Introduction:
In starting this study, we are going to look at the life of King Josiah found in the Old Testament, beginning in 2 Kings 22. King Josiah began to reign in Judah when he was only eight years old. His mother must have had good influence over him, and her name was Jedidah. Josiah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." verse 2. His life is unusual in that he is the only king of Judah who never swayed from following God all his life, and overcame cherishing any idols.

1. What did Josiah set out to do to the temple of God at Jerusalem?
2 Kings 22:3-7_________________________________________________________________

2. What did Hilkiah the high priest find in the temple?
2 Kings 22:8___________________________________________________________________

3. What happened when King Josiah heard the Book of the Law read to him for the first time?
2 Kings 22:9-11________________________________________________________________

4. Who did he command Hilkiah and others to go see to inquire of the Lord immediately?
2 Kings 22:12-14_______________________________________________________________

5. What did Huldah say would come upon the land of Judah and for what reason?
2 Kings 22:15-17______________________________________________________________

6. Would King Josiah live to see the evil come?
2 Kings 22:18-20______________________________________________________________
Note: It was not God's will for His servant Josiah to behold the evil that would befall the Kingdom of Judah, because he had humbled himself in the sight of the Lord, and wept before the Lord.

7. Why was the Book of the Law against the people of Judah?
2 Kings 22:17, 19______________________________________________________________
Note: The Lord is always against idolatry of any kind, which can be any way that we forsake the Lord and turn to other things in His place, and become transgressors of His Law. So it isn't that the Lord is against the people, but against their sins which they commit. The Lord loves His people, and wants to turn them from their sins, even as Josiah turned from sin, and repented, and humbled himself before God.

8. What did Josiah do to help others understand what he had learned?
2 Kings 23:1,2_________________________________________________________________

9. What did the King do in front of all the people, which moved them to follow him?
2 Kings 23:3___________________________________________________________________

10. After making this covenant with God, which all the people agreed to do, what happened next?
2 Kings 23:4-25________________________________________________________________
Note: Josiah sought to carry out every reform possible to turn his nation back to God, and that is why God did not bring the evil in his day. That is a lesson for us, to do all we can on our part to avert the wrath of God against sin.

11. Would the wrath of God be averted for very long?
2 Kings:23:26-27_______________________________________________________________
Note: Josiah died (verses 28-35)and his son who should have done right according to the Book of the Law, chose to do evil, in bringing back the idolatrous worship and practices of his fathers before him, and especially of his grandfather Manasseh, a very wicked king during much of his life. Therefore, the wrath of God was surely to fall on Judah.

12. Is God still against idolatry of every kind today?
1 John 5:21____________________________________________________________________
The purpose of the Book of the Law and the New Testament as well as all the Bible, is to keep ourselves from idols, anything that would take the place of God, and defile His truth.

13. Are we to obey the Commandments of God today?
2 John verse 1-13______________________________________________________________
Note that this is the Commandment that has been from the beginning of time. The new commandment that Jesus gave is really the old one that has been from of old time...to love one another. Ever since the Creation of man upon the earth, they were to love one another. And they were to love and worship the God of heaven, and not serve idols, or listen to another voice other than the voice of God. The voice of God will speak to our hearts, if we will let it. Even as Josiah read the words of the voice of God speaking in the Book of the Law, and was changed, so may we.

Though the ceremonial law contained in the Book of the Law ended, the Ten Commandments did not. That Law is still the same today, and reading it should teach us God's will that we have not been following. The ceremonial law contained the wrath of God against sin. Today, the whole Bible speaks of the wrath of God against sin, and the only way to avert the wrath of God from being poured out upon us and those around us, is to humble the heart before God, and come into harmony with the principles of the Law of heaven. We need to put away any cherished sin that really is an idol. God has promised to help us, even as Josiah was strengthened to follow the Lord. He had God's promise that the evil would not come in his day, and he did everything that he could to prevent it from coming according to the word of God.

Our next study will be the Biblical warning against false teachers in the Christian church and their message which leads to perdition....

If you have any questions or comments about this lesson, you can email me at: [email protected]