A small portion of this chapter is recounted in 2 Kings 23:21-23. It continues to show Josiah’s commitment to the Lord, and how he gave his whole heart, soul, and strength to the Lord. With that, however, I’m puzzled by how the Lord allowed Josiah to die in battle with no guidance from Him, the God of Israel. The Chapter begins, “Then Josiah announced that the Passover of the Lord would be celebrated in Jerusalem on the appointed day in early spring. The Passover lambs were slaughtered at twilight of that day. Josiah also assigned the priests to their duties and encouraged them in their work at the Temple of the Lord. He issued this order to the Levites, who had been set apart to serve the Lord and were teachers in Israel: “Since the Ark is now in Solomon’s Temple and you do not need to carry it back and forth on your shoulders, spend your time serving the Lord your God and his people Israel. Report for duty according to the family divisions of your ancestors, following the written instructions of King David of Israel and the instructions of his son Solomon. Then stand in your appointed holy places and help the families assigned to you as they bring their offerings to the Temple. Slaughter the Passover lambs, purify yourselves, and prepare to help those who come. Follow all the instructions that the Lord gave through Moses.” (2 Chronicles 35:1-6)
At this point Josiah gave several thousand lambs, goats, and bulls for the Passover offering, and his officials and Levite leaders contributed several more hundred. “The Levites then slaughtered the Passover lambs and presented the blood to the priests, who sprinkled the blood on the altar while the Levites prepared the animals. They divided the burnt offerings among the people by their family groups, so they could offer them to the Lord according to the instructions recorded in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the bulls. Then they roasted the Passover lambs as prescribed, and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans, and brought them out quickly so the people could eat them. (This whole process takes me back to the book of Numbers when I was questioning if God was actually eating the burnt offerings. According to this, it sounds like they prepared meat for the Lord, and then they prepared separate meat for the people to eat. Or maybe not! As I am rereading this, when it says, “...they boiled the holy offerings in pots, kettles, and pans”, maybe they’re saying the holy offerings are actually the burnt offerings that were offered to the Lord, which makes them holy. Just thinking aloud. As usual, if anyone knows, finds out, or has relevant information to share, please place a comment.)
Afterward the Levites prepared a meal for themselves and for the priests, because the priests had been busy from morning till night offering the burnt offerings and the fat portions. The Levites took responsibility for all these preparations.” (2 Chronicles 35:11-14)
“The entire ceremony for the Lord’s Passover was completed that day. All the burnt offerings were sacrificed on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered. All the Israelites present in Jerusalem celebrated Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days. Never since the time of the prophet Samuel had there been such a Passover. None of the kings of Israel had ever kept a Passover as Josiah did, involving all the priests and Levites, all the people of Jerusalem, and people from all over Judah and Israel. (Wow! Josiah was a great man and he did great things!) This Passover celebration took place in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.
Josiah Dies in Battle
After Josiah had finished restoring the Temple, King Neco of Egypt led his army up from Egypt to do battle at Carchemish on the Euphrates River, and Josiah and his army marched out to fight him. But King Neco sent ambassadors to Josiah with this message:
“What do you want with me, king of Judah? I have no quarrel with you today! I only want to fight the nation with which I am at war. And God has told me to hurry! Do not interfere with God, who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken, and he would not turn back. Instead, he led his army into battle on the plain of Megiddo. He laid aside his royal robes so the enemy would not recognize him. But the enemy archers hit King Josiah with their arrows and wounded him. He cried out to his men, “Take me from the battle, for I am badly wounded!”
So they lifted Josiah out of his chariot and placed him in another chariot. Then they brought him back to Jerusalem, where he died. (Wow! What went wrong here? Why didn’t the Lord speak to Josiah? Josiah was in favor with God because he never turned away from God. Did Josiah drop the ball by not seeking the Lord before he made the decision to fight with King Neco? Did Josiah get complacent and forget, for an instant, who was blessing, protecting, and giving him power each day? If that was the case, let us not make the mistake Josiah made by making decisions without God’s guidance.) He was buried there in the royal cemetery. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him. The prophet Jeremiah composed funeral songs for Josiah, and to this day choirs will sing these sad songs about his death. (Wow!) These songs of sorrow have become a tradition and are recorded in The Book of Laments. The rest of the events of Josiah’s reign and his acts of devotion done according to the written law of the Lord, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. (2 Chronicles 35:16-27)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us remain humble, never becoming complacent with the favor you give us. Help us seek you for guidance in all of our decisions. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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