The king commanded all the people, "Keep the Passover of the LORD your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant." The king commandedThis phrase highlights the authority and responsibility of the king, Josiah, in leading the people back to covenant faithfulness. In the Hebrew context, the king was not only a political leader but also a spiritual guide. Josiah's command reflects his commitment to restoring proper worship and obedience to God's laws, emphasizing the role of leadership in spiritual revival. all the people
This phrase underscores the inclusivity of the command. Josiah's reform was not limited to a select group but extended to the entire nation of Judah. It reflects the communal aspect of worship in ancient Israel, where the entire community was called to participate in religious observance, highlighting the collective responsibility of God's people to uphold His commandments. Keep the Passover
The Passover was a foundational feast in Israel's religious life, commemorating their deliverance from Egypt. The Hebrew root for "keep" (שָׁמַר, shamar) implies careful observance and guarding. Josiah's call to keep the Passover signifies a return to foundational practices and a renewal of identity as God's redeemed people. It serves as a reminder of God's past deliverance and a call to faithfulness. to the LORD your God
This phrase emphasizes the covenant relationship between God and Israel. The use of "your God" personalizes the relationship, reminding the people of their unique identity as God's chosen nation. It calls them to exclusive worship and loyalty to Yahweh, rejecting idolatry and affirming their commitment to the one true God. as it is written
This phrase points to the authority of Scripture as the basis for religious practice. Josiah's reforms were grounded in the written Word, specifically the "Book of the Covenant," which likely refers to the rediscovered book of the Law (possibly Deuteronomy). It underscores the importance of Scripture as the ultimate guide for faith and practice, a principle that remains central in conservative Christian theology. in this Book of the Covenant
The "Book of the Covenant" refers to the legal and moral code given by God to Israel, which includes the laws and commandments found in the Torah. This phrase highlights the rediscovery and reimplementation of God's laws during Josiah's reign. It serves as a reminder of the enduring relevance of God's Word and the need for continual reformation and alignment with divine standards. Persons / Places / Events 1. King JosiahThe king of Judah who initiated religious reforms and sought to restore the worship of Yahweh according to the covenant. 2. The People of JudahThe inhabitants of the southern kingdom who were commanded by Josiah to observe the Passover. 3. PassoverA significant Jewish festival commemorating the Israelites' deliverance from Egypt, symbolizing redemption and obedience to God. 4. The Book of the CovenantLikely referring to the rediscovered book of the Law, which inspired Josiah's reforms and the renewed observance of the Passover. 5. JerusalemThe central place of worship in Judah where the Passover was to be celebrated. Teaching Points Obedience to God's WordJosiah's command to keep the Passover underscores the importance of aligning our lives with Scripture. We are called to be diligent in our study and application of God's Word. Revival and ReformTrue spiritual revival often begins with a return to the foundational truths of Scripture. Like Josiah, we should seek to remove anything in our lives that hinders our relationship with God. Significance of RemembranceThe Passover serves as a reminder of God's deliverance and faithfulness. As Christians, we are called to remember Christ's sacrifice and live in light of His redemption. Community WorshipJosiah's command was directed to all the people, highlighting the importance of corporate worship and community in our spiritual journey. Covenant FaithfulnessObserving the Passover as written in the Book of the Covenant reflects a commitment to the covenant relationship with God. We are reminded to be faithful to our commitments to God and His commands. Bible Study Questions 1. How does King Josiah's leadership in 2 Kings 23:21 inspire us to pursue personal and communal spiritual reforms today? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our worship and practices align with the teachings of Scripture, as Josiah did with the Passover? 3. How does the observance of the Passover in the Old Testament connect to the New Testament understanding of Jesus as the Passover Lamb? 4. What are some practical steps we can take to foster a sense of community worship and shared spiritual experiences in our local church? 5. How can we apply the principle of covenant faithfulness in our daily lives, and what other biblical examples can we draw from to support this commitment? Connections to Other Scriptures Exodus 12Provides the original instructions for the Passover, establishing its significance as a perpetual ordinance for the Israelites. 2 Chronicles 35Offers a parallel account of Josiah's Passover, emphasizing the king's dedication to following the Law. Deuteronomy 16Reiterates the command to observe the Passover, highlighting its importance in the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Luke 22Connects the Passover to the Last Supper, where Jesus reinterprets the meal in light of the New Covenant. People Ahaz, Ammonites, Ashtoreth, Ben, Chemosh, Eliakim, Hamutal, Hilkiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Jeroboam, Joshua, Josiah, Manasseh, Melech, Milcom, Moabites, Molech, Nathan, Nathanmelech, Nebat, Pedaiah, Pharaoh, Pharaohnechoh, Sidonians, Sodomites, Solomon, Zebudah, ZidoniansPlaces Assyria, Beersheba, Bethel, Egypt, Euphrates River, Geba, Hamath, Jerusalem, Kidron, Libnah, Megiddo, Moab, Riblah, Rumah, Samaria, Topheth, Valley of HinnomTopics Book, Celebrate, Commanded, Commandeth, Covenant, Hold, Law, Orders, Passover, Saying, Says, WrittenDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 23:21 1630 Book of the Covenant
5638 writing 2 Kings 23:1-24 8466 reformation 2 Kings 23:1-25 5345 influence
7245 Judah, kingdom of 2 Kings 23:21-22 7328 ceremonies 2 Kings 23:21-23 4963 past, the
7406 Passover Library Reformation Lessons
Eversley. 1861. 2 Kings xxiii. 3, 4, 25, 26. "And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to "walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other SermonsWhether the Old Law was Suitably Given at the Time of Moses?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law was not suitably given at the time of Moses. Because the Old Law disposed man for the salvation which was to come through Christ, as stated above ([2068]AA[2],3). But man needed this salutary remedy immediately after he had sinned. Therefore the Law should have been given immediately after sin. Objection 2: Further, the Old Law was given for the sanctification of those from whom Christ was to be born. Now the promise concerning the "seed, which is Christ" …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Christ Should have Been Born in Bethlehem?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have been born in Bethlehem. For it is written (Is. 2:3): "The law shall come forth from Sion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But Christ is truly the Word of God. Therefore He should have come into the world at Jerusalem. Objection 2: Further, it is said (Mat. 2:23) that it is written of Christ that "He shall be called a Nazarene"; which is taken from Is. 11:1: "A flower shall rise up out of his root"; for "Nazareth" is interpreted "a flower." …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Prophets Always Know the Things which they Prophesy?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophets always know the things which they prophesy. For, as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9), "those to whom signs were shown in spirit by means of the likenesses of bodily things, had not the gift of prophecy, unless the mind was brought into action, so that those signs were also understood by them." Now what is understood cannot be unknown. Therefore the prophet is not ignorant of what he prophesies. Objection 2: Further, the light of prophecy surpasses …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Prophecy which is Accompanied by Intellective and Imaginative vision is More Excellent than that which is Accompanied by Intellective vision Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophecy which has intellective and imaginative vision is more excellent than that which is accompanied by intellective vision alone. For Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9): "He is less a prophet, who sees in spirit nothing but the signs representative of things, by means of the images of things corporeal: he is more a prophet, who is merely endowed with the understanding of these signs; but most of all is he a prophet, who excels in both ways," and this refers …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Fall of Solomon
'For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Rediscovered Law and Its Effects
'And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord: and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. 10. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Entering the Covenant: with all the Heart
"And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and all their soul."--2 CHRON. xv. 12 (see xxxiv. 31, and 2 Kings xxiii. 3). "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul."--DEUT. xxx. 6. "And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall turn to Me with their whole heart."--JER. xxiv. 7 (see xxix. 13). …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 23:21 NIV2 Kings 23:21 NLT2 Kings 23:21 ESV2 Kings 23:21 NASB2 Kings 23:21 KJV
2 Kings 23:21 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
