2 Chronicles 34: Summary, Key Verses and Study Questions

Josiah is eight years old when he begins to reign and reigns thirty-one years in Jerusalem. He does right in the sight of the Lord and walks in the ways of David without turning aside. In the eighth year of his reign, while still young, he begins to seek the God of David his father; in the twelfth year he begins to cleanse Judah and Jerusalem of high places, Asherah poles and carved and cast images. In his presence they tear down the altars of the Baals, and his reform reaches the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, Simeon and Naphtali.

In the eighteenth year, to purify the land and the house, he sends Shaphan, Maaseiah and Joah to repair the temple. They give Hilkiah the high priest the money the Levites had collected, and the workmen act faithfully. While they are bringing out the money, the priest Hilkiah finds the book of the law of the Lord given through Moses and gives it to Shaphan, who takes it to the king. When Josiah hears the words of the law, he tears his clothes.

The king sends Hilkiah, Ahikam, Abdon, Shaphan and Asaiah to inquire of the Lord for him and for the rest of Israel and Judah, for great is the wrath poured out because the word of the Lord was not kept. They go to the prophetess Huldah, who says the Lord will bring disaster on this place, according to all that is written in the book, because they have forsaken him and served other gods. But to the king, who humbled himself and wept, she says he has been heard, that he will be gathered to his fathers in peace and that his eyes will not see the disaster to come.

Josiah gathers the elders and goes up to the house of the Lord with everyone, great and small, and reads the book of the covenant. He makes a covenant before the Lord to walk after him and keep his commandments with all his heart and soul, and has everyone present confirm it. As long as Josiah lives, the people do not turn from the Lord.

Josiah teaches that youth is no obstacle to seeking God. He began at sixteen, and his faith kept growing until it transformed a people. A youth group can be encouraged to seek the Lord now, without waiting to be older.

The finding of the book of the law reminds us how important it is to read the Bible. A church can have buildings, activities and good programs and still forget the Word. Josiah's response is a model: he does not argue or justify himself, he tears his clothes and asks what he must do. Let us ask whether our reaction to Scripture is humble obedience, and whether we are willing to let it correct our habits.