2 Kings 22 Study Notes: Josiah and the Rediscovered Law
King Josiah follows the LORD faithfully and orders the temple repaired. During the work the high priest Hilkiah finds a scroll of God’s law, and Josiah is grieved when it is read to him. The prophetess Huldah confirms coming judgment on Jerusalem but says the humble king will die before it falls.
General
During the temple work, who discovered the Book of the Law? How did it then reach King Josiah (2 Kings 22:8-10)?
Answer: Hilkiah found it; Shaphan took it and read it aloud to Josiah
Hilkiah the high priest told Shaphan that in the LORD’s temple he had come upon the Book of the Law. Hilkiah handed it over; Shaphan read it (22:8). Shaphan then reported to the king that the money had been paid out, told him that Hilkiah had given him a book, and read it aloud before Josiah (22:9-10). Moses had commanded that the Book of the Law be kept next to the ark of the covenant (the sacred chest that held the covenant tablets) as a witness against Israel (Deuteronomy 31:24-26), and that it be read aloud to all the people (Deuteronomy 31:11). Now the words of that book were read to the king.
- 2 Kings 22:8 (BSB)“Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.”Hilkiah tells Shaphan he has found the Book of the Law in the temple and gives it to him.
- 2 Kings 22:10 (BSB)“Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.”Shaphan tells the king that Hilkiah has given him a book and reads it to him.
- Deuteronomy 31:24-26 (BSB)“When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.”Moses had the Book of the Law placed beside the ark as a witness to Israel.
- Deuteronomy 31:11 (BSB)“when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.”Moses commanded that the law be read in the hearing of all Israel.
Theological
Who discovers the Book of the Law? By what route does it then come to Josiah (2 Kings 22:8-10)?
Answer: Hilkiah found it; Shaphan took it and read it aloud to Josiah
Hilkiah reports that in the temple he has come upon the Book of the Law; Shaphan receives it and reads it (22:8), then reports on the repair funds and reads the book aloud before Josiah (22:9-10). Moses had placed the Book of the Law beside the ark as a standing witness against Israel (Deuteronomy 31:24-26) and commanded its public reading (Deuteronomy 31:11). Its rediscovery brings the covenant’s demands and sanctions directly before the king.
- 2 Kings 22:8 (BSB)“Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the LORD!” And he gave it to Shaphan, who read it.”Hilkiah tells Shaphan he has found the Book of the Law in the temple and gives it to him.
- 2 Kings 22:10 (BSB)“Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.”Shaphan tells the king that Hilkiah has given him a book and reads it to him.
- Deuteronomy 31:24-26 (BSB)“When Moses had finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD: “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, so that it may remain there as a witness against you.”Moses had the Book of the Law placed beside the ark as a witness to Israel.
- Deuteronomy 31:11 (BSB)“when all Israel comes before the LORD your God at the place He will choose, you are to read this law in the hearing of all Israel.”Moses commanded that the law be read in the hearing of all Israel.
General
What did Huldah say the LORD would do to Jerusalem and its people, and why (2 Kings 22:16-17)?
Answer: He would bring disaster as the book said, because they forsook Him
Huldah confirmed Josiah’s fear. The LORD would bring disaster on Jerusalem and its people, just as the book the king had read described (22:16). The reason was that they had abandoned the LORD and offered incense to foreign gods, angering Him with the idols they had made, so His anger would burn against the city and would not be put out (22:17). This was the same judgment the LORD had already announced through His prophets in Manasseh’s day (21:12), and the law had warned that turning to other gods would bring His anger (Deuteronomy 29:25-27).
- 2 Kings 22:16-17 (BSB)“that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’”Huldah announces calamity on Jerusalem because the people have forsaken the LORD for other gods.
- 2 Kings 21:12 (BSB)“this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.”The LORD had already announced calamity on Jerusalem and Judah through His prophets.
- Deuteronomy 29:25-27 (BSB)“And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse written in this book.”The law explained that forsaking the covenant to serve other gods would bring the LORD’s anger.
Theological
What judgment does Huldah announce on Jerusalem, and on what grounds (2 Kings 22:16-17)?
Answer: He would bring disaster as the book said, because they forsook Him
Huldah confirms the threatened judgment: calamity on Jerusalem and its inhabitants according to every word of the book (22:16), grounded in their forsaking the LORD and burning incense to foreign gods, provoking Him with the idols they had made; His wrath will burn and not be extinguished (22:17). The verdict matches the earlier prophetic word under Manasseh (21:12) and the covenant curse of Deuteronomy for serving other gods (Deuteronomy 29:25-27).
- 2 Kings 22:16-17 (BSB)“that this is what the LORD says: I am about to bring calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the words of the book that the king of Judah has read, because they have forsaken Me and burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands. My wrath will be kindled against this place and will not be quenched.’”Huldah announces calamity on Jerusalem because the people have forsaken the LORD for other gods.
- 2 Kings 21:12 (BSB)“this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I am bringing such calamity upon Jerusalem and Judah that the news will reverberate in the ears of all who hear it.”The LORD had already announced calamity on Jerusalem and Judah through His prophets.
- Deuteronomy 29:25-27 (BSB)“And the people will answer, ‘It is because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went and served other gods, and they worshiped gods they had not known—gods that the LORD had not given to them. Therefore the anger of the LORD burned against this land, and He brought upon it every curse written in this book.”The law explained that forsaking the covenant to serve other gods would bring the LORD’s anger.
General
What did the LORD promise Josiah personally about the coming disaster (2 Kings 22:20)?
Answer: He would die before it came and would not see it happen
The LORD did not cancel the judgment on Jerusalem, but He promised Josiah that he would be gathered to his ancestors (that is, he would die) and be buried in peace, and that he would not live to see the disaster God would bring on that place (22:20). The officials reported this to Josiah. Scripture speaks elsewhere of the righteous being removed before the evil to come (Isaiah 57:1-2). The disaster did come later, when the LORD sent raiders against Judah to remove it from His presence (24:2-3).
- 2 Kings 22:20 (BSB)“‘Therefore 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 calamity that I will bring on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.”Josiah will be gathered to his fathers in peace and will not see the coming calamity.
- Isaiah 57:1-2 (BSB)“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.”The righteous are taken away from the presence of evil and enter into peace.
- 2 Kings 24:2-3 (BSB)“And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets. Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done,”The calamity came later, when the LORD sent raiders against Judah.
Theological
What personal promise does Huldah relay to Josiah concerning the coming calamity (2 Kings 22:20)?
Answer: He would die before it came and would not see it happen
The sentence on Jerusalem stands, but Josiah is granted mercy: he will join his fathers and go to his grave in peace, and the calamity will not be his to witness (22:20). The king is spared from witnessing the judgment, as Isaiah speaks of the righteous being removed before evil comes (Isaiah 57:1-2). The judgment itself falls after his death (24:2-3).
- 2 Kings 22:20 (BSB)“‘Therefore 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 calamity that I will bring on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.”Josiah will be gathered to his fathers in peace and will not see the coming calamity.
- Isaiah 57:1-2 (BSB)“The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one considers that the righteous are taken away from the presence of evil. Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.”The righteous are taken away from the presence of evil and enter into peace.
- 2 Kings 24:2-3 (BSB)“And the LORD sent Chaldean, Aramean, Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Jehoiakim in order to destroy Judah, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servants the prophets. Surely this happened to Judah at the LORD’s command, to remove them from His presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all that he had done,”The calamity came later, when the LORD sent raiders against Judah.
General
Why did Josiah send his officials to seek the LORD’s word after hearing the book (2 Kings 22:13)?
Answer: He feared God’s great anger at their fathers’ disobedience
Josiah sent Hilkiah, Shaphan and other officials to seek the LORD on behalf of the king, the people and all of Judah regarding what the book said (22:12-13). He understood at once what the words meant: the LORD’s anger against them was great, because their ancestors had not obeyed what the book commanded (22:13). The book warned plainly that disobedience would bring the curses of the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:15). Josiah did not excuse the nation by blaming only past generations; he sought God on behalf of himself and the whole people, as godly leaders did when confessing the sins of their fathers (Nehemiah 9:16-17).
- 2 Kings 22:13 (BSB)““Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.””Josiah sends his officials to inquire of the LORD, fearing great wrath because the fathers disobeyed the book.
- Deuteronomy 28:15 (BSB)“If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”The law warned that disobedience would bring the curses of the covenant.
- Nehemiah 9:16-17 (BSB)“But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments. They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.”Later Israelites likewise confessed their fathers’ stubborn disobedience before God.
Theological
What reason does Josiah give for sending his officials to seek the LORD’s word (2 Kings 22:13)?
Answer: He feared God’s great anger at their fathers’ disobedience
Josiah commissions Hilkiah and the officials to seek the LORD on behalf of himself, the people and all Judah (22:12-13). His reasoning is covenantal: great is the LORD’s wrath against them because their fathers have disregarded this book (22:13). The Law itself announced curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15), and Josiah confesses the nation’s inherited guilt rather than distancing himself from it, as later penitents did (Nehemiah 9:16-17).
- 2 Kings 22:13 (BSB)““Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.””Josiah sends his officials to inquire of the LORD, fearing great wrath because the fathers disobeyed the book.
- Deuteronomy 28:15 (BSB)“If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”The law warned that disobedience would bring the curses of the covenant.
- Nehemiah 9:16-17 (BSB)“But they and our fathers became arrogant and stiff-necked and did not obey Your commandments. They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.”Later Israelites likewise confessed their fathers’ stubborn disobedience before God.
General
True or False: Josiah’s officials went to Isaiah the prophet to seek the LORD’s word about the book (2 Kings 22:14).
Answer: False
This is false. Hilkiah, Shaphan and three other officials went to Huldah, a prophetess (a woman who spoke God’s word) married to Shallum and living in Jerusalem’s Second District (22:14). Isaiah had been the LORD’s prophet to Hezekiah (19:2, 20:1) but is not named in Josiah’s story. Huldah answered with the authority of the LORD’s own word, beginning her reply in the name of the LORD, Israel’s God, as His prophets did (22:15).
- 2 Kings 22:14 (BSB)“So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.”The officials go to Huldah the prophetess in Jerusalem’s Second District.
- 2 Kings 22:15 (BSB)“And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you”Huldah answers with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 2 Kings 19:2 (BSB)“And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz”Isaiah was the prophet consulted in Hezekiah’s day, not in Josiah’s.
- 2 Kings 20:1 (BSB)“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’””Isaiah brought the LORD’s word to Hezekiah during his illness.
Theological
True or False: The delegation sent by Josiah sought the LORD’s word through Isaiah the prophet (2 Kings 22:14).
Answer: False
This is false. The delegation went instead to the prophetess Huldah, wife of Shallum, whose home was in Jerusalem’s Second District (22:14). Isaiah had served Hezekiah (19:2, 20:1) but does not appear in the Josiah narrative. Huldah speaks with full prophetic authority, introducing her answer as the word of the LORD, Israel’s God (22:15).
- 2 Kings 22:14 (BSB)“So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went and spoke to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the keeper of the wardrobe. She lived in Jerusalem, in the Second District.”The officials go to Huldah the prophetess in Jerusalem’s Second District.
- 2 Kings 22:15 (BSB)“And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you”Huldah answers with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel.
- 2 Kings 19:2 (BSB)“And he sent Eliakim the palace administrator, Shebna the scribe, and the leading priests, all wearing sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz”Isaiah was the prophet consulted in Hezekiah’s day, not in Josiah’s.
- 2 Kings 20:1 (BSB)“In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’””Isaiah brought the LORD’s word to Hezekiah during his illness.
General
True or False: When the newly found book was read to him, Josiah tore his robes (2 Kings 22:11).
Answer: True
This is true. As soon as the king heard what the book said, he tore his robes (22:11), an outward sign of grief and alarm. Josiah did not treat the newly found book as an old curiosity; he heard it as God’s word speaking to him and his people. The LORD Himself later pointed to this response, saying that Josiah had torn his robes and wept in His presence (22:19). God values the person who is lowly and trembles at His word (Isaiah 66:2), and Scripture describes His word as living and able to expose the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
- 2 Kings 22:11 (BSB)“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes”On hearing the words of the Book of the Law, the king tears his clothes.
- 2 Kings 22:19 (BSB)“because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”The LORD later cites Josiah’s torn clothes and weeping as part of his humble response.
- Isaiah 66:2 (BSB)“Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.”The LORD esteems the one who is humble and contrite and trembles at His word.
- Hebrews 4:12 (BSB)“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”God’s word is living and active and judges the heart, as it did Josiah’s.
Theological
True or False: Josiah’s first response on hearing the rediscovered book read was to tear his robes (2 Kings 22:11).
Answer: True
This is true. On hearing the rediscovered book read, Josiah tears his robes (22:11), the sign of grief and repentance. He receives the rediscovered scroll as the living word of God addressed to him and his people, and the LORD later cites this very response (22:19). This is the contrite trembling at His word that God esteems (Isaiah 66:2), the word that discerns the heart’s thoughts and motives (Hebrews 4:12).
- 2 Kings 22:11 (BSB)“When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes”On hearing the words of the Book of the Law, the king tears his clothes.
- 2 Kings 22:19 (BSB)“because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”The LORD later cites Josiah’s torn clothes and weeping as part of his humble response.
- Isaiah 66:2 (BSB)“Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.”The LORD esteems the one who is humble and contrite and trembles at His word.
- Hebrews 4:12 (BSB)“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”God’s word is living and active and judges the heart, as it did Josiah’s.
General
How does the narrator sum up Josiah’s character as king (2 Kings 22:2)?
Answer: He pleased the LORD and followed David’s path without swerving
After Manasseh and Amon, the narrator gives Josiah one of the highest verdicts in the book: he pleased the LORD, followed in every way the example of his ancestor David, and did not swerve in either direction (22:2). That last phrase echoes the law of Moses, which told Israel to do exactly as the LORD commanded without turning aside (Deuteronomy 5:32), and which said a king was to read God’s law so that he would not stray from it (Deuteronomy 17:18-20). The LORD gave Joshua the same charge at the start of his leadership (Joshua 1:7).
- 2 Kings 22:2 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.”Josiah does right in the LORD’s eyes and walks in David’s ways without turning aside.
- Deuteronomy 5:32 (BSB)“So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.”Israel was told not to turn aside to the right or the left from the LORD’s commands.
- Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (BSB)“When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.”The king was to read the law daily so that he would not turn aside from it.
- Joshua 1:7 (BSB)“Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.”Joshua received the same charge to keep the law without swerving.
Theological
What is the narrator’s evaluation of Josiah at the start of his reign (2 Kings 22:2)?
Answer: He pleased the LORD and followed David’s path without swerving
In sharp contrast to Manasseh and Amon, Josiah receives an unqualified commendation: he did right in the LORD’s eyes, walked fully in the way of David, and did not swerve in either direction (22:2). The phrase recalls the Mosaic charge not to deviate from the LORD’s commands (Deuteronomy 5:32), the law of the king, who was to read the Law daily so as not to stray from it (Deuteronomy 17:18-20), and the commission to Joshua (Joshua 1:7). Josiah is presented as the king who embodies that Deuteronomic ideal.
- 2 Kings 22:2 (BSB)“And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in all the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left.”Josiah does right in the LORD’s eyes and walks in David’s ways without turning aside.
- Deuteronomy 5:32 (BSB)“So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.”Israel was told not to turn aside to the right or the left from the LORD’s commands.
- Deuteronomy 17:18-20 (BSB)“When he is seated on his royal throne, he must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. It is to remain with him, and he is to read from it all the days of his life, so that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. Then his heart will not be exalted above his countrymen, and he will not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left, in order that he and his sons may reign many years over his kingdom in Israel.”The king was to read the law daily so that he would not turn aside from it.
- Joshua 1:7 (BSB)“Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go.”Joshua received the same charge to keep the law without swerving.
General
When Josiah sent money for repairing the temple, why did he say the supervisors did not need to account for it (2 Kings 22:3-7)?
Answer: Because the men handling it were honest and trustworthy
In his eighteenth year Josiah sent Shaphan the scribe (a royal official) to the high priest Hilkiah to have the money collected at the temple counted and handed to the supervisors, who would pay the craftsmen and stonecutters and buy timber and cut stone for the repairs (22:3-6). Josiah said there was no need to check their spending, because they were acting faithfully (22:7). The same trust had marked the temple repairs under King Joash, when no audit was demanded for the same reason (12:15). Scripture values such faithfulness in handling what is entrusted to us (Luke 16:10).
- 2 Kings 22:7 (BSB)“But they need not account for the money put into their hands, since they work with integrity.””Josiah says the supervisors need not account for the money because they work with integrity.
- 2 Kings 12:15 (BSB)“No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.”Under Joash the same trust was given to the men who paid the workers, because they acted with integrity.
- Luke 16:10 (BSB)“Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”Jesus teaches that whoever is faithful with little is faithful with much, the trustworthiness Josiah relied on.
Theological
On what basis does Josiah exempt the temple-repair supervisors from accounting for the funds (2 Kings 22:3-7)?
Answer: Because the men handling it were honest and trustworthy
Josiah’s first recorded act is a temple restoration funded by the offerings gathered by the doorkeepers, administered through Shaphan and Hilkiah and paid out to the craftsmen (22:3-6). No audit is required because the supervisors deal faithfully (22:7), echoing the identical arrangement under Joash (12:15). Faithfulness in the stewardship of what is entrusted is a mark of godly service (Luke 16:10), and the repair work becomes the setting for the discovery that follows.
- 2 Kings 22:7 (BSB)“But they need not account for the money put into their hands, since they work with integrity.””Josiah says the supervisors need not account for the money because they work with integrity.
- 2 Kings 12:15 (BSB)“No accounting was required from the men who received the money to pay the workmen, because they acted with integrity.”Under Joash the same trust was given to the men who paid the workers, because they acted with integrity.
- Luke 16:10 (BSB)“Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”Jesus teaches that whoever is faithful with little is faithful with much, the trustworthiness Josiah relied on.
General
Why did the LORD say He had heard Josiah (2 Kings 22:18-19)?
Answer: Because his heart was responsive and he humbled himself and wept
Huldah had a separate word for the king. Because Josiah’s heart was tender (soft and responsive to God) and he humbled himself in the LORD’s presence on hearing what God had spoken against Jerusalem, and because he tore his robes and wept, the LORD said He had heard him (22:18-19). God does not despise a broken and repentant heart (Psalm 51:17). Scripture repeatedly teaches that those who humble themselves before the Lord will be lifted up by Him (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). Josiah’s humility did not earn God’s favor; it was the fitting response of a heart that took God’s word seriously.
- 2 Kings 22:18-19 (BSB)“But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”The LORD says He has heard Josiah because his heart was tender and he humbled himself and wept.
- Psalm 51:17 (BSB)“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”God does not despise a broken and contrite heart.
- James 4:10 (BSB)“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”Those who humble themselves before the Lord are exalted by Him.
- 1 Peter 5:6 (BSB)“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.”Humbling oneself under God’s hand leads to being lifted up in due time.
Theological
What grounds does the LORD give for hearing Josiah (2 Kings 22:18-19)?
Answer: Because his heart was responsive and he humbled himself and wept
The LORD answers Josiah personally: because his heart was tender, because he humbled himself on hearing the threatened desolation and curse, tore his clothes and wept, the LORD has heard him (22:18-19). This is the contrite heart God does not despise (Psalm 51:17), and the pattern of humbling and exaltation the New Testament repeats (James 4:10; 1 Peter 5:6). Josiah’s contrition is the fruit of a heart made responsive to the word, not a meritorious ground of favor.
- 2 Kings 22:18-19 (BSB)“But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard, because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.”The LORD says He has heard Josiah because his heart was tender and he humbled himself and wept.
- Psalm 51:17 (BSB)“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.”God does not despise a broken and contrite heart.
- James 4:10 (BSB)“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.”Those who humble themselves before the Lord are exalted by Him.
- 1 Peter 5:6 (BSB)“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, so that in due time He may exalt you.”Humbling oneself under God’s hand leads to being lifted up in due time.