Wednesday 04 24 2024
Part of April 2024 Notes

“Obedience to God Alone”

1 Kings 13; 2 Kings 23; 2 Chronicles 34-35

  • Tonight we’ll read through the reforms of Josiah, celebrating Passover, a discovery about God name dropping Josiah in prophecy, and the question of how Josiah dies:
  • Specifically, God says things about Josiah’s life and death, and it may not look like God’s word is proven true.
  • Let’s look and see if it’s true that ‘those who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame’ - Romans 10.11.

We begin by going back to 1 Kings 13 and the essential personnel:

  • God
  • God’s Nameless Prophet
  • King Jeroboam
  • The Lying Prophet

What happens?

  • God is very angry at Jeroboam because Jeroboam has invented his own religion and is leading the people of Israel into idolatry.

God commands a nameless prophet:
1 Kings 13
At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense.
2 Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.”
3 That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”
4 When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back.
5 At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.
6 The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.
7 Then the king said to the man of God, “Come to the palace with me and have something to eat, and I will give you a gift.”
8 But the man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of everything you own, I would not go with you. I would not eat or drink anything in this place.
9 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”
10 So he left Bethel and went home another way.

  • So far, so good.
  • But at verse 11 we meet a man who is called a prophet who has two sons and word gets to them about this Nameless Prophet who has brought God’s command to King Jeroboam with a stunning, miraculous display of God’s power.
  • This old prophet wants to have a meet and greet with the Nameless prophet and so this is what he does:

1 Kings 13.15
…he said to the man of God, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
16 “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place.
17 For the Lord gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’”
18 But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’”
But the old man was lying to him.
19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.
20 Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet.
21 He cried out to the man of God from Judah, “This is what the Lord says: You have defied the word of the Lord and have disobeyed the command the Lord your God gave you.
22 You came back to this place and ate and drank where he told you not to eat or drink. Because of this, your body will not be buried in the grave of your ancestors.”

  • So the Nameless prophet heads back home on a borrowed donkey and a lion kills him. - The lion doesn’t eat him.
  • The lion doesn’t eat the donkey.
  • This is proof that it’s judgment from God.
  • The Lying Prophet buries the Nameless Prophet and makes his sons promise that when he dies, they are to bury him with the Nameless Prophet, the man who had truly heard from God.

  • Now we move to Josiah’s reforms.
  • 2 Kings 23 tells us about Josiah’s reforms, that he actively destroyed all false idols and places of worship. Of particular note for us is this:

2 Kings 23.10
Then the king defiled the altar of Topheth in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, so no one could ever again use it to sacrifice a son or daughter in the fire as an offering to Molech.

  • Here’s our focus for tonight, because it explains everything about Josiah’s death:

2 Kings 23:15
The king also tore down the altar at Bethel—the pagan shrine that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made when he caused Israel to sin. He burned down the shrine and ground it to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole.
16 Then Josiah turned around and noticed several tombs in the side of the hill. He ordered that the bones be brought out, and he burned them on the altar at Bethel to desecrate it. (This happened just as the Lord had promised through the man of God when Jeroboam stood beside the altar at the festival.)
Then Josiah turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things.
17 “What is that monument over there?” Josiah asked.
And the people of the town told him, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted the very things that you have just done to the altar at Bethel!”
18 Josiah replied, “Leave it alone. Don’t disturb his bones.” So they did not burn his bones or those of the old prophet from Samaria.

  • For additional clarity, let’s remember what God said through Huldah when Josiah sought the Lord’s forgiveness for the sins of his nation:
  • She confirms his heart is right and he is heard, seen and secured by God.

2 Chronicles 34.19 (see also 2 Kings 22)
When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair.
20 Then he gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the court secretary, and Asaiah the king’s personal adviser:
21 “Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for all the remnant of Israel and Judah. Inquire about the words written in the scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger has been poured out on us because our ancestors have not obeyed the word of the Lord. We have not been doing everything this scroll says we must do.”
22 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.
23 She said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken! Go back and tell the man who sent you,
24 ‘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.
25 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.’
26 “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:
27 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.
28 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.’”

2 Kings 23.29
While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Neco, king of Egypt, went to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah and his army marched out to fight him, but King Neco killed him when they met at Megiddo.
30 Josiah’s officers took his body back in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land anointed Josiah’s son Jehoahaz and made him the next king.

2 Chronicles 35.20
After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him.
21 But King Neco sent messengers to Josiah with this message:
“What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I am on my way to fight another nation, and God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
22 But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he disguised himself and led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo.
23 But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, “Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
24 So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chariot. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died. He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.
25 The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, and to this day choirs still sing these sad songs about his death. These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded in The Book of Laments.

Josiah’s Death

  • Neco says God sent him on this mission; don’t interfere
  • We have no indicator that this news is confirming what God had already told Josiah
    So Josiah has the confirmation of prophecy before he’s born that says he’s doing what the Lord has ordained
  • Josiah has Huldah confirm the word of the Lord
  • Josiah knows the word of the Lord and as King of Israel, his job is to secure Israel and MAKE NO ALLIANCES WITH FOREIGN KINGS/NATIONS.
  • Neco, a foreign (Egyptian, no less; a Scriptural illustration used repeatedly by the prophets to signify the encroachment of the godless worldly system and captivity) king says “God told me to; you’re fighting against God.”
  • No Huldah
  • No nameless prophet
  • No confirmation from God’s Word
  • No change in mission, then.
  • Josiah goes out and puts his skin on the line, one of the people.

If only there was a way to sort this out. There is. Keep reading.

2 Kings 23.31
Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.
32 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestors had done.
33 Pharaoh Neco put Jehoahaz in prison at Riblah in the land of Hamath to prevent him from ruling in Jerusalem. He also demanded that Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.

Jehoiakim Rules in Judah
34 Pharaoh Neco then installed Eliakim, another of Josiah’s sons, to reign in place of his father, and he changed Eliakim’s name to Jehoiakim. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt as a prisoner, where he died.
35 In order to get the silver and gold demanded as tribute by Pharaoh Neco, Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people of Judah, requiring them to pay in proportion to their wealth.
36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah.
37 He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestors had done.

  • The question is, would God let your obedience and my obedience lead to death?
  • Would dedication devotion to God and zealous obedience to God end in death?
  • It did for Abel, Isaiah, John the Baptist, Jesus, of course, All Jesus’ disciples, Steven, Paul.

  • I don’t have to understand how the Lord is doing His business, I simply must obey.

  • I must obey his word by the power of his Holy Spirit as it is revealed to me, neither turning to the right or the left, but rather fixing my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith, who for the joy set before him endured the suffering and shame of the cross.

  • Romans 10.11
    Those who trust in the Lord will never be put to shame.

  • I believe that God collected Josiah to himself because that’s what God said he would do.
  • And he said he would do that because he was pleased with Josiah having a fully devoted heart to the Lord that no one could talk him out of.
  • Even a guy who claimed to have a message from God. His message from God was different than Josiah’s message.
  • We don’t read about Neco worshiping the Lord unlike any other king in the history of Israel.
  • Only Josiah is our example in worship and therefore obedience.
  • You might not like the fact that our obedience will cost us our lives, but Jesus didn’t mind.
  • So we’ll need the life that Jesus offers, not our best idea of what life should offer.

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