20250213

second mission

2 Chronicles 34:1-33

2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:2 He did what was right in Yahveh’s sight and walked in the ways of his ancestor David; he did not turn aside to the right or the left.
2 Chronicles 34:3 In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David, and in the twelfth year he began to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images.
2 Chronicles 34:4 Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he chopped down the shrines that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved images, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
2 Chronicles 34:5 He burned the bones of the priests on their altars. So, he cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:6 He did the same in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, and as far as Naphtali and on their surrounding mountain shrines.
2 Chronicles 34:7 He tore down the altars, and he smashed the Asherah poles and the carved images to powder. He chopped down all the shrines throughout the land of Israel and returned to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:8 In the eighteenth year of his reign, in order to cleanse the land and the temple, Josiah sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, along with Maaseiah the governor of the city and the court historian Joah son of Joahaz, to repair the temple of Yahveh his God.
2 Chronicles 34:9 So they went to the high priest Hilkiah and gave him the silver brought into God’s temple. The Levites and the doorkeepers had collected it from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from the entire remnant of Israel, and from all Judah, Benjamin, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:10 They gave it to those doing the work– those who oversaw Yahveh’s temple. They gave it to the workmen who were working in Yahveh’s temple, to repair and restore the temple;
2 Chronicles 34:11 they gave it to the carpenters and builders and also used it to buy quarried stone and timbers– for joining and making beams– for the buildings that Judah’s kings had destroyed.
2 Chronicles 34:12 The men were doing the work with integrity. Their overseers were Jahath and Obadiah, Levites from the Merarites, and Zechariah and Meshullam from the Kohathites as supervisors. The Levites were all skilled with musical instruments.
2 Chronicles 34:13 They were also over the porters and were supervising all those doing the work task by task. Some of the Levites were secretaries, officers, and gatekeepers.
2 Chronicles 34:14 When they brought out the silver that had been deposited in Yahveh’s temple, the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law of Yahveh written by the hand of Moses.
2 Chronicles 34:15 Consequently, Hilkiah told the court secretary Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in Yahveh’s temple,” and he gave the book to Shaphan.
2 Chronicles 34:16 Shaphan took the book to the king, and also reported, “Your servants are doing all that was placed in their hands.
2 Chronicles 34:17 They have emptied out the silver that was found in Yahveh’s temple and have given it to the overseers and to those doing the work.”
2 Chronicles 34:18 Then the court secretary Shaphan told the king, “The priest Hilkiah gave me a book,” and Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
2 Chronicles 34:19 When the king heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes.
2 Chronicles 34:20 Then he commanded Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, the court secretary Shaphan, and the king’s servant Asaiah,
2 Chronicles 34:21 “Go and inquire of Yahveh for me and for those remaining in Israel and Judah, concerning the words of the book that was found. For great is Yahveh’s wrath that is poured out on us because our ancestors have not kept the word of Yahveh in order to do everything written in this book.”
2 Chronicles 34:22 So Hilkiah and those the king had designated went to the prophetess Huldah, the wife of Shallum son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem in the Second District. They spoke with her about this.
2 Chronicles 34:23 She said to them, “This is what Yahveh God of Israel says: Say to the man who sent you to me,
2 Chronicles 34:24 ‘This is what Yahveh says: I am about to bring disaster on this place and on its inhabitants, fulfilling all the curses written in the book that they read in the presence of the king of Judah,
2 Chronicles 34:25 because they have abandoned me and burned incense to other gods so as to anger me with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be poured out on this place, and it will not be quenched.’
2 Chronicles 34:26 Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of Yahveh: ‘This is what Yahveh God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard,
2 Chronicles 34:27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before me, and you tore your clothes and wept before me, I myself have heard’– this is Yahveh’s declaration.
2 Chronicles 34:28 ‘I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.'” Then they reported to the king.
2 Chronicles 34:29 So the king sent messengers and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 34:30 The king went up to Yahveh’s temple with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the Levites– all the people from the oldest to the youngest. He read in their hearing all the words of the book of the covenant that had been found in Yahveh’s temple.
2 Chronicles 34:31 Then the king stood at his post and made a covenant in Yahveh’s presence to follow Yahveh and to keep his commands, his decrees, and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul in order to carry out the words of the covenant written in this book.
2 Chronicles 34:32 He had all those present in Jerusalem and Benjamin agree to it. So all the inhabitants of Jerusalem carried out the covenant of God, the God of their ancestors.
2 Chronicles 34:33 So Josiah removed everything that was detestable from all the lands belonging to the Israelites, and he required all who were present in Israel to serve Yahveh their God. Throughout his reign they did not turn aside from following Yahveh, the God of their ancestors.

second mission

Josiah was already 18 years into his mission of reforming Judah when his servant found a book among the collected items in the temple. Once he heard its words, he knew that it was the Law of the LORD, and that his people were going to be judged for failing to obey it. He immediately humbled himself, and God assured him that he would not suffer the punishment because he responded correctly to the Law by seeking grace.

His mission grew from that time on. Not only was he to see that all of the vestiges of the old idolatry were destroyed, he added to that mission the new mission of proclaiming the words of the Book of the Covenant, and made his people join in the covenant.

LORD, make us responsive to your word. May proclaiming your word be our mission.