From Megiddo his servants carried his body in a chariot, brought him to Jerusalem, and buried him in his own tomb. Then the people of the land took Jehoahaz son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father. From MegiddoThe location of Megiddo is significant in biblical history, often associated with battles and strategic military importance. In Hebrew, "Megiddo" (מְגִדּוֹ) is a site of numerous conflicts, symbolizing a place of decision and divine intervention. The mention of Megiddo here reminds us of the constant struggle between the forces of good and evil, and the need for God's people to remain vigilant and faithful. his servants carried his body in a chariot
The act of carrying the body in a chariot signifies honor and respect for the deceased king. In ancient Israel, chariots were symbols of power and prestige. The Hebrew word for "chariot" (רֶכֶב, rekhev) indicates a vehicle of war and status. This phrase underscores the respect Josiah commanded even in death, reflecting his righteous reign and the love of his people. brought him to Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the city of David, holds profound spiritual significance as the center of worship and the dwelling place of God among His people. The Hebrew name "Jerusalem" (יְרוּשָׁלַיִם, Yerushalayim) means "foundation of peace." Bringing Josiah's body to Jerusalem symbolizes the return to the spiritual heart of the nation, emphasizing the importance of aligning leadership with God's covenantal promises. and buried him in his own tomb
The burial in his own tomb signifies a personal and familial honor. In ancient Israel, burial practices were deeply rooted in tradition and respect for one's ancestors. The Hebrew word for "tomb" (קֶבֶר, kever) reflects a place of rest and remembrance. This act of burial highlights the continuity of God's promises through the lineage of David, of which Josiah was a part. Then the people of the land
This phrase indicates the collective action of the nation, emphasizing the unity and communal decision-making of the Israelites. The Hebrew term for "people" (עַם, am) often refers to the covenant community of God. Their involvement in choosing the next king reflects the theocratic nature of Israel's governance, where the people sought to align their leadership with divine will. took Jehoahaz son of Josiah
Jehoahaz, whose name means "Yahweh has grasped," was chosen by the people, indicating their desire for continuity in the Davidic line. The mention of his lineage as "son of Josiah" underscores the importance of righteous heritage and the hope that Jehoahaz would follow in his father's godly footsteps. anointed him
Anointing was a sacred act, symbolizing the setting apart of an individual for divine service. The Hebrew word for "anoint" (מָשַׁח, mashach) is the root of "Messiah," meaning "the anointed one." This act signifies God's blessing and empowerment for leadership, reminding us of the ultimate anointed one, Jesus Christ, who fulfills the role of King and Savior. and made him king in place of his father
The transition of kingship "in place of his father" highlights the dynastic continuity and the hope for stability and faithfulness to God's covenant. The Hebrew concept of kingship involves not just political authority but spiritual responsibility. This phrase calls us to reflect on the legacy we leave and the importance of godly leadership in guiding a nation according to God's will. Persons / Places / Events 1. JosiahThe righteous king of Judah who initiated significant religious reforms and was killed in battle at Megiddo. 2. MegiddoA strategic city in ancient Israel where King Josiah was killed in battle against Pharaoh Necho of Egypt. 3. JerusalemThe capital city of Judah where Josiah was buried in his own tomb. 4. JehoahazThe son of Josiah, chosen by the people to succeed his father as king of Judah. 5. The People of the LandThe inhabitants of Judah who played a role in the succession of Jehoahaz as king. Teaching Points The Consequences of DisobedienceJosiah's death at Megiddo serves as a reminder of the consequences of not heeding divine warnings, as he went into battle against Pharaoh Necho despite being warned. The Role of the People in LeadershipThe people's choice of Jehoahaz as king highlights the communal aspect of leadership selection and the importance of seeking God's guidance in such decisions. The Transience of Earthly PowerJehoahaz's brief reign underscores the temporary nature of earthly authority and the need to focus on eternal values. The Importance of a Godly LegacyJosiah's reforms and his burial in Jerusalem reflect the lasting impact of a godly life, encouraging believers to leave a legacy of faithfulness. Trust in God's SovereigntyDespite the political turmoil and leadership changes, God's sovereign plan continues to unfold, reminding believers to trust in His ultimate control over history. Bible Study Questions 1. What lessons can we learn from Josiah's decision to engage in battle at Megiddo, and how can we apply these lessons to our decision-making processes today? 2. How does the people's role in anointing Jehoahaz as king reflect the importance of community in leadership decisions, and what implications does this have for the church today? 3. In what ways does the brief reign of Jehoahaz illustrate the transient nature of earthly power, and how should this influence our priorities and pursuits? 4. How can Josiah's legacy of religious reform inspire us to leave a lasting impact in our own communities and families? 5. Considering the political and spiritual context of 2 Kings 23:30, how can we trust in God's sovereignty amidst the uncertainties and changes in our own lives? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Chronicles 35:20-24Provides a parallel account of Josiah's death at Megiddo and his burial in Jerusalem, offering additional details about the circumstances of his death. Jeremiah 22:10-12Speaks of the lamentation for Josiah and the fate of Jehoahaz (also called Shallum), highlighting the people's sorrow and the brevity of Jehoahaz's reign. 1 Kings 1:39Describes the anointing of Solomon as king, drawing a parallel to the anointing of Jehoahaz, emphasizing the importance of divine selection and public recognition in leadership transitions. 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 Anoint, Anointed, Body, Bring, Buried, Bury, Carriage, Carried, Cause, Chariot, Dead, Drove, Dying, Father's, Grave, Holy, Instead, Jehoahaz, Jeho'ahaz, Jerusalem, Josiah, Josi'ah, Megiddo, Megid'do, Oil, Reign, Ride, Sepulcher, Sepulchre, Servants, Stead, TombDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 23:30 1429 prophecy, OT fulfilment 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 23:30 NIV2 Kings 23:30 NLT2 Kings 23:30 ESV2 Kings 23:30 NASB2 Kings 23:30 KJV
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