Reform and Return

I. Recap

A. United Kingdom under David and Solomon, Divided Kingdom (North/South - Israel/Judah) after Solomon. “If you add up the number of years each king reigned and divide them by the number of kings you find an interesting fact. Every righteous king reigned on average 33 years, while every wicked king reigned on average 11 years.” - David Pawson. We see the mercy of God in this.

B. We talked about Hezekiah last week. This week I will deal with Josiah, but I want to note first that Hezekiah was Josiah’s great grandfather. After King Hezekiah’s reign, After Hezekiah’s reign, his son Manasseh was among the most wicked in all Israel’s history. After Hezekiah tore down the “high places” of idol worship in the land, Manasseh built them up again and idolatry rose to even more prominence in the land than before. Manasseh’s son Amon reigned a short time and continued in his father’s wickedness. (2 Kings 20-21).

C. 2 Kings 22:1-2 “Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.”

II. HilKiah finds the scroll of Deuteronomy

A. HilKiah was High Priest at this time. His son was the prophet Jeremiah (which we will discuss later.) But what I want to point out here is that Hilkiah would have been in priesthood during the reign of Amon and part of Manasseh’s as well.

Hilkiah saw times of some of the greatest wickedness in Judah’s history, but His son Jeremiah would call the nation to repentance and young Josiah would institute holy reforms.

Stay in the fight! There are men here who need to hear that staying in the fight over guarding the eyes can release breakthrough for the next generation!

In the Exodus only 2 people from the generation which was told of the promised land actually entered into the land. The rest was the next generation!

B. 2 Kings 22:8 “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the Lord.”

C. 2 Kings 22:11 Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.

D. 2 Kings 22:16-17 “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on this place and on its inhabitants—all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read—17 because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. Therefore My wrath shall be aroused against this place and shall not be quenched.’ ” ’

E. 2 Kings 22:18-20 But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the Lord, in this manner you shall speak to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel: “Concerning the words which you have heard—19 because your heart was tender, and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you,” says the Lord. 20 Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place.” ’ ” So they brought back word to the king.

Because young Josiah’s heart was tender and humble before God and tender to what he found in God’s word. The Lord’s mercy was that the coming judgment would not happen in Josiah’s day but rather God would allow Judah a time of reprieve.

III. Restoring the Davidic Order of Worship

A. Throughout the times of the Kings of Judah, who were all of David’s line, every great revival and prospering of the land and the people was knit to a king restoring David’s order of worship in the temple. Whenever a wicked king reigned, David’s order of worship was neglected.

David’s order of worship was “Day and Night” prophetic singing with intercession.(1 Chron 9:33, 1 Chron 23, 25).

Under Josiah’s reforms: And the singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their places, according to the command of David, (2 Ch 35:15).

Josiah also reinstituted the Passover and tore down the high places as his great grandfather Hezekiah had done.

IV. Jeremiah’s call to repentance

A. Jeremiah’s ministry began when Josiah was 21 years old (Jeremiah 1:2). And Jeremiah was also young at this time (Jeremiah 1:6). David Pawson thinks that Jeremiah and Josiah were born the same year! Either way, it is likely that Jeremiah was born during the reign of Manasseh as was Josiah.

B. The call to repentance in Jeremiah 3 was given during Josiah’s reign (Jer 3:6).

This call to repentance is a call out of spiritual harlotry spiritual adultery in serving other gods, saying that they had committed this adultery everywhere, yet the Lord’s appeal for the people’s return is because He has “Married Himself to them.” (Jeremiah 3:14).

C. This spiritual adultery was the result of moving away from the first commandment in the tendency of the heart to define satisfaction by something other than loving God fully.

1 Jeremiah 2:12-13 . Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate,” says the Lord. “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.