The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1905-08-04
JOSIAH'S
GOOD REIGN
Sunday School Lesson Tor Aug. 8. 1905
Specially Prepared fo' This Paper

p5' Ahe eritlcal years in his reign were
ne eighih. twelfth and eghteenth
PLACE Jerusalem. although The re-
FORMS extended throughout judah and he
country that had been Tie northern king.
dom
SCRIPTURE EXPERIENCES -Jcsiah's
pareniago, kires POI ENaitatien ~
David as mote king Va Kings u.f:
bs. D. Kings li3 1873. 20. Chron ISL.
compare Josiat's slaughter Of the heather
priests Win E.iJah's a Kings 1880 and
lehu " Kings l0l,-2s) Compare these
events with ne prophecy % Kings % =
* Note also Kings -3.ld-lS Compare
josiah $ reforms with those az Asa q
chron lil-D. Jehoshaplat a. chroa 1880.
Joash & Ctron 24.l-lN, and HczeklaEt a
Chrcn. 25-3ll
Comment and Suggestive Thought
v l. Eight years old :.
reign" lie was under tutors and re
gents until he reached the age OF IS
years
V. 3 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 uutempered zeal.
V. 3 Eighth year Of his reign
II is very wise indeed to seek God in
youth Each day spent away from
Him gives IT'S one day more to repent
Of, and weakens our desire 70 repent
and our power t6'turn unto righteous
ness. In the twelfth year" As soon
as Josiah came Of age he began TO
show that he would be true king
and great reformer The work how.
ever. could not be done in a day. but
was carried on throughout his reign.
v 4 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
33.5-1l This form Of worship like
the reverence paid TO the heavenly
bodies. had doubtless been borrowed
from Assyria.
V. 8 Burnt the homes al
tars" This would. in the opinion OF
al heather as we'll as according 20
the views OF the Jews. SO dehle the
affairs that they could never again be
used
Y. 6. so did he unto
Naphtali" All these names designate
tribes who had belonged TO the north.
ern kingdom. That kingdom had been
overthrow century before and most
OF its people deported The few who
we're left in the land were evidently
encouraged by Josiah to look 10 him
as their king Read Of one incident in
/ Kings 1871 and Kings 23:l5-20.
with their mattocks. (See Rev.
Ver)
V 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. :. When be had purged the
land" As above described. And the
house" The temple also was cere-
monially purified. "Shaphan." This
man IS called in the other record, the
kings scribe.
V "They" The three officers
above named. "Hilkiah. the high
priest" a gody man and ancestor OF
Ezra Ezra 7:1D. They delivered
the money" etc. II seems quite prob
able that money for the work had
been collected. as in Joash's time G.
Kings 12). by Levite collectors. who
] ~ frfh NJ
By the free-will offerings Of those who
came 10 worship at the temple. "The
4 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 Ievites. Put IL In the hand.
Gave It To the overseers of the work,
to be expended, as It was needed. In
mending and repairing the temple. its
courts and its furniture.
v. II. "Artihcers," etc See Rev
Yer. Carpenters and stone-masons
we're employed for the work which Is
described in Kings as repairing the
breaches. This indicated that the
temple had suffered from rough usage
as well as from decay.
V. IL. "Overseers set Il
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 50 faith
fully that no reckoning was made viii
hem OF the money.
V. 49, "Scrbes" This word wa.
primarily used OF "transcriber OF th'
law" but in the present instance prob
ably refers to the clerks who kept al
account OF the work and the work
men.
Practical Points.
V. II requires only the slightes
deviation TO mar perfection, hence w
should beware OF the first misstep.-
prov 4.9-