(The previous post covered the reigns of Hezekiah, Manasseh, and Amon.)
2 Chronicles 34
(This chapter introduced Josiah, possibly the greatest king of Judah.)
1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem.
2 And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
(Josiah reigned over Judah at only eight years old and did right before God.)
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, 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 Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
(In Josiah's eighth year (sixteen years old) he began to seek God and in his twelfth year (twenty years old) he began to purge (clean) Judah of the high places, groves, and graven and molten images. 2 Kings 23 stated Josiah was the one who took down Solomon's high places to Molech and Chemosh.)
4 And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem.
6 And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their ruins round about.
7 And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God.
(In Josiah's eighteenth year (twenty-six years old) he sent men to repair the temple.)
9 And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
10 And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in the house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house;
11 even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music.
(The men did the work faithfully. The root word that was translated into "faithfully" was also translated as "truth." These men who worked did so in the right way (how) and for the right reasons (why).)
13 Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
14 And when they brought out the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah, Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law of Jehovah given by Moses.
(Hilkah the priest found the book of the Law.)
15 And Hilkiah answered and said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
16 And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and moreover brought back word to the king, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they are doing.
(Shaphan the scribe brought the book of the Law to Josiah.)
17 And they have emptied out the money that was found in the house of Jehovah, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and into the hand of the workmen.
18 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read therein before the king.
19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
(When Josiah heard the words of the Law, he tore his clothes!)
20 And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
21 Go ye, inquire of Jehovah 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 Jehovah that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of Jehovah, to do according unto all that is written in this book.
22 So Hilkiah, and they whom the king had commanded, went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter;) and they spake to her to that effect.
(Huldah the prophetess was consulted.)
23 And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me,
24 Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah.
25 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 is my wrath poured out upon this place, and it shall not be quenched.
(First, she said that God would pour His wrath upon Judah. Judah would end up in captivity.)
26 But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard,
27 because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before God, when thou heardest his words against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, and hast humbled thyself before me, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah.
28 Behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil that I will bring upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof. And they brought back word to the king.
(Then she said the people and the king would receive mercy from God because Josiah humbled himself.)
29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.
30 And the king went up to the house of Jehovah, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both 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 Jehovah.
(Josiah, the King of Judah, read the Law before all the people.)
31 And the king stood in his place, and made a covenant before Jehovah, to walk after Jehovah, and to keep his commandments, and his testimonies, and his statutes, with all his heart, and with all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.
(Josiah made a Covenant before God to walk after the Lord, keep His commandments, testimonies, and statutes with all his heart and soul to perform the words written in the Law.)
32 And he caused all that were found in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand to it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.
(Josiah caused all that were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin to stand (agree, state their will) to the Covenant. Josiah was not only focused on living right before God himself but was also focused on helping others live right before God.)
33 And Josiah took away all the abominations out of all the countries that pertained to the children of Israel, and made all that were found in Israel to serve, even to serve Jehovah their God. All his days they departed not from following Jehovah, the God of their fathers.
2 Chronicles 35
(This chapter covered Josiah's Passover.)
1 And Josiah kept a passover unto Jehovah in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 And he set the priests in their offices, and encouraged them to the service of the house of Jehovah.
(Josiah kept the Passover and encouraged the priests to minister in the temple.)
3 And he said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, that were holy unto Jehovah, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; there shall no more be a burden upon your shoulders: now serve Jehovah your God, and his people Israel.
(The Levites were teachers of all Israel. At this time, they must have been bearing the burden of the Ark and Josiah told them to put it back in the temple. So, here was a mention of the Ark.)
4 And prepare yourselves after your fathers' houses by your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.
5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of your brethren the children of the people, and let there be for each a portion of a fathers' house of the Levites.
6 And kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare for your brethren, to do according to the word of Jehovah by Moses.
7 And Josiah gave to the children of the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all of them for the passover-offerings, unto all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.
(The king gave the people animals to offer from his own substance.)
8 And his princes gave for a freewill-offering unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, the rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover-offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.
9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for the passover-offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.
10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites by their courses, according to the king's commandment.
11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood which they received of their hand, and the Levites flayed them.
(The Passover lamb was killed.)
12 And they removed the burnt-offerings, that they might give them according to the divisions of the fathers' houses of the children of the people, to offer unto Jehovah, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.
13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: and the holy offerings boiled they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the children of the people.
14 And afterward they prepared for themselves, and for the priests, because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering the burnt-offerings and the fat until night: therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters were at every gate: they needed not to depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of Jehovah was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt-offerings upon the altar of Jehovah, according to the commandment of king Josiah.
17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did any of the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
(There was no Passover like this one since the days of Samuel.)
19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight against Carchemish by the Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
(Neco, king of Egypt, went to fight against Charchemish (a Hittite capital northeast of Israel) and Josiah went out against him.)
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war; and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
(Neco sent ambassadors to Josiah who told him they were not fighting against Judah. God was with Neco and Neco did not want Josiah to be destroyed by God for "meddling" with God's affairs.)
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Neco from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
(Josiah did not listen to the words of Neco "from the mouth of God" and Josiah went to fight in the valley of Megiddo (Armeggedon). It seemed as if this was the one record of Josiah doing something wrong. He was warned that God was with Neco yet he ignored Neco's words.)
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
(Josiah was shot by archers and was wounded greatly. 2 Chronicles 34:28 stated that Josiah would go to the grave in peace. Being shot by archers during war was not peaceful. This death could be an effect of Josiah not listening to a warning from God.)
24 So his servants took him out of the chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had, and brought him to Jerusalem; and he died, and was buried in the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations unto this day; and they made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.
(Josiah died and Jeremiah lamented for him.)
26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds, according to that which is written in the law of Jehovah,
27 and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.
2 Chronicles 36
(This chapter covered the fall of Jerusalem.)
1 Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and made him king in his father's stead in Jerusalem.
2 Joahaz was twenty and three years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months in Jerusalem.
(Jehoahaz reigned over Judah. He was king for only three months. He was not listed in Matthew's lineage of Christ.)
3 And the king of Egypt deposed him at Jerusalem, and fined the land a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold.
4 And the king of Egypt made Eliakim his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. And Neco took Joahaz his brother, and carried him to Egypt.
(Eliakim reigned over Judah and the king of Egypt changed his name to Jehoiakim.
-Eliakim meant "God raises" or "God sets up" and
-Jehoiakim meant "Jehovah raises up."
The difference in the names was the word used for "God": Elohim ("El") or Jehovah ("Jeh") were the root words for the prefixes of each word, respectively. Elohim was referenced as God the Creator and Jehovah was referenced as The Great I AM.
The first captivity of Judah occurred to Jehoahaz while Jehoiakim was ruler of Judah.)
5 Jehoiakim was twenty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God.
6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.
7 Nebuchadnezzar also carried of the vessels of the house of Jehovah to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.
(Jehoiakim also was not listed in Matthew's lineage of Christ. Jechoniah/Coniah was listed after Josiah. Jehoiakim did evil before God and Nebuchadnezzar came against him: Daniel 1:1. Was the Ark taken? This occurred twenty-four years after the previous mention of the Ark in 2 Chronicles 35:3.)
8 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah: and Jehoiachin his son reigned in his stead.
9 Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah.
(In verse 9, eight ought to be eighteen. Three months later he was taken to Babylon and had several wives (2 Kings 24:15). Also, he had seed (Jeremiah 22:8). Jehoiachin reigned over Judah and did evil before God.)
10 And at the return of the year king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of Jehovah, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
(Nebuchadnezzar brought Jehoiachin to Babylon and made Zedekiah King of Judah.)
11 Zedekiah was twenty and one years old when he began to reign; and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem:
12 and he did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah his God; he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of Jehovah.
(Zedekiah did evil before God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet. Zedekiah was mentioned forty-eight times in the Book of Jeremiah.)
13 And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart against turning unto Jehovah, the God of Israel.
(Necuchadnezzar made Zedekiah swear by God but Zedekiah would not turn to God. Zedekiah stiffened his neck and hardened his heart.)
14 Moreover all the chiefs of the priests, and the people, trespassed very greatly after all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of Jehovah which he had hallowed in Jerusalem.
15 And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place:
16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
(The people transgressed so much that there was no "remedy" for their actions. No repair?)
17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or virgin, old man or hoary-headed: he gave them all into his hand.
18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.
19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
(The Chaldees burnt the temple, broke down the wall, burnt all the palaces, and destroyed all the goodly vessels. Was the Ark included?)
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21 to fulfil the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths: for as long as it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
(Those who escaped were carried away to Babylon until the reign of the kingdom of Persia (Cyrus): To fulfill the Word of God by Jeremiah. The land was owed seventy years of Sabbaths.)
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of Jehovah by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Jehovah stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven, given me; and he hath charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all his people, Jehovah his God be with him, and let him go up.
(God stirred the spirit of Cyrus. Cyrus made a proclamation that God had charged him to build Him a temple in Jerusalem: Ezra 1:1-2. This post covered the last kings of Judah and time between Judah's captivity and Cyrus' proclamation, which was where the next book began.)
(Much like the two Books of Kings, the Books of Chronicles was one book in the Jewish Old Testament. The Greeks divided the book into two parts. Both served as a review of the previous four books. Many experts believe the Books of Chronicles were compiled by Isaiah (~683 BC) and Ezra (~461 BC) from the records of scribes and prophets from 1279-461 BC. The Book of 2 Chronicles was the ninth of the twelve books that made up the historical section of the Old Testament. While the Book of 1 Chronicles covered the same time period as the Book of 1 Samuel and the Book of 2 Samuel: The kingships of Saul and David, the Book of 2 Chronicles covered the same time period as the Book of 1 Kings and the Book of 2 Kings (Israel's history from Solomon until the captivity), however, the focus was Judah.)
(We have seen, both Books of Chronicles focused on the kings of Judah. Both 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles ended with Judah in captivity. However, the Books of Chronicles were written by Isaiah and Ezra to maintain a continuous historical account. The Books of Kings concluded with Nebuchadnezzar. The Books of Chronicles progressed further to Cyrus. The Book of Daniel stated that there were two rulers mentioned between Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus: Belshazzar and Darius. Cyrus was the one who made the proclamation to build the temple in Jerusalem. The next book continued the historical account by looking at this proclamation.)
(The Old Testament consisted of five books of Moses (Torah), twelve books of history, five books of poetry, five books of major prophets, and twelve books of minor prophets (5, 12, 5, 5, 12...which made 39 books). We have three more books of history to complete. After that, the Old Testament went backwards in the timeline to cover the poetic and prophetic books. Realize, by this point in history the following books had already been written: Jonah, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, and Daniel.)
Day 131
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