2 Kings 23 Demise

seekeroftruth

Well-Known Member
2 Kings 23:26 Nevertheless, the Lord did not turn away from the heat of his fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of all that Manasseh had done to arouse his anger. 27 So the Lord said, “I will remove Judah also from my presence as I removed Israel, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and this temple, about which I said, ‘My Name shall be there.’(b)”

28 As for the other events of Josiah’s reign, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah?

29 While Josiah was king, Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went up to the Euphrates River to help the king of Assyria. King Josiah marched out to meet him in battle, but Necho faced him and killed him at Megiddo. 30 Josiah’s servants brought his body in a chariot from Megiddo to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah and anointed him and made him king in place of his father.​

b. 2 Kings 23:27 1 Kings 8:29

I went back to the easy English site.

Soon after Josiah’s death, the people would start to do the same sins again. God intended to take the people in Judah and Jerusalem away from their country. He would do it as a punishment. He had already done that with Israel.

Jeremiah started his work as a prophet during Josiah’s rule. Like Huldah (2 Kings 22:15-17), Jeremiah always insisted that God’s punishment against Judah would definitely happen. Jeremiah would be pleased to see the good laws that Josiah made in Judah (Jeremiah 22:15-16). But Jeremiah would know that those changes would only have a temporary effect. It was true that Josiah served God with all his heart, soul and strength. But it seems that the inhabitants of Judah did not have the same, sincere attitudes (Jeremiah 3:10). Soon after Josiah’s death, they would start their wicked behaviour again. By means of Jeremiah, God says this: ‘Find one honest person, who speaks the truth. If there is even one such person, I will forgive the people in the city.’ (Jeremiah 5:1). Even the best laws cannot change people’s attitudes. Even the best king cannot change the secret desires of people’s hearts.

The story about Josiah ends with his death. He died in battle. He was afraid that perhaps an army from Egypt might attack Judah. So Josiah went to fight against the king of Egypt. But the king of Egypt urged Josiah not to fight. Egypt’s king said that God had told him to warn Josiah about that. But Josiah would not listen to the message that God gave to Egypt’s king (2 Chronicles 35:20-22). So Josiah started a battle. And in that battle, Josiah died. A disaster would happen in Judah. But Josiah did not see it, because he had already died.

These tidbits are from the enduringword.com site.

In his days Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt went to the aid of the king of Assyria: This was part of the geopolitical struggle between the declining Assyrian Empire and the emerging Babylonian Empire. The Assyrians made an alliance with the Egyptians to protect against the growing power of the Babylonians.

King Josiah went against him… Pharaoh Necho killed him: 2 Chronicles 35:20-25 tells us more about this. Pharaoh warned Josiah against battling against him saying, What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day. Josiah stubbornly refused to hear this warning (which was actually from God) and disguised himself in battle – yet he was still shot by archers and died. This was a sad end to one of the great kings of Judah.​

I liked Josiah. Bummer.....

:coffee:
 
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