Bible Studies
The Day of the Lord Is Near (Zeph. 1:14, 2 Kings 22-23; 2 Chron. 34-35)
Series: Studies in Second KingsIntroduction:
1. King Manasseh had done much evil in Judah. He had been taken captive by the Assyrians and taken to Babylon with hooks, put through his nose, and bronze chains, but he had humbled himself and God brought him back to Jerusalem. 2. Amon, his son, returned to the idolatry of his father. But he never repented. 3. God has sent prophets, but the people had not listened!a. God said, “I will choose their punishments and will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen, and they did evil in My sight and chose that in which I did not delight” (Isa. 66:4).
b. The prophets were clear. Theirs was a message of calamity on Jerusalem and Judah.
c. God said, “I am bringing such calamity on Jerusalem and Judah, that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem as one wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. I will abandon the remnant of My inheritance and deliver them into the hand of their enemies” (2 Kings 21:12-14).
4. The only question was when would it occur? 5. We expected that it might be under Manasseh, but he repented. It did not come in the 2 year reign of Amon. Will God’s patience be exhausted during the days of Josiah?Discussion:
I. Josiah was probably NOT well schooled in the ways of the Lord. (At least not by father, nor grandfather.)A. God had given instruction about the training of children (Deut. 6).
1. But Amon’s heart was not turned toward Josiah to train him in the things of God.
2. Manasseh may have repented, but his influence had been predominately negative.
3. The king was supposed to “write for himself a copy of the law on a scroll and read it all the days of his life so that he not turn aside from the commandment of the Lord (Deut. 17:18ff).
B. Eighteen years into his reign (26 years old) the book of the law was found in the house of the Lord (2 Kings 22:3-10).
1. What book was this?
a. In the N.T. “the Law and the Prophets,” identified the books of Moses as “the Law” and everything else as “the Prophets.” Was it the entire Pentateuch that was found?
b. Iain W. Provan (Commentary on 1 & 2 Kings) concludes it is the book of Deut. since the phrase “book of the law” is used in the Pentateuch only of Deut. (Deut. 28:61; 29:21; 30:10; 31:26; cf. Josh. 1:8; 8:30-35; 23:6; 24:26; 2 Chron. 17:9; Neh. 8:3, 18, cf. the book of Moses, ex. 2 Chron. 35:12. Note Deut. 1:5.
2. How long has it been lost?
a. Hezekiah had been commended for keeping it (2 Kings 18:6). Cf. Deut. 12:1-7 with the reforms that he instituted.
b. It was probably lost during the reign of Manaseh.
C. The king was horrified by the reading of the law (2 Kings 22:11ff).
1. “Our fathers have not LISTENED!”
2. “Go and inquire of the Lord.”
D. The leaders went to Huldah, the prophetess (2 Kings 22:14ff).
1. She lived in Jerusalem.
2. Did not go to Jeremiah who had been prophesying for the past 5 years (Jer. 1:2), nor Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1).
3. Nor one of the other unnamed prophets (2 Kings 21:10).
4. God’s message was out there. It was available. I suppose there were some interested in the things of God. Perhaps we could call them a “remnant of the remnant.” Cf. 2 Kings 21:14; Zeph. 3:12.
E. The Lord’s message.
1. The message for Jerusalem and Judah (22:16-17). Cf. 21:12-15. Zeph. 3:1.
2. The message for Josiah (22:18-20).
3. The Lord’s message to us.
a. Listen to the Lord.
b. Humble yourselves.
c. Go back to the law of God.
1) Write these words on your heart.
2) Communicate them to your children and your grandchildren.
3) Serve the Lord with a whole heart.
II. Josiah began a program of instruction and formulated a covenant promising loyalty to the Lord (2 Kings 23:1-3),A. Loyalty to the Lord begins with hearing His words.
1. In a day and age when men say, “There is no God,” those who listen would be silenced.
2. In a day and age when men look at the Scriptures as the invention of men, those who would speak and those who would listen are relegated to quiet corners.
3. Without interest in hearing, the word of God is lost.
B. Loyalty to the Lord is founded upon a covenant commitment to walk with the Lord, to keep His commandments and to do so with all the heart and with all the soul.
1. Today we celebrated the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said, “This is the blood of the covenant.”
2. Those of us who have participated in this supper confess our commitment to Him.
3. Those who did not participate need to make such a commitment!
III. Josiah instituted a restorationA. He cleaned out the idolatry from the temple of God (23:4).
B. He did away with the idolatrous priests (5).
C. He brought out the Asherah from the house of God, burned it, ground it to dust and threw it on the graves of the people.
D. He broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord.
E. He extended his restoration to Judah.
1. He destroyed high places.
2. Eliminated the worship of Molech and child sacrifice.
3. Smashed altars, destroyed sacred pillars and cut down Asherim.
F. He extended his restoration to Bethel and destroyed the altar Jeroboam had set up.
1. He dug up the bones of the idol worshipers and burned them on the altars.
2. Predicted by the “man of God” when Jeroboam dedicated the site (1 Kings 13:1-2).
a. It is about 632 B.C. (640 B.C. Josiah began his reign + 18th year when he found book of the law. Jeroboam began his reign 922 (Albright), 931 (Thiele)).
b. The prediction was made almost 300 years prior to Josiah’s actions.
G. He removed the high places in the cities of Samaria and slaughtered the priests on their altars and burned human bones on them.
H. Restored the Passover.
I. Removed the mediums, spiritists, teraphim, and idols and all the abominations in Judah and Jerusalem.
J. He did right with all his heart, soul and might according to the law of Moses.
K. He escaped personally and post-poned the judgment of God.
IV. However... (2 Kings 23:26-27), the end is near.A. Listen to the Lord.
B. Make a covenant with Him.
C. Some of you may have post-poned an initial covenant. You have made no commitment to God. Some of you may have made an initial covenant, but then have been unfaithful. It is time for you to make a commitment!
D. Commit early--and save yourself and the next generation. Commit late--perhaps you have already lost the next generation, but can save yourself. Fail to commit—you loose your influence in the next generation and are lost yourself. That’s pretty much the way it works. (There are exceptions.)
E. It must be a commitment with all your heart and with all your soul!
Conclusion:
1. The judgment is coming. 2. How will you respond?
