It Is a Fearful Thing

Richard Evans

Following the reign of “good” King Hezekiah, Judah, the southern kingdom of Israel, suffered through the leadership of two very evil kings, Manasseh and Amon.

“Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. ... And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, after the abominations of the heathen” (2 Kings 21:1,2).

“Amon was twenty and two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. … And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, as his father Manasseh did. And he walked in all the way that his father walked in, and served the idols that his father served, and worshipped them: And he forsook the LORD God of his fathers [Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David], and walked not in the way of the LORD. And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house” (2 Kings 21:19-23).

Josiah’s Reign

The assassination of Amon precipitously placed his son Josiah on the throne of Judah at a very early age: “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. … And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Kings 22:1,2).

Charles Dickens opened his classic work on the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities, with these oft-quoted words: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way.”

A more apt description of King Josiah’s reign, Judah’s last “good” king, would be difficult to phrase. Though both his father and grandfather were worshippers of gods (Baal) and goddesses (Ashtoreth), Josiah did not follow in their footsteps. No reason is given for his taking the “way of David,” the path followed by his great grandfather Hezekiah; but, whatever the reason, he “turned not aside.” The people of Judah, on the other hand, were “going direct the other way.” “For in the eighth year of his reign, while he [Josiah] was yet young [sixteen], he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved ­images, and the molten images” (2 Chronicles 34:3).

The extent of the depravity then present in Judah, even to the offering of children to the fire of Moloch, was explicitly documented by the prophets Zephaniah and Jeremiah (Ze­phaniah 1:1-6; Jeremiah 1:1,2; 3:6-10).

At the age of twenty, four years after beginning to “seek after” God, Josiah began a great work of purging—removing from Judah the venues and priests involved with the worship of false gods. The cleansing was carried out over a period of years and was personally supervised by the king. Subsequent events revealed the reform was opposed by the dead weight of national apathy. The worship of idols had many fascinations as well as significant rewards for the ones involved (deference if not veneration, financial gain, etc.).

The Book of the Law

At twenty-six, in the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah initiated an even more consequential work—the repair of the “House of the LORD” (2 Chronicles 34:8-13). It seems Solomon’s temple had received little maintenance from the time of Joash (Jehoash), a period of over two-and-a-half centuries. Though cleansed by Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 29:3-19), much of the silver and gold was later removed to placate Sennacherib, king of Assyria (2 Kings 18:13-16). Thus, even with all the abominations related with idolatry removed, the temple was in a sad state and needed much repair.

As the work began, the high priest Hilkiah found “the Book of the Law,” the Torah, apparently while emptying the box kept in the temple to collect money to pay for such work: “And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of the LORD, Hilkiah the priest found a [the] book of the law of the LORD given by Moses” (2 Chronicles 34:14).

“And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it” (2 Kings 22:8). The box was probably the one the High Priest Jehoiada had placed “beside the altar” during the reign of Joash (2 Kings 12:9).

Hilkiah’s declaration that he had found “the book” indicates it could well have been the original, the one Moses wrote and placed by “the side of the ark of the covenant” (Deuteronomy 31:24-26). During the years of desecration the book could have been placed inside the contribution box by a conscientious priest for safety or, more likely, by an idolatrous priest to remove it from sight. The book was not alone in its dislocation. Apparently the ark also had been taken from its divinely appointed place (2 Chronicles 35:3).

Entrusted by Hilkiah with his exceptional find, Shaphan, the king’s secretary, took it to Josiah. After reporting on the progress of the repair work, he read the book to the king. This would have taken the whole of a long day.

Josiah’s Response

The Lament. “And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded … Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book” (2 Chronicles 34:19-21). Josiah’s lament was for the northern kingdom as well as the southern, both houses of Israel.

The king’s reaction to the reading of “the Book of the Law” strongly suggests it was the first time he had heard the words. No doubt the book had been set aside early in the reign of Manasseh which meant it had not been read for up to seven decades (Manasseh, 55 years; Amon, 2 years; Josiah, 18 years). Thus, there were two generations which had probably never heard “the words of the law”—particularly, the curses that would accrue through disobedience. It was the curses that were the source of Josiah’s lament. He immediately grasped the consequence for his people, a ­comprehension Paul was to set forth incisively many centuries later: “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Moses described that consequence as “seven times more plagues,” and through Joshua had the awesome specifics read aloud in very ­dramatic fashion on Mount Ebal (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 27:11-13; Joshua 8:30-35).

The Prophetess. To “enquire of the LORD” as the king commanded, the prophetess Huldah was consulted. Many reasons have been suggested for the prophetess being sought out and not Jeremiah or Zephaniah. The answer may be as simple as Huldah was in Jerusalem, the others were not.

In her response Huldah indicated Josiah’s lament was well founded. It was indeed a fearful thing to be unfaithful in a relationship with God! “And she [Huldah] said unto them [Josiah’s emissaries] … Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place [Judah], and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read: Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched” (2 Kings 22:15-17).

The Covenant. Josiah’s humble, wholehearted reaction and forthright response to what he had heard was profound. He not only put away what was wrong (2 Kings 23:4-20), but, following the guidance of God’s written Word, he proceeded to introduce what was right (2 Kings 23:1-3). First, just as Moses had instructed Joshua centuries earlier, he gathered the people so they too could hear the words of the book and reaffirm their covenant with God: “And the king went up into the house of the LORD, and all the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of the LORD. And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before the LORD, to walk after the LORD. And he caused all that were present … to stand to it” (2 Chronicles 34:30-32).

A prophecy by Jeremiah during the later reign of Zedekiah describes an intriguing ­de­tail that may have been a part of the resplendent and unparalleled ceremony by which Josi­ah had Judah reaffirm its covenant: “And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof, the princes of Judah, and the princes of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, which passed between the parts of the calf; I will even give them into the hand of their enemies” (Jeremiah 34:18-20).

The Passover. Following reaffirmation of its covenant with God, Josiah caused the nation to keep Passover: “Moreover Josiah kept a Passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the Passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. … And the children of Israel that were present kept the Passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days. And there was no Passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a Passover as Josiah kept” (2 Chronicles 35:1,17,18).

The Faith. In his zeal Josiah continued the purging of the land of all its venues for idol worship, even extending into Samaria (2 Kings 23:15-20)—the northern kingdom, the desolated land of the ten-tribe nation whose unfaithful people had been taken captive by Assyria.

His action at Bethel—the northern kingdom venue built by Jeroboam as an alternative to the temple in Jerusalem—gave a striking illustration of the depth of Josiah’s commitment and his desire to faithfully serve his God. He had the bones of the idolatrous priests removed from their sepulchres and then burned upon the idol altars before they were overturned. Though unexampled in Jewish history, Josiah obediently followed the instruction given by an unnamed “man of God” over three centuries earlier: “And he [the man of God] cried against the altar [of Jeroboam] in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee” (1 Kings 13:2).

In his faith Josiah executed all that the “man of God” had foretold (2 Kings 23:15,16). Judah’s last “good” king is a sublime example of a “righteous” man. “The just [righteous] shall live by [out of] his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4).

Josiah’s Demise and Legacy

As God had promised Josiah through Huldah, the King’s life came to an end before the judgment of the “living God” came on Judah (2 Kings 22:20). “In his days Pharaoh­nechoh king of Egypt went up against the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and king Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when he had seen him” (2 Kings 23:29).

The reign of Louis XVI delayed for a short time the terror of the French Revolution, the certain consequence of the acts of preceding kings. In the same manner Josiah’s reign was like the alpine glow of a setting sun on a snow covered mountain just before the fall of night. He had many obstacles to overcome: his grandfather’s long reign of wickedness, the evil of his father and his brutal assassination, the lack of awareness of the Torah, the disrepair and desecration of the temple, and most harrowing, the corruption and perversion of the people. Although his efforts removed the outward appendages of idolatry, the people generally did not enter into the way of their God. Following his death Judah quickly returned to its false gods.

Before its certain end arrived, three of Josi­ah’s sons and one grandson ruled as kings over Judah. None followed in the path of Josiah. They all did “evil in the sight of the LORD” (2 Kings 23:32,37; 24:9,19). Idolatry was so deeply ingrained in the psyche of the people that when Jeremiah challenged survivors of the resultant incursion by Babylon, they brazenly answered back with insolence: “As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee. But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil. But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine” (Jeremiah 44:16-18).

The Righteous Live out of Faith

The Word of God. The effect the Book of the Law had on Josiah is dramatic confirmation of Paul’s insight concerning God’s Word: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword … a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

The difference between one who is illuminated by the free use of Scripture and one who turns to the teaching of fellow creatures is as day is to night. As vividly portrayed by Judah’s failure, when God’s Word is laid aside, the people are led astray by all kinds of error. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

A Passover Unlike Any Other. The Passover of Josiah provides uncompromising guidance for all who accept Christ as their Passover. The King did all he could to purge Judah of the physical elements of false worship, and he gave the people a Passover unlike any that had come before; however, he could not purge the “old leaven” from their hearts, a purging that all “in Christ” must do. “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

Upon hearing the Word of God Josiah believed and dedicated himself to follow and to do all that God had spoken (2 Chronicles 34:31). He provided the leadership but the people did not follow. They pledged to act in accordance with the Law, but because of a lack of belief, it was without wholeheartedness, ­enthusiasm, or even repentant remorse. They were “caused … to stand to it” (2 Chronicles 34:32) and returned to their old ways as soon as Josiah’s leadership was removed (2 Kings 23:30-32). After all, of what use was a religion that could not save its chief sponsor from disaster?

Though Jeremiah spoke favorably of the king and his reform (Jeremiah 22:15,16), he saw the true character of the people. He knew they mistook the outward ritual for a true worship of God.

Rejecting the foreboding of the prophet, the beguiled people pointed to the order and beauty of the restored temple: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, The temple of the LORD, are these. For if ye throughly amend your ways and your doings; if ye throughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor; if ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your hurt: then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, for ever and ever” (Jeremiah 7:3-7).

Alongside the decorum and elevated ritual the grossest of conduct was carried on with unblushing shamelessness: “Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore shall they fall among them that fall: in the time of their visitation they shall be cast down, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 8:12).

The will of God for his creation is not just the hearing of his word, but the believing and doing of it. In spite of the great leadership and work of Josiah, the people did not heed. As the prophet cited: “From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year [of Jeremiah’s admonishing the people], the word of the LORD hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened. And the LORD hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear” (Jeremiah 25:3,4).

Though there had never been a “Passover like to” the Passover of Josiah, its grandeur did not accomplish God’s purpose. As Jeremiah reminded Judah, obedience was the divine desire, not pomp and circumstance: “Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I [God] command you: so shall ye be my people, and I will be your God” (Jeremiah 11:4).

It is a Fearful Thing. God’s earthly chosen people failed to appreciate the awesome privilege extended to them by the creator of the physical cosmos. The consequence of their unbelief was terrible to behold. Those who are God’s heavenly chosen people (Hebrews 3:1) must learn from their example: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).

All who are of God’s heavenly people must be bold and not waver (Hebrews 10:19,23). In faith they must “crucify the old man” (Romans 6:6; Ephesians 4:22; Colossians 3:9), burning the bones. They must purge the “old leaven” so they may be “worthy” to partake of their Passover (1 Corinthians 5:7). “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation [judgment, krima, #2917] to himself” (1 Corinthians 11:28,29).

Though the phrasing is different, this challenge to the Corinthians is similar to the admonition Paul set forth in his epistle to the Hebrews: “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he [a partaker of the “heavenly calling,” Hebrews 3:1] be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God [the Bread], and hath counted the blood of the covenant [the Cup, Hebrews 2:14; 9:20; 12:24], wherewith he [Jesus] was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:29-31).

Upon hearing the word of the Torah, Josiah understood the will of his God and did all he could to convey that understanding to God’s earthly people. His faith as an individual and the people’s lack of faith as a nation provide important lessons for God’s heavenly people. The life of all who are to serve God must be a life of faith, a life lived in complete confidence in God and his Word. “Now the just [righteous] shall live by [out of, ek, #1537] faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10:38).

Josiah’s lament demonstrated he well understood the consequence of God’s displeasure. “The Lord shall judge his people” (Hebrews 10:30). It is indeed “a fearful thing to fall in the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).