw the dust of them into the torrent Kidron. 

2Ki 23:13  And the high places that were before Jerusalem, which were on the right hand of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the idol of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the idol of the Moabites, and for Milcom the idol of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. 

2Ki 23:14  And he broke the images in pieces, and cut down the Asherahs, and filled their places with the bones of men. 

2Ki 23:15  And also the altar that was in Bethel, the high place that Jeroboam the son of Nebat had made by which he made Israel to sin, both that altar and the high place he broke down, and burned the high place; he ground it into powder, and burned the Asherah. 

2Ki 23:16  And Josiah turned and saw the graves that were there in the mount, and sent and took the bones out of the graves and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the Word of Jehovah that the man of God had proclaimed, who had proclaimed these things. 

2Ki 23:17  And he said, What is this monument that I see? And the men of the city said to him, The grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done concerning the altar of Bethel. 

2Ki 23:18  And he said, Let him alone, let no one touch his bones. And they let his bones escape with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. 

2Ki 23:19  And also all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria, that the kings of Israel had made to provoke to anger, Josiah took away, and he did to them according to all the acts that he had done in Bethel. 

2Ki 23:20  And he slaughtered all the priests of the high places who were there by the altars, and burned the bones of man upon them, and returned to Jerusalem. 

2Ki 23:21  And the king commanded all the people, saying, Perform a Passover to Jehovah your God, as it is written in this Book of the covenant. 

2Ki 23:22  Surely none has been performed like this Passover from the days of the Judges who judged Israel even to all the days of the kings of Israel, and of the kings of Judah; 

2Ki 23:23  but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was prepared to Jehovah in Jerusalem. 

2Ki 23:24  And also the mediums and the spirit-knowers and the family gods, and the idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, Josiah put away in order to fulfill the Words of the Law that were written in the Book that Hilkiah the priest had found in the house of Jehovah. 

2Ki 23:25  And there was no king before him like him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; and after him none rose up like him. 

2Ki 23:26  However, Jehovah did not turn away from the fury of His great anger with which His anger glowed against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. 

2Ki 23:27  And Jehovah said, I will also turn away Judah from My face, as I turned Israel away, and I will reject this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I have said, My name shall be there. 

2Ki 23:28  And the rest of the acts of Josiah, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 

2Ki 23:29  In his days Pharaoh-necho the king of Egypt came up against the king of Assyria by the river Euphrates; and King Josiah went out to meet him, and he killed him in Megiddo, when he saw him. 

2Ki 23:30  And his servants made him ride dead from Megiddo, and brought him to Jerusalem, and they buried him in his own grave. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah and anointed him, and made him king in place of his father. 

2Ki 23:31  Jehoahaz was a son of twenty three years when he began to reign, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem; and the name of his mother was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 

2Ki 23:32  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah according to all that his fathers did. 

2Ki 23:33  And Pharaoh-necho bound him in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, from reigning in Jerusalem, and he put a fine on the land, a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold. 

2Ki 23:34  And Pharaoh-necho made Eliakim the son of Josiah to reign instead of Josiah his father, and turned his name into Jehoiakim; and he took away Jehoahaz, and he came to Egypt and died there. 

2Ki 23:35  And Jehoiakim gave the silver and the gold to Pharaoh; but he taxed the land to give the silver by the mouth of Pharaoh. From each, according to his valuation, he exacted the silver and gold from the people of the land, to give to Pharaoh-necho. 

2Ki 23:36  Jehoiakim was a son of twenty five years when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years; and the name of his mother was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah. 

2Ki 23:37  And he did the evil in the eyes of Jehovah according to all that his fathers did. 

Verses 1-14 Make a list of the things Josiah restored and be impressed with the sins Israel had been committing. You will also get a hint of the sinful things that previous kings had not cleaned up. Note how long some of these things had been allowed to continue. - 

Renews the covenant and includes "all his heart." - He destroys all the implements of idol worship. - He removed the priests of the idols. -  Tears down the houses of male cult prostitutes in (or by) the temple (where woven houses (hangings) for Asherah were also made by women). -  Destroyed other idol worship in the region and at the governor's gate. - Idol priests were not allowed to serve in the temple. - He desecrated the city of Topeth to stop the sacrifice of children. - He stopped sun worship. - Destroyed altars made by Ahaz and Manasseh. - He "defiled" the high places created by Solomon that served multiple gods/peoples. - Destroys the Asherah idols and buries men's bones in their place. -

1. Comment about Josiah as a spiritual leader and the lessons we can learn from him as we are spiritual leaders in our home and church: The key here is "all his heart." There were kings who made some changes to the overall direction of Judah. They removed idols. They perhaps renewed the covenant with God. They taught the people the law. But as we see here, there were still places that were built by Solomon that were still there. Likely, even desecrated places may have been left intact even within the temple by these previous kings. We cannot know what they thought but their actions tell us that they thought that changing the heart of the people was enough. Josiah's efforts reveals that faith is a two-pronged concept. It takes complete action to reveal a strong faith. Cleansing anything that leads away from Jehovah needs to be eradicated. On top of that, we will see him reinstitute proper worship/life. 

2. Who were the "perverted persons" mentioned in verse seven? The worship of Asherah included sexual promiscuity at every level. It would include male and/or female prostitutes that served as implements of a worship/desired-satisfaction of any kind. Weird.

Revealing fact - Pulpit Commentary concerning verse 11:

(Summarized) The idea of the sun god as a charioteer driving his horses across the sky was common among some of the nations. Egypt and the semitic tribes did not practice these beliefs. This renders verse eleven unclear.
It may be true that this practice was not prolific. The fact that the writer included it indicates the depths to which idol perversions had infiltrated everyday life.

3. In what way does Jesus in the New Testament mention the "valley of Hinnom" referred to in verse 10?

Strongs: γέεννα geenna gheh'-en-nah

Of Hebrew origin ([H1516] and [H2011]); valley of (the son of) Hinnom; gehenna (or Ge-Hinnom), a valley of Jerusalem, used (figuratively) as a name for the place (or state) of everlasting punishment: - hell.

Not to be confused with hades or sheole. The place has been described a place of fires to burn rubbish and in some cases, dead bodies. It is rendered has "hell," to depict a final place of judgement in the time of Christ.

 

Verses 15-20 Summary:  He destroys the altar and high place set up by Jeroboam (in Bethel, also destroyed the Asherah there). - He finds some graves there, digs them up and burns their bones (as prophesied IKings 13). Josiah goes throughout Israel and destroys other alters and places of worship, kills the priests and burns the bones.

Verses 21-25 Summary: Josiah calls for a passover. No other king was as thorough as he was in cleansing the nation from idolatry. None was as thorough after him. 

4. Compare verse 25 with 2Kings 18:5. Read these passages carefully. How do you reconcile the two texts?  

Of Josiah - 2Ki 23:25  And there was no king before him like him, who turned to Jehovah with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; and after him none rose up like him.

Of Hezekiah - 2Ki 18:5  He trusted in Jehovah the God of Israel, and after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him

The uniqueness of each king qualifies each statement and by that standard, they are both true. In the case of Josiah however, we see an unmatched zeal revealed by the complete nature of his "cleansing" efforts.

2Chronicles 35:1-19 (Additional facts about the passover): Josiah bolsters the priests. He restores the order as set up by David and Solomon. The king and Judah's leaders supply the animals for sacrifice (thousands). Offerings were made and distributed among the people. Singers were put in place and served as David had instituted. 
2Ch 35:18  And there had not been a Passover performed like it in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; yea, none of the kings of Israel performed such a Passover as Josiah performed

5. Why would the Chronicles devote so much space to this keeping of the passover? See above verse 18 of 2Chr. 35. It was a notable moment in that NONE of the previous kings performed one like it. 

Verses 26-27 Summary: God has already passed judgement against Judah. He will turn away from them.

Verses 28-30 Summary: Pharaoh-necho goes to war with Assyria. Josiah goes out to meet him (in battle). Josiah is killed. 

2 Chronicles 35:20-27 (Additional facts about Josiah's death): Pharaoh-neco warns Josiah that God has spoken with him and he does not want to war with Josiah. Josiah ignores him and:

2Ch 35:22  Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself to fight against him, and did not listen to the words of Necho from the mouth of God; and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo. 

During the battle, he shot through by an arrow. He is buried with the kings. 

6. Look up Megiddo in a Bible dictionary and jot down a brief history of this valley. Check a map for its location. Megiddo belonged to the tribe of Manasseh, although, Judges records that they were not able to dive out all the inhabitants. It is just west of Jezreel in the northern kingdom.

It is mentioned in the song of Deborah as a place of battle. IKings 9- it was fortified by Solomon. Ahaziah king of Israel went there to die, killed by Jehu. Zechariah 12 mentions it in the context of weeping. 
Zec 12:10  And I will pour on the house of David, and on the people of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they shall look on Me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be bitter over Him, as the bitterness over the first-born. 

Zec 12:11  In that day shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of Megiddo - --- Appears to be a messianic message of both deliverance and mourning.

Within the new testament context the name is transformed to Armegeddon (Har Megiddo, or “Mount Megiddo”) in Rev. 16 as a place of mourning.

7. What do the words of Pharaoh-Necho to Josiah tell us about God? Jehovah is everyone's God. Even if they don't know it. In this case, Pharaoh was an agent of Jehovah. He knew it, but it doesn't mean he trusted Jehovah only. God uses whomever He wishes to serve His purpose(s). 
"For God commanded me to make haste. You must cease from opposing God, who is with me, so that He does not destroy you." 

NOTE: 2Kings 22:20 might be interpreted as God promising Josiah a peaceful death, not the one he experienced. When we look closer, we see that the promise is that Judah will not fall during his reign/ That is the "peace" promised to him.
"...you shall be gathered to your grave in peace. And your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring on this place."

Verses 31-34 + 2Chronicles 36:1-4 Summary:
Kings- Jehoahaz becomes king. Pharaoh-neco dethrones him and takes him to Egypt. He puts Eliakim in his place and renames him Jehoiakim.  

Chronicles - (similar)

Verses 35-37; 2Chronicles 36:5-8 Summary: 

Kings- Jehoiakim paid the tribute as required by taxing the people. Jehoiakim was a bad king.

Chronicles - Jehoiakim is taken away by the Babylonian king.