Josiah And Jehoiakim: A Righteous King And His Wicked Son

In 2 Chronicles we read of Josiah and how the prophet Jeremiah and the singers lamented for him.

“And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.” - 2 Chronicles 35:25

Written in what Lamentations?

Some say this refers to Lamentations 4:20 and some say this refers to a book which is no longer extant. Below is Lamentations 4:20 which is clearly speaking of Josiah, as we will see when we realize who Josiah was, and the peace the Lord granted to the Kingdom of Judah for the sake of Josiah’s righteous acts (which showed Josiah’s Faith).

“The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits, of whom we said, Under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.” - Lamentations 4:20

If this verse refers to King Josiah, which I believe it does, why is he called “anointed” and what does it mean by “of whom we said under his shadow we shall live among the heathen.”

We can find out much about King Josiah in 2 Kings chapter 22 and 23. First, in 2 Kings 22:1-2 we find that Josiah began to reign when he was only 8 years old and he “did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.” 1 Timothy 4:12 comes to mind when we consider young Josiah and his example.

King David: A Man After God's Own Heart

To really understand why Josiah is considered “righteous enough” to be called “anointed” let us look to David in whose footsteps Josiah followed.

Of King David we read that he was a man after God’s own heart. Why? Because he did the will of God. See Acts 13:22. In 1 Samuel 13:13-14 we see that Saul disobeyed God and Saul’s disobedience cost him his kingship. The prophet Samuel, under God’s direction went looking to anoint one to be King who would obey God. The Lord said unto Samuel “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” Finally Samuel found David the youngest son of Jesse of the tribe of Judah “And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.” See 1 Samuel 16:7-13.

In both Ezekiel 37:24-25 and Jeremiah 30:8-9 we see a future time described when David will again reign and be the King of the people Israel. The people under this future rule of David are described in these verses as being cleansed, saved, freed from bondage, obedient to God’s teachings, and as having one shepherd. Jesus Christ is that one shepherd (John 10:1-16) The Shepherd of Jews and Gentiles (John 10:16, Hebrews 2:9).

Now when these verses were written, the flesh of the literal person of King David was rotted in the grave. But Christ came in the flesh as a descendant of David, and as the Son of God, and the creator and Saviour of the world (Matthew 1:1-25, John 1:1-14). So then, in these verses the prophets are describing the future reign of Christ, which has now come to pass (at least partially) as Christ rules over spiritual Israel (which is comprised of both believing Jews and Gentiles (Romans 2:28-29)).

Now look at this. Of Josiah we read; “And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the LORD with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.” - 2 Kings 23:25

In essence Josiah kept the first and greatest commandment as we can see by the words of Christ in the gospel of Mark.

“And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” - Mark 12:29-30

What did King Josiah do to be described in this manner?

First, when he heard the words of the Law he realized the sins of Israel.

What was Josiah’s response to sin?

1. He recognized it for what it was by being much grieved, rending his cloths and saying “great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us.” (2 Kings 22:11-13)

2. He shared the truth with others, by having the Law read aloud in the presence of “all the inhabitants of Jerusalem … the priests… the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the LORD.” (2 Kings 23:1-3)

3. He set to work destroying the wickedness that was in the kingdom.

“Moreover the workers with familiar spirits, and the wizards, and the images, and the idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, did Josiah put away, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD.” - 2 Kings 23:24

Specifically;

- He destroyed the idols (the vessels made for the worship of Baal and the other false gods (demons)) by burning them into a pile of ashes (2 Kings 23:4,6).

- He “put down” the idolatrous priests who burnt incense to false gods (Baal, demons, the host of heaven) (2 Kings 23:5)).

- He broke down the house of the sodomites (2 Kings 23:7).

- He stopped the offering of children by fire to Molech (2 Kings 23:10).

- He broke down alters, high places, groves, and images which were used and made to worship the false gods of other nations (2 Kings 23:11-15).

- He slew the priests of the false gods (2 Kings 23:20).

We can read below how the Lord promised to let the kingdom of Judah dwell peacefully while King Josiah reigned. And that the land would not be destroyed until after Josiah died, so that Josiah would not see all the evil that God would bring upon Judah for its sins.

“But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard; 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. And they brought the king word again.” - 2 Kings 22:18-20

This also brings to mind the verse in Isaiah in which we read how sometimes the Lord lets the righteous perish so that they may not experience the evils which are to come in this world.

The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. - Isaiah 57:1

After Josiah died his son Jehoahaz was made king in his stead. And Jehoahaz “did which was evil in the sight of the Lord.” See 2 Kings 23:30-32.

But Jehoahaz was taken away by Pharaohnechoh to Egypt where he died, and Pharaohnechoh made “Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim.” (2 Kings 23:34) But Jehoiakim also did evil in the Lord’s sight.

Jehoiakim's Wickedness

In fact, Jehoiakim was so wicked, that the LORD had something specific to say of him which he spoke through the prophet Jeremiah.

“Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah; They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or, Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying, Ah lord! or, Ah his glory! He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem. Go up to Lebanon, and cry; and lift up thy voice in Bashan, and cry from the passages: for all thy lovers are destroyed. I spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I will not hear. This hath been thy manner from thy youth, that thou obeyedst not my voice. The wind shall eat up all thy pastors, and thy lovers shall go into captivity: surely then shalt thou be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness.” - Jeremiah 22:18-22

Do Not Be Deceived: God Is Not Mocked

In this post on the righteous and the wicked king, we can learn much from their examples. We saw why the righteous king was righteous, and why the wicked was wicked.

1. They were either righteous or wicked based on how God judged them (hence, in the eyes of the Lord) They were not righteous or wicked based on their own reasoning or awareness, but by the Word of God (2 Kings 22:13, John 12:48)

2. In the portions of scripture we looked at we can see that they were judged by their actions, by their obedience, or disobedience to the will of God. They did what they did because of their faith in and fear of God (or lack of faith in and lack of fear of God). And we saw them both get their just reward (Isaiah 3:11)(also see 1 Peter 1:17).

In these days, our reward/punishment may only partially come in this life, as we see exampled by the many wicked men that prosper for a time (Psalm 37:1-2).

But, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.” - Galatians 6:7-10

Two Kinds of Fear: The Fear Of The Lord Casts Out Fear

There are two kinds of fear. We can see that with the fear of the Lord comes life, confidence, salvation, deliverance, plenty, the perfecting of holiness, the protection of us by angles, wisdom, and doubtlessly that is not all. (See the verses at the end)

We are commanded not to be fearful of those who can harm the body, but rather to fear God. (Matthew 10:28, 1 Peter 2:17, Revelation 21:8)

This idea of fearing the Lord is misunderstood by many. The only way to understand it is to read what the Holy Scriptures have to say about it.

It appears that the more we know of God and his attributes such as his Holiness, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Immutability, Sovereignty, Justice, Mercy, Faithfulness and so on the more we fear him. Fearing God also leads to humility (because we see ourselves for who we are), and Love toward God, because we see how much he has done for us despite our foolishness, stubbornness, and evil desires (our depravity). Both the fear and love of God lead us to obey him. Is not this also what 1 John 2:4 is saying, that as we know God we obey him? Knowing him leads us to both fear and love him which leads us to obey him.

Part of this fear is an awe of how great and marvelous God is. It is a result of understanding a mere shadow of his mighty power, of getting a small glimpse of how his ways are higher than our ways. (Isaiah 55:9, Psalm 33:8)

And yet in all his greatness he is not so far removed from us that he does not care for us, but rather he even cares much for the birds as we can see in Deuteronomy 22:6. If he cares this much for the birds imagine how much more he cares for us. After all he sent his only begotten Son to die for us that we may be saved! His Only Son to be the propitiation for our sins! (1 John 4:10) And as Jesus himself said in Matthew 6:26, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?”

In John 14:15 Jesus says “If you Love me, keep my commandments.” This is followed later in verse 21 with “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” This is also similar to that said in 1 John 5:3, 1 John 2:5 and 1 Corinthians 8:3.

In order to know, fear, love and obey God we must acquaint ourselves with him. How do we do that? In Job 22:21-23 we see that we are to lay up his words in our heart. If we lay up his words in our heart goodness shall come to us, and iniquity shall be far from us.

Acquaint thyself with the Almighty!


“In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge. The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death." - Proverbs 14:26-27

“I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” - Psalm 34:4-9

“Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” - 2 Corinthians 7:1

“So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” - Hebrews 13:6

“In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.” - Psalm 56:4

“And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” - Job 28:28

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” - Psalm 23:4

“Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” - Revelation 15:4

For more on fear see Romans 3:15-18, Psalm 33:18-22, Psalm 103:11, Psalm 86:11, Psalm 96:9, Psalm 27:1, Luke 12:4-5, Leviticus 19:14, Leviticus 25:17, Proverbs 1:7, Ephesians 5:21, and etcetera.

See the Hymn "Amazing Grace"

We Know the Commands: The Witness Against Us

Moses received from God all of the law and the commandments and Moses made it all known to the Israelites. Now the commands were written down, in books, and in stone, and spoken unto the Israelites on many occasions. (see Deuteronomy 27:8, Deuteronomy 31:9-13, Deuteronomy 31:24-26, Exodus 24:7).

“For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it.” - Deuteronomy 30:11-14

We cannot say “I did not know.” We cannot pretend to seek what God wants from us as if we do not know.

The scriptures are plain and clear. We have Bibles to read and yet we don’t know what God has commanded because we do not read our Bibles.

Christ has taught us. The Apostles have taught us. Their words are written for us to read, for us to believe, for us to obey.

As the Law of Moses was written as a witness against the Israelites, so are the words of Christ and the Apostles and the Prophets written as a witness against us (Deuteronomy 31:24-30, John 1:7-23, John 3:11, John 15:27, John 18:37, Acts 1:20-26, Acts 4:33, Acts 23:11, Revelation 20:4).

It is as if the words of Christ and the apostles are crying out to us. "You profess to be a Christian? THEN KNOW MY WORDS!" But Christ and the Apostles are not only a witness against those who profess to know him. They are also a witness against all men. For "he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (see John 3:18)

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools” - Romans 1:18-22

“God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him.” - Psalm 89:7

“Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted.” - Psalm 89:13-16

“For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our king.” - Psalm 89:18