#582 Lamenting Josiah

Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem. And they slaughtered the Passover lamb on the fourteenth day of the first month.2 He appointed the priests to their offices and encouraged them in the service of the house of the Lord. 3 And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the Lord, “Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. You need not carry it on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.4 Prepare yourselves according to your fathers' houses by your divisions, as prescribed in the writing of David king of Israel and the document of Solomon his son. 5 And stand in the Holy Place according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of your brothers the lay people, and according to the division of the Levites by fathers' household. 6 And slaughter the Passover lamb, and consecrate yourselves, and prepare for your brothers, to do according to the word of the Lord by Moses.”

7 Then Josiah contributed to the lay people, as Passover offerings for all who were present, lambs and young goats from the flock to the number of 30,000, and 3,000 bulls; these were from the king's possessions.8 And his officials contributed willingly to the people, to the priests, and to the Levites. Hilkiah, Zechariah, and Jehiel, the chief officers of the house of God, gave to the priests for the Passover offerings 2,600 Passover lambs and 300 bulls. 9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethanel his brothers, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, the chiefs of the Levites, gave to the Levites for the Passover offerings 5,000 lambs and young goats and 500 bulls.

10 When the service had been prepared for, the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their divisions according to the king's command. 11 And they slaughtered the Passover lamb, and the priests threw the blood that they received from them while the Levites flayed the sacrifices. 12 And they set aside the burnt offerings that they might distribute them according to the groupings of the fathers' houses of the lay people, to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. And so they did with the bulls. 13 And they roasted the Passover lamb with fire according to the rule; and they boiled the holy offerings in pots, in cauldrons, and in pans, and carried them quickly to all the lay people.14 And afterward they prepared for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the sons of Aaron, were offering the burnt offerings and the fat parts until night; so the Levites prepared for themselves and for the priests, the sons of Aaron. 15 The singers, the sons of Asaph, were in their place according to the command of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers were at each gate. They did not need to depart from their service, for their brothers the Levites prepared for them.

16 So all the service of the Lord was prepared that day, to keep the Passover and to offer burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, according to the command of King Josiah. 17 And the people of Israel who were present kept the Passover at that time, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days. 18 No Passover like it had been kept in Israel since the days of Samuel the prophet. None of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as was kept by Josiah, and the priests and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah this Passover was kept.

Josiah Killed in Battle

20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Neco king of Egypt went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah went out to meet him. 21 But he sent envoys to him, saying, “What have we to do with each other, king of Judah? I am not coming against you this day, but against the house with which I am at war. And God has commanded me to hurry. Cease opposing God, who is with me, lest he destroy you.”22 Nevertheless, Josiah did not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to fight with him. He did not listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to fight in the plain of Megiddo. 23 And the archers shot King Josiah. And the king said to his servants, “Take me away, for I am badly wounded.” 24 So his servants took him out of the chariot and carried him in his second chariot and brought him to Jerusalem. And he died and was buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. 25 Jeremiah also uttered a lament for Josiah; and all the singing men and singing women have spoken of Josiah in their laments to this day. They made these a rule in Israel; behold, they are written in the Laments. 26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his good deeds according to what is written in the Law of the Lord, 27 and his acts, first and last, behold, they are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Chronicles 35 ESV

Josiah continues with the Lord, and after the reading with the people, what is left but the doing? Otherwise we are ever after, awake or asleep to it, disobedient in that part which we neglect. He puts the priest back to their work as under the law, as a faithful reader he sees where they are amiss. Those that govern should ever be after the advisement of those that study the Word of God and history, but they should also ask that those who perform such also do it circumspectly. It should never become show or good form, for God always looks at the heart. The cloth does not protect from the eye, and if those that supposedly represent the church are not doing what is right then they are more than any man to be held accountable.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers,because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.2We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.…James 3:1

There is in Christ these 3 offices, that of King, He is the King of kings, the great "I am". He will rule at the right hand of the Father over a new heaven and a new earth. The Magi brought Him gold, for he was the true heir of David.

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Genesis 49:10

“I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near.

A star will come out of Jacob;

a scepter will rise out of Israel. Numbers 24:17

There is in Christ the role of prophet for He only did what He saw the Father doing. His life was an example of a constant prayer, a living sacrifice, a burning incense. The Magi brought Him Frankincense. 

And there is this role here of priest, a shadow of Christ, for we need no other High Priest, this is Jesus Christ the righteous. The priest could go where we could not, could take our place, our suffering, provide a sacrifice worthy of acceptance. Christ spoke as a prophet telling the woman at the well all she had ever done, and convicting the world of sin, but then silently He went before Herod and Pilate. As priest he opened not His mouth, but walked through the sacred rites as a lamb to the slaughter, as a sheep before its shearers is dumb. The king tells them to put the ark back in it's place, and consecrate yourselves, serve the Lord and His people. Teach them in the way that they should go. The Magi brought Jesus Myrrh, for the manger ever looks forward to the cross and preparing of His body.  

Josiah provided Passover offerings for all who were present, for every house had a lamb, no one had the merit, everyone needed a lamb without blemish to be offered for them. They roasted the Passover lamb by fire, for our God is a consuming fire and Christ was not just murdered by men, but also having taken our sins upon Him, He Who knew no sin became sin for us, which incurred the wrath of God. And the other meat was quickly boiled and taken to the people, for this is my body which was broken for you, take and eat. What a beautiful thing to have the Passover again and it was extended even to the Northern tribes. What a great king. 

His was a good reign, a desire to serve God and people as was not so often seen, but sadly and it should always be sadly, we see him slip. There is a struggle for power at that time between Assyria, a rising Babylonian empire and Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. Josiah interjects himself, and we are not certain as to why, but Neco sends him word to stand down. If I am not coming against you, but against another ungodly nation, then why do you want to fight with me? And there is a question here for Josiah, what place has good with evil? Why are you helping this other nation? His relatives before him made mistakes in courting Babylon, selling horses and chariots to those who would one day use them against Israel, and assimilating the culture of the Assyrians. Whether he trusted Neco or not, his words got to him, or else why did he so foolishly like Ahab, put on a disguise? Because there was merit to what Neco said, just like Balaam's words above, he should have tested them with a prophet or gone back to the prophetess. He was a student of scripture himself, and that was enough to make him afraid, but not enough to turn back. Pride makes it difficult to amend our words and decisions, but if we run on pride then we run like Lemmings. The Assyrians misspoke with Hezekiah, they played at understanding Judaism, but look how carefully Hezekiah still took this to the Lord, sought the advice of Isaiah. Sometimes we speak to quickly, promise too much to those we should not embrace, for their aim is evil. Humility turns out to be the greater teacher and decision maker. The proud are only pretending; God will not be confused by your disguise, oh Josiah, thank God He gave you a tender heart, so rest in peace.

Finally, Jesus was the perfect Passover because He was the Son of God. No one else could take God's infinite wrath against sin, except the eternally begotten of the Father. Behold the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world. It says we are in Christ a royal priesthood, so we should be teaching our children the precepts of our faith and walking it out before them every day. God, I praise you for Your Passover Prevision and I ask that You save my family, taking them unto Yourself, as all belongs to You. Help me to lead by both word and example, Amen. 

And I seek not mine own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth.

51 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

52 Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death.

53 Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?

54 Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God:

55 Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8: 50-58