King Josiah

Another chapter emphasizing obedience versus disobedience to G-d’s commands.

Clearly, setting aside or getting rid of G-d’s laws results in curses. Thus, blessings only come from doing and hearing G-d’s laws.

And it will never be finished! Even during the arrival and reign of the true Messiah.

“King Josiah”

“Forsaking G-d”

“Returning to G-d”

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, …
34:1
He did what was proper in the eyes of Hashem, following the ways of his forefather David; he did not veer right or left.
34:2
In his eighth year, while he began to reign, while he was still a youngster, he began to seek out the God of his forefather David. …
34:3
They broke down the altars of Baal before him, and he cut down the sun images that were on top of them. He smashed and ground up the asherah-trees, the idols and the molten images and threw them over the graves of the people who had sacrificed to them.
:4
He smashed the altars, he ground up the asherah-trees and the graven images in all the Land of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.
:7
… Hilkiah the Kohen found the Book of the Torah of Hashem by Moses.
:14
It happened that when the king heard the words of the Torah, he rent his garments.
:19
“Go and inquire of Hashem on my behalf and on behalf of the remnant of Israel and Judah concerning the words of this Scroll that was found; for great is the wrath of Hashem that is poured out against us, because our fathers did not observe the word of Hashem, to fulfill all that was written in this Scroll.”
:21
Thus said Hashem: Behold, I am bringing evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants — [namely] all the curses written in the Scroll that they read before the king of Judah —
:24
because they have forsaken Me and burned offerings to the gods of others, in order to anger Me with all their handiwork; My wrath has been poured out against this place, and it will not be extinguished.’
:25
because your heart is soft and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words about this place and its inhabitants — you humbled yourself before Me and rent your garments and cried before Me — and I, too, have heard, the word of Hashem.
:27
… — and your eyes will not see all the evil that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants.” …
:28
The king went up to the Temple of Hashem, … and he read in their ears all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Temple of Hashem.
:30
The king then stood at his place and sealed the Covenant before Hashem, to follow Hashem and to observe His commandments and His testimonies and His decrees with all his heart and with all his soul, to uphold the words of the Covenant written in this book.
:31
Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands that belonged to the Children of Israel, and he impressed all who were present in Israel to worship Hashem, their God; all his days they did not veer from following Hashem, the God of their fathers.
:33

1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, and he walked in the ways of David his father, and turned aside neither to the right nor to the left.
3 And in the eighth year when he became king, when he was still a youth, he started to seek after the God of David his father, and in the twelfth year he started to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the asherim, the graven images, and the molten images.
4 And they demolished before him the altars of the baalim and the sun images that were above them he cut down, and the asherim, the graven images, and the molten images he smashed and crushed, and he cast them upon the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
5 And the bones of the priests he burned on their altars, and he purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6 And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon as far as Naphtali with their instruments of destruction round about.
7 And he demolished the altars, and the asherim and the graven images he crushed into dust, and all the sun images he cut down in all the land of Israel, and he returned to Jerusalem.
8 And in the eighteenth year of his reign, after the purging of the land and the Temple, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah and Maaseiah, the ruler of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder to strengthen the House of the Lord his God.
9 And they came to Hilkiah the High Priest and gave the silver that was brought to the House of God, which the Levites who guarded the threshold had gathered from the hands of Manasseh and Ephraim and from all the remnant of Israel and from all Judah and Benjamin, and they returned to Jerusalem.
10 They gave it into the hands of the foremen of the work, who were appointed in the House of the Lord, and they gave it [to] the workers who were working in the House of the Lord, to mend and repair the House.
11 And they gave it to the carpenters and to the builders to buy hewn stones and wood for the couplings, and to make beams for the houses that the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the work faithfully, and over them were appointed Jahath and Obadiah the Levites of the sons of Merari, and Zechariah and Meshullam of the sons of the Kehathites to direct, and the Levites, all who were expert with musical instruments.
13 And over the porters and the overseers over all those who did the work, for every work, and of the Levites, scribes and officers and gate sentries.
14 And when they took out the silver that was brought into the House of the Lord, Hilkiah the priest found the Scroll of the Law of the Lord by the hand of Moses.
15 And Hilkiah spoke up and said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Scroll of the Law in the House of the Lord,” and Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan brought the scroll to the king, and he further brought back word to the king, saying, “Whatever was given into the hands of your servants they are doing.”
17 And they poured the silver that was found in the House of the Lord, and they gave it into the hands of those appointed and into the hands of those who did the work.
18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest gave me a scroll,” and Shaphan read from it before the king.
19 And it was when the king heard the words of the Law, that he rent his garments.
20 And the king commanded Hilkiah and Ahikam the son of Shaphan and Abdon the son of Micah and Shaphan the scribe and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying:
21 “Go, inquire of the Lord on my behalf and on behalf of those remaining in Israel and in Judah concerning the words of the scroll which has been found, for great is the Lord’s wrath which has been poured upon us, since our forefathers did not keep the word of the Lord, to do according to all that is written in this scroll.”
22 And Hilkiah and those whom the king [sent] went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath the son of Hasrah, the keeper of the raiment, and she was sitting in Jerusalem in the study-hall, and they spoke to her accordingly.
23 And she said to them, “So has the Lord God of Israel said: Say to the man who sent you to me:
24 So said the Lord, ‘Behold I bring calamity upon this place and upon its inhabitants-all the curses that are written in this scroll, which they read before the king of Judah.
25 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to pagan deities, in order to provoke Me with all the deeds of their hands, My wrath is poured down upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.’
26 And concerning the king of Judah, who has sent you to inquire of the Lord, so shall you say to him: So has the Lord God of Israel said, ‘The words as you have heard.
27 Since your heart has become soft, and you have humbled yourself before God when you heard His words about this place and about its inhabitants, and you humbled yourself before Me and rent your garments and wept before Me, I, too, have heard [it],’ says the Lord.
28 Therefore, behold I gather you to your forefathers, and you shall be gathered to your graves in peace, and your eyes shall not see any of the calamity that I am bringing upon this place and upon its inhabitants.” And they brought back word to the king.
29 And the king summoned, and he assembled all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 And the king went up to the House of the Lord, and all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were with him, and the priests and the Levites, and all the people from great to small, and he read within their hearing all the words of the Scroll of the Covenant that was found in the House of the Lord.
31 And the king stood in his place, and enacted the covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord and to observe His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and with all his soul, to fulfill the words of the covenant, which were written in this scroll.
32 And he stood up all those found in Jerusalem and Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their forefathers.
33 And Josiah removed all the abominations from all the lands of the Children of Israel, and he caused all those found in Israel to serve, to serve the Lord their God; all his days they did not turn away from following the Lord God of their forefathers.