The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-08-05
LESSON sIx--AUCUsT 6.


/
vs. /, 2. AS Manasseh, the son OF the
godly Hezekiah, showed how 1t is pos
sible for an evil man to grow up amid
! the best influences, so Josiah, the son
of the evil King Anon, illustrates the
encouraging truth that one may rise
superior to even the worst surround
ings With Gods help character may
always conquer environment.
Josiah's name means Jehovah sup
ports. He was born at jerusalem
b. c. SAT, the son of Anon and grand
son OF Manasseh, evil kings Of Judah;
he was great-grandson of the good
Hezekiah. whose noble career he prac-
tically duplicated.
His reign began when he was eight
years old, B. c. 639, his father being
assassinated. He reigned for 81 years
and died B. c. COS, at the age of 80.
He married, at the age Of 13 q
Kings 22:1 compared with 1880, Ze-
budah (R. " zebidah). the daughter
of Pedaiah of Rumah village near
Shechem.
I The Character of His Reign.-2. He
did that which was right He left
the brightest name for piety and re-
! ligious zeal among all the successors
/ of David Smith "In the sight OF
the LORD" And not merely in the
eyes of men; his heart was right.
And walked in the ways of David his
father" l. e., his ancestor. In all the
ways" it is said in Kings 222. And
declined Or. ", turned not aside')
neither to the right hand, nor to the
I left" He kept in the straight path
of righteousness and religion, and thus
7 became one of the most honored OF
4 earth's heroes.
+ II. Josiah Turns Back the Tide of
I Idolatry.-Vs 81. The task before
the young monarch was prodigious.
I Idolatry of the worst description was
still openly tolerated Social corrup-
tion, with its attendant civic weak
ness, were rapidly destroying the an
cient vigor of the nation
4 Josiah's Conversion. 3. "In the
eighth year of his reign" At the age
Of sixteen. while he was yet young,
and could give to Gods service the
unimpaired strength Of body and mind
which is Gods due. He began to
4 seek after the God Of David. Every
man must seek and nnu God for him
self, but it is a great incentive and
help to have before us the example
of godly ancestors, parents and
/ srlends.
First Steps Toward the Reforma-
ton. n the twelfth year" of his
reign, when he was twenty years old.
At first, Of course, as mere child,
he could take no very active steps -
Farrar. HE began to purge Judah
and Jerusalem" Note that the reform
began at home. where all reform must
start, in his capital and the surround
! ing country, whence it gradually ex-
tended to the northern tribes w. g..
From the high places" The idola-
trous shrines, often on top of hills.
The Destruction of Idolatrous I'M
\ ages. And they brake down the
altars of Baalim." R. ". "of the Baal-
i'm, plural of Baal, who was wor-
SHIPPED in different places under diff
sferent aspects. In his presence. !"
I That the king might see the work
thoroughly done, and that his per-
sonal authority might bear down op-
position to a deed, which so maIy
4 would consider sacrilege. And the
! images" R. ", the sun-images =
I Symbolic representations of the sun,
Of licentious significance (McCurdy,
\ History, Prophecy, and the Monu-
ments, par, 32D And the groves. !"
r. ". "the Asherim" These were
wooden poles, planted beside affairs,
carved with symbols of false gods.
and often bearing the shameful tokens
of the worship of Astarte. the Phoeni-
clan Venus "And the carved images
1 (R ", "graven"), those shaped by
cutting, distinguished from 'the molten
/ images" which were cast in a mold
All these impure symbols OF a forbid
| den worship Josiah, in fierce and
righteous indignation, had ground to
powder, and the dust strewn upon the
4 graves of them that had sacrificed
unto them" Perhaps with double
purpose-as mark of dlshonor to the
! graves themselves, the memorials OF
those that had given themselves to
this iniquity; and also to complete the
deflement of the idols, since all graves
were regarded as unclean.
The Execution of the Idolatrous
Priests.-5. And he burnt the bones
Of the priests upon their altars." In
order to dehle the affairs q Kings
2S:16), and prevent the possibility of
their later use for idol worship. Jo-
siah went on to still more severe
measures. Seizlng numbers of the
ldolatrous priests g Kings 2s:2O). he
slew them upon the altars Of their
evil worship.
The Extension of the Reform. g..
"And 50 did he in the cities of Manas-
sch. and Ephraim' To the north, the
greater pars of Samaria. "And Sine
on In the extreme south Even
unto Naphtali' In the extreme north.
From Beersheba to Dan. with
their mattocls round about. with
their axes" referring to the breaking
down Of the altars and idols.