22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath.
King Josiah reigned from 640–609 B.C. During this time period, Babylon defeated Assyria and became the next world power. Jeremiah, possibly Habakkuk, and Zephaniah were prophets to Judah during this time period. It is interesting to note that Josiah was prophetically named about three hundred years before he was born (I Kings 13:1-2).
22:2 He did what the Lord approved and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; he did not deviate to the right or the left.
King Josiah was the last good king of Israel. Before Judah goes into the Babylonian Captivity, King Josiah would lead one last revival of Judah. For this reason, many theologians believe that many of the nations will go through a great revival before entering into the Great Tribulation.
The nations of the world are currently hostile to the Word of God. Christians are being killed in many nations. Believers are being persecuted. Some nations are too civilized for this kind of violence, so they censor the Bible from their educational programs. Satan does not want the Word of God to be taught anywhere in the satanic world system in which he operates.
When the Word of God is being destroyed by persecution or censorship, then the only thing that can save that nation is rebellion or revival. In many nations, there is corruption in business, education, government, and organizations at all levels. Immorality, lawlessness, sex, liquor, drugs, filthy magazines, foul pictures, scandals, abortions, pornography, sodomy, materialism, theft, and riots exist in all levels of society. Socialism is creeping in today. Political parties will sell their morals to stay in power. The church is apostate, as they refuse to teach the Word of God. Liberalism controls much of the organized church. Science, government, education, and even the church denies the Word of God.
The Word of God has been lost in the church, and there are atheists and agnostics today in the pulpit. People flock to churches that tickle their ears. The people will not support a hard-core expository bible teaching church. Most church members are carnal Christians who are too busy or too lazy to study the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level. Instead, they prefer to go to a shallow-teaching church which focuses on entertainment and social programs. Very few believers today will seek a church which offers the best instruction.
If a nation wants to go through revival, then it must start with mature Christians who are willing to begin a personal Bible study of the entire counsel of the Word of God. If a few Christians will start this kind of personal revival, then more sound believers will be added. Revivals rarely start as a mass movement. They begin as grass roots and continue to grow. If modern nations fail to raise up these types of personal biblical revivals by personal bible studies, then they will soon find themselves in the Great Tribulation wondering what is going on.
22:3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, the king sent the scribe Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these orders:
King Josiah was 26 years old at this time. The temple was not in use when Josiah came to the throne. It had become a warehouse, or a storage area for odds and ends.
22:4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him melt down the silver that has been brought by the people to the Lord’s temple and has been collected by the guards at the door.
Hilkiah was the High Priest of Israel. He would later be executed at the time of the Babylonian Captivity.
22:5 Have them hand it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it,
King Manasseh and King Amon, the grandfather and father of Josiah, had abused the temple with their multicultural ethics of worship. King Josiah wanted to repair the damages.
22:6 including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled stone for the repair work.
Workers were hired to complete the temple repairs. The church today is very much like the temple in Josiah’s day. It is in great need of repair. The church buildings are fine. There are many beautiful church buildings which are designed to entertain shallow Christians. They are huge and attractive. But is the Spirit of God moving there?
22:7 Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest.”
King Josiah used basically the same temple repair procedures as that of King Joash.
22:8 Hilkiah the high priest informed Shaphan the scribe, “I found the law scroll in the Lord’s temple.” Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it.
While construction of the temple was in operation, Hilkiah the High Priest found a scroll of the Torah. The Torah was the Law of Moses, or the first five books of the Bible. It would later be called the Pentateuch by the Greeks. There is a seal in a ring containing the name of this same Hilkiah found in Israel.
King Manasseh may have destroyed all of the copies of the Torah that were not hidden. This could have been the official copy laid beside the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place. One of the evil kings may have removed it, or it could have been hidden by a godly priest.
22:9 Shaphan the scribe went to the king and reported, “Your servants melted down the silver in the temple and handed it over to the construction foremen assigned to the Lord’s temple.”
Shaphan gave a royal construction update to King Josiah.
22:10 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” Shaphan read it out loud before the king.
Kings were responsible for keeping the Mosaic Law next to their throne and studying it every day. The last two generation of evil kings had not studied the Law. Many theologians believe that Shaphan the scribe read Deuteronomy 28-30. If so, then the curses for disobedience of the Law were read to King Josiah.
It is important to notice that God’s chosen people lost the Word of God in only one generation. Satan knows the total depravity of man, so he continually works to remove the Word of God in as many cultures as possible.
It is the responsibility of all political leaders and judges to keep a copy of the Bible on their desk. They are to study it daily and apply its teachings in their decision making. It is the job of the electorate to study the Word of God as well. The electorate is responsible for electing only leaders who study and apply Bible doctrine.
22:11 When the king heard the words of the law scroll, he tore his clothes.
During Manasseh’s 55-year evil reign, the Scriptures had been ignored and almost forgotten. Josiah had never read the Scriptures himself.
22:12 The king ordered Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Acbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, 13 “Go, seek an oracle from the Lord for me and the people—for all Judah. Find out about the words of this scroll that has been discovered. For the Lord’s fury has been ignited against us, because our ancestors have not obeyed the words of this scroll by doing all that it instructs us to do.”
King Josiah asked his royal court to find out God’s will in this matter.
22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Acbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shullam son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, the supervisor of the wardrobe. (She lived in Jerusalem in the Mishneh district.) They stated their business,
Other prophets also lived in and around Jerusalem at this time including Jeremiah (Jer. 1:2), and Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1), and perhaps Nahum and Habakkuk. But the five consulted Huldah for reasons unexplained.
The royal court went out to find Huldah. She was one of the rare female prophetesses in the Old Testament. She lived in the second district, which was an western expansion of the city of Jerusalem.
Many charismatics use this verse to claim that there are modern female prophetesses in the church today. However, this is not New Testament doctrine. This was simply just a recording of an historical event which occurred during the lifetime of King Josiah. One cannot take an Old Testament historical event and make it a doctrine. Doctrine for the local church is found in Paul’s letters, not in Old Testament history.
22:15 and she said to them: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Say this to the man who sent you to me:
Huldah the prophetess received revelation from Jehovah. She asked the royal court to take the message back to King Josiah.
22:16 “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on this place and its residents, the details of which are recorded in the scroll which the king of Judah has read.
Jerusalem will be destroyed, just as the scroll specified.
22:17 This will happen because they have abandoned me and offered sacrifices to other gods, angering me with all the idols they have made. My anger will ignite against this place and will not be extinguished!’ ”
Jerusalem will be destroyed because of her idolatry. Jehovah was fiery mad about this situation. His anger was so severe that the fire could not be extinguished.
22:18 Say this to the king of Judah, who sent you to seek an oracle from the Lord: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says concerning the words you have heard:
The prophetess had a softer message for King Josiah.
22:19 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit and humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard how I intended to make this place and its residents into an appalling example of an accursed people. You tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the Lord.
Jehovah noticed the humility and obedience of King Josiah.
22:20 ‘Therefore I will allow you to die and be buried in peace. You will not have to witness all the disaster I will bring on this place.’ ” ’ ” Then they reported back to the king.
Jehovah promised King Josiah that this judgment would not occur until after his death. Jehovah would allow King Josiah to live out his reign in peace. This peace was a peace of soul, not political peace. As soon as King Josiah died, then Judah would be in great trouble. There would be no more righteous kings over Judah. Judgement would come four years after Josiah’s death.