The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1905-08-03
JOSIAH'S
GOOD REIGN
Sunday School Lesson Tor AUG. 8. 1905
Specially Prepared tor This Paper.
Specially Prepared tor This Payer.

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LESSON TEXT.-2 chron. AI-ls. Mem
DRY verses Ia.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"Remember now thy
Creator in the days OF thy outh."-Eccl.
121
TIME.-Josiah assembled the throne Il. c.
| $50 The critical years In his reign were
the eighth, twelfth and eighteenth.
| PLACE Jerusalem, although the re-
forms extended throughout Judah and the
country that had been the northern king
dom.
! SCRIPTURE INSTRUMENTATION
parentage: Kings 221 Exaltation Of
| David as a MODEL king: V. Z; Kings 1i;t:
1873. S; Kings I4:S; 1913; 22:2; chron. 2S;l.
Compare Josiah's slaughter Of the heather
/ priests with Eiijah's q Kings $500 and
Jehus q Kings io:is-2S). Compare these
/ events with the prophecy Of l Kings 1872,
80. Note also Kings 2S.l6-1s Compare
| Josiahs reforms with those OF Asa q
| Chron. l4:i-O. Jehoshaphat q Chron. 1919,
Joash q Chron. 2l:l-lO. and Hezekiah q
Chron. 2s-sD.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
v. 1. Eight years old {.
reign" He was under tutors and re-
gents uutil he reached the age Of Is
years.
". did that which was right"
No other king OF Judah has higher re
nown for piety and religious zeal
David his father" David was his
ancestor. Declined neither &.
left" He did not turn aside from
the straight path into either idolatry
or untempered zeal.
V. 3. Eighth year OF his reign
II is very wise indeed to seek God 10
youth. Each day spent away from
Him gives us one day more to repent
OF, and weakens our desire 10 repent
and our power to turn unto righteous
ness. "In the twelfth year" AS soon
as Josiah came OF age he began TO
show that he would be a true king
and a great reformer. The work, how
ever, could not be done In a day. but
was carried on throughout his reign.
"A. This verse gives a summary
OF the work carried on throughout Jo-
siah's reign. "Baalim." Various
forms Of the god Baal. Images"
Rev. Yer, Sun images" See Kings
3S:5-11 This form OF worship. like
the reverence paid to the heavenly
bodies, had doubtless been borrowed
from Assyria-
VS.. Burnt the bones al
tars." This would. In the opinion Of
all heather. as we'll as according 10
the views OF the Jews, so dehle the
affairs that they could never again he
used.
We. so did he unto
Naphtan" All these names designate
tribes who had belonged to the north
ern kingdom. That kingdom had been
overthrow a century before, and most
OF its people deporSed The few who
were left in the land were evidently
encouraged by Josiah 10 look 10 him
as their king. Read Of one incident in
l Kings 1871, 2 and Kings 23:15-20.
with their mattocks" (See Rev.
Ver)
VT. when returned to
Jerusalem" King Josiah personally
supervised the matter, made journey
through the land and saw that all was
done as he had ordered.
v. s. when he had purged the
land" AS above described. And the
house" The temple also was cere-
monially purified. "shaphan.t This
man is called in the other record, the
kings scribe.
V. 9. They" The three officers
above named "Hilkiah, the high
priest" A cody man and ancestor Of
Ezra ezra IT'D. "They delivered
the money" etc. IL seems quite prob
able that money for the work had
been collected. as in Joash's time q
Kings 12), by Levite collectors, who
went among the northern tribes, and
by the free-will offerings Of those who
came to worship at the temple. The
Levites that kept the doors" The
tribe Of Levi furnished the priests and
all the workers about the temple.
Some of these very likely had in
charge a collection box which stood at
the door Of the priests court. They
returned" etc. Better in Rev. Yer.
V. 10. They" The officers who
had received the money from priests
and Levites. Put it in the hand"
Gave it to the overseers Of the work,
to be expended, as II was needed, In
mending and repairing the temple, its
courts and its furniture
v. II. "Artlicers, etc. Sea Rev.
Yer Carpenters and stone-masons
were employed for the work which is
described In Kings as repairing the
breaches" This indicated that the
temple had suffered from rough usage
as we'll as from decay.
V. ~. "Overseers set II
forward" The overseers, who also
were of the tribe of Levi, guided the
work. We are told In the other rec
ord that they did the work so faith
fully that no reckoning was made with
them Of the money.
v. 10. "scribes." This word was
primarily used of "transcriber OF the
law" but in the present instance prob
ably refers to the clerks who kept an
account of the work and the work
men.
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