Huldah - the bold prophetess

Huldah was a remarkable woman in a remarkable time

Huldah was a highly regarded prophetess during the reign of King Josiah.

Josiah’s, father Amon was assassinated and Josiah at the age of 8 came to the throne.

Josiah was a righteous king and ruled for 31-years.

He was Judah’s last independent king, all who came after him served at the whim of the major Empires.

Jerusalem was taken by the Babylonians within 25 years of Josiah’s death, which came about because he acted unwisely and tried to stop the Egyptians going to assist the Assyrians at the battle of Carchemish.

His father was an evil King, his grandfather Manasseh had ruled for over three decades and led Judah so far into depravity that their ultimate fate was sealed.

Josiah’s reforms occured in three phases.

At around 16 years of age after “ruling”for eight years 2 Chronicles 34:3 tells us that Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David.

Around the age of 20 after ruling for 12 years he began destroying all the idols in the land starting in Jerusalem and working outward.

This wasn’t a surface clean.

This was total destruction.

The idols were ground to dust, and the dust spread over the graves of those who had worshipped them.

The bones of the pagan priests burnt on their own altars.

Which would suggest that the pagan priests didn’t far to well in this cleansing of the land.

Then in the eighteenth yea rof his reign around the age of 26 he had the temple restored.

The fourth and final restoration of Solomon’s temple.

Hezekiah had conducted a reformation 93 years earlier which had not lasted.

The temple was now 337 years old and in 36 years time it woudl be destroyed

The Holman illustrated Bible Dictionary tells us that this final temple renovation was remarkable for four reasons.

First, the long-abandoned “book of the law of the LORD” was discovered in the temple.

Many Bible students believe that this was either Deuteronomy or else all five of Moses’ books.

Second, the king humbled himself before God at the realization of how sinful the people had been.

Third, Josiah led the people in a great covenant renewal ceremony.

Fourth, the Passover was celebrated by a large gathering in Jerusalem, including people from both Judah and survivors from Israel which had fallen to the Assyrians over 70 years earlier

According to 2 Chronicles 35:18, this was the greatest single Passover celebration in the entire history of the Israelite monarchy.

For one last time, a Davidic king was ruling the people of God according to the law of the Lord.

But it was already to late.

The evil King Manassah his idol worship and horrendous child sacrifices of his own children to the pagan god Molech had sealed the fate of the nation.

God had pronounced sentence on Judah that he would not revoke.

Josiah’s reforms would only delay the inevitable because the people and kings would so easily return to their idolatry.

It is in this context that King Josiah sends his officials to consult with the prophetess Huldah.

We don’t know why Huldah was consulted and not Jeremiah or Zephaniah who were both ministering at this time.

Some suggest that these men were not available being elsewhere.

Others suggest that it was the reputation of each of the prophets that determined that Huldah should be consulted.

Perhaps they thought the female prophetess would be gentler towards a good hearted young king wanting to obey the Lord.

After all Jeremiah would probably tell them they were all doomed and as a result would be less likely to seek the Lord’s direction.

All of these reasons are purely speculation on the part of the commentators, whatever the reasoning Huldah was held in sufficient regard that her oracle was seen as speaking the Lord’s will as to what the King should do.

2 Chronicles 34:22–28 NLT

So Hilkiah and the other men went to the New Quarter of Jerusalem to consult with the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, son of Harhas, the keeper of the Temple wardrobe. She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to bring disaster on this city and its people. All the curses written in the scroll that was read to the king of Judah will come true. For my people have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to pagan gods, and I am very angry with them for everything they have done. My anger will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’ “But go to the king of Judah who sent you to seek the Lord and tell him: ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says concerning the message you have just heard: You were sorry and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this city and its people. You humbled yourself and tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You yourself will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city and its people.’ ” So they took her message back to the king.

The result was that Josiah took to heart the words and renewed the covenant.

He required the people to do the same and conducted the greatest passover the nation had ever seen.

Throughout Josiah’s life the nation followed the law of the Lord.

It would seem that Josiah’s forcable reforms kept the pagan idol worship at bay.

But sadly at his death things went back to the way they were

Wikipedia, informs us that according to Rabbinic interpretation, Huldah and Deborah were the principal professed female prophets in the books of prophets.

Although Miriam is referred to as a prophet in the Torah and an unnamed prophet is mentioned in Isaiah.

The Huldah Gates in the Southern Wall of the Temple Mount are named for her.

Now walled up It was through these gates that people would ascend into the temple courts during the time of the second temple.

This is certainly a route Jesus would have used.

There is a supposed tomb of the prophet Huldah in Jerusalem but archaeological excavations have shown that there was no tomb there.

And according to William E. Phipps, Huldah is the first person to declare certain writings to be Holy Scripture.

But the Bible just doesn’t give us much information about this bold prophetess.

In fact we know more about her husband’s occupation than we do of Huldah apart from her words.

But we can be sure of a few things about this lady.

She boldly proclaimed the word of the Lord.

In fact the Rabbinic literature not only sees her as a recognised teacher it also sees her as especially bold.

They take this understanding from the parallel account in 2 Kings 22:15

2 Kings 22:15 NLT

She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you,

“The man who sent you,”

Not the king, but the man.

As far as she was concerned Josiah was just like any other man.

Someone who needed to humble himself before the Lord.

Huldah the female prophet who spoke the word of God directly to High Priests and royal officials.

A prophet who confirmed written words as being the very word of God.

A bold lady, not afraid to declare.

This is the word and heart of God.

God speaks through men and women.

Different personalities.

Different callings.

But always the same message.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

Or reap your own destruction.