Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
So, this is as long as I could keep on hiatus. I missed the study. And I only had one more installment for 2 Chronicles so we will finish that up today.
After Hezekiah, the nation plunged into idolatry again, with Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, diving headfirst back into paganisn, even sacrificing his own sons (2 Chron. 33:6). There is no mention of 'heart/hearts' in any of the narrative about Manasseh or his son, Amon, who was such a terrible king that his own officials plotted against him and assasinated him, making his 8 year old son Josiah king in his place.
And Josiah was different than his dad and granddad. I don't know who he had advising him at age 8; neither the account in 2 Kings nor the account in 2 Chronicles mentions a regent or a counselor. But at age 16 he 'began to seek the God of his father David' and at age 20 he began to purge the nation of idols (2 Chron. 34:3 ). At the age of 26 he began the process of repairing the temple (2 Chron 34:8).
Whilst repairing the Temple, they found the Book of the Law. Who knows how long it had been lost. Since at least the time of Manasseh; it isn't specificially mentioned that the Book of the Law was found/read/ studied under Hezekiah, although there is a mention that the order of worship was set according to that law. Which could mean that they were consulting the Book of the Law itself...or that they were operating under oral tradition passed down from generation to generation as being from the Book of the Law. In any case, the Law was found and read to Josiah (2 Chron 34:18).
And Josiah, upon hearing the book read, knew immediately that they were in trouble because they had not kept the law. He tore his robes (a sign of mourning) and sent men to inquire of God regarding what had been read. They went to Huldah, the prophetess (2 Chron. 34:22), and she gave them the Lord's response to take to the king. Yes, judgement was coming, but
"Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before God when you heard waht he spoke against this place and its people, and because you humbled yourself before me and tore your robes and wept in my presence, I have heard you, declares the LORD." - 2 Chron 34:27; 'Heart' is Lebab, Strong's H3824, which we have seen often...the inner man: mind, will, heart, soul, understanding.
Because Josiah had mourned and sought God, God promised him that he would not see the coming disaster. But Josiah went hard into reformer mode. He called the people together and had the Law read to them; he tore down all the idols in their territory and he had the people commit to following God.
The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD -- to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book. -- 2 Chron. 34:31
As long as Josiah lived, the people followed God. But Josiah picked a fight with Pharoah Neco of Egypt and died of injuries he received in battle. His son who suceeded him was deposed by Neco and replaced by his brother. Names were changed left and right here, but this brother was a bad dude who led the people into idolatry and actually scorned the prophets of God, as we'll find out when we hit Jeremiah. He died and was suceeded briefly by his son, who was hauled off to Bablyon in the first deportation to Babylon, and replaced by his uncle...the third son of Josiah.
He did evil in the eyes of the LORD his God and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke the word of the LORD. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath in God's name. He became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel. -- 2 Chron. 36: 12-13; ' heart' is H 3824 again.
That rebellion led to the final sacking of Jerusalem, the destruction of the temple, and the captivity of God's people.
Judgement came. The details are all in the book of Jeremiah; we'll see how much of it surfaces when we get there.
I did a little bit of math...the son who suceeded Josiah (Son A --not going to try to track the names right now) was 23 when he became king and he reigned 3 months before being deposed in favor of his older brother (Son B) , who was 25 when he became king. He reigned 11 years, and was followed by his son, who reigned 3 months before being replaced by his uncle, Son C. Who was 21 when he became king; he reigned 11 years before The End. This all means that Son A was born when Josiah was 16, son B was born when Josiah was 14, and Son C was only about 10 years old when his dad died....he grew up under his brother, the awful king. It's easy to come down on Josiah for not training his sons better...but he was terribly young himself. And, I think, he was consumed with trying to right the wrongs of the past; if God withheld judgment because he mourned and repented, perhaps God would further relent if the people did likewise.
He tried. He really did. The people followed Josiah's lead and changed their behaviour, but the hearts of the people were not moved. It was all just rule following. Maybe his sons didn't learn the lessons either, or maybe they did but rebelled because dad was killed at age 39. We really don't know why all those boys went astray...but they did. And everyone, save a few prophets, followed right after them.
Thematically, the last verse to reference 'Heart/ Hearts' would go better with the study of Ezra, but since it is in 2 Chronicles I'll discuss it here...so we are not leaving this book on displacement and defeat.
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclimation throughout his realm and to put it into writing: "This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people anong you -- may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' " -- 2 Chronicles 36::22-2
'Heart' here is actually ruah - Strong's H 7307 , 'Wind, breath, mind, spirit'. The NIV '84 renders it 'moved the heart', but the phrase is literally 'stirred up the spirit'. Either way, it was God's doing, and the captives returned.
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