『這些人是誰？』(16) －黑夜中的一盞明燈：約西亞王

經文：歷代志下34-35章；王下22:1 – 23:30；亞12:11

背誦經文：神說：因為他專心愛我，我就要搭救他；因為他知道我的名，我要把他安置在高處。(詩91:14)

(1) 是位自幼就尋求耶和華的王

■ 他作王第八年，尚且年幼，就尋求他祖大衛的　神。(代下34:3a)

(2) 是位有勇氣破除偶像、專心討 神喜悅的王

■ 2 他行耶和華眼中看為正的事，效法他祖大衛所行的，不偏左右…

■ 3…到了十二年才潔淨猶大和耶路撒冷，除掉邱壇、木偶、雕刻的像，和鑄造的像。 4 眾人在他面前拆毀巴力的壇，砍斷壇上高高的日像，又把木偶和雕刻的像，並鑄造的像打碎成灰…潔淨了猶大和耶路撒冷； 6 又在瑪拿西、以法蓮、西緬、拿弗他利各城，和四圍破壞之處，都這樣行…砍斷以色列遍地所有的日像，就回耶路撒冷去了。(代下34:3b-7)

(3) 是位對 神話語有強烈反應的王

■ 18 書記沙番又對王說：「祭司希勒家遞給我一卷書。」沙番就在王面前讀那書。 19 王聽見律法上的話，就撕裂衣服…(代下34:18-19)

(4) 是位盡心盡力帶領百姓歸向 神的王

a) 帶領百姓歸向 神、與 神立約

■ 30 王和猶大眾人，與耶路撒冷的居民，並祭司利未人，以及所有的百姓，無論大小，都一同上到耶和華的殿；王就把殿裏所得的約書念給他們聽。 31 王站在他的地位上，在耶和華面前立約，要盡心盡性地順從耶和華，遵守他的誡命、法度、律例，成就這書上所記的約言； 32 又使住耶路撒冷和便雅憫的人都服從這約。於是耶路撒冷的居民都遵行他們列祖之　神的約。 33 約西亞從以色列各處將一切可憎之物盡都除掉，使以色列境內的人都事奉耶和華─他們的　神。約西亞在世的日子，就跟從耶和華─他們列祖的　神，總不離開。(代下34:29-33)

b) 恢復守逾越節

■ 約西亞在耶路撒冷向耶和華守逾越節… 10…祭司站在自己的地方，利未人按著班次站立，都是照王所吩咐的…18 自從先知撒母耳以來，在以色列中沒有守過這樣的逾越節，以色列諸王也沒有守過，像約西亞、祭司、利未人、在那裏的猶大人，和以色列人，以及耶路撒冷居民所守的逾越節。(代下35:1-18)

(5) 是位活得令人懷念的王

■ 猶大人和耶路撒冷人都為他悲哀。 耶利米為約西亞作哀歌。所有歌唱的男女也唱哀歌，追悼約西亞，直到今日；而且在以色列中成了定例。這歌載在哀歌書上。(代下35:24b-25)

■ 那日，耶路撒冷必有大大的悲哀，如米吉多平原之哈達臨門的悲哀。(亞12:11)

“Who are they?”(16) – A Beacon of Light in the Dark of Night: Josiah

Scriptures: 2 Chron 34-35; 2 kings 22:1-23, 30; Zechariah12:11

Memorization Scripture: “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.” (Psalm 91:14)

1. A king who sought after the Lord since his youth

a. “ For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David;” (2 Chron 34:3a)

2. A king who had the courage to remove all idols and wholly desired to please the Lord

a. “And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David;” (2 Chron 34:2a)

b. “And in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He also burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem. And so he did in the cities of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, as far as Naphtali and all around, with axes. When he had broken down the altars and the wooden images, had beaten the carved images into powder, and cut down all the incense altars throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.” (2 Chron 34:3b-7)

3. A king who responded immediately concerning the word of God

a. “Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king. Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes.” (2 Chron 34:18-19)

4. A king who lead the people back to God with all of his heart and might

a. Lead the people in returning to God and establishing a covenant with God

i. “Then the king sent and gathered all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. The king went up to the house of the Lord, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem—the priests and the Levites, and all the people, great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant which had been found in the house of the Lord. Then the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow the Lord, and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And he made all who were present in Jerusalem and Benjamin take a stand. So the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. Thus Josiah removed all the abominations from all the country that belonged to the children of Israel, and made all who were present in Israel diligently serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not depart from following the Lord God of their fathers.” (2 Chron 34:29-33)

b. Restored the celebration of the Passover

i. “Now Josiah kept a Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, … ¹⁰ … and the priests stood in their places, and the Levites in their divisions, according to the king’s command. … ¹⁸ There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet; and none of the kings of Israel had kept such a Passover as Josiah kept, with the priests and the Levites, all Judah and Israel who were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.” (2 Chron 35:1-18)

5. A king who lived a life worth of remembrance

a. “… So he died, and was buried in one of the tombs of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah. Jeremiah also lamented for Josiah. And to this day all the singing men and the singing women speak of Josiah in their lamentations. They made it a custom in Israel; and indeed they are written in the Laments.“ (2 Chron 35:24b-25)

¹¹ In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.(Zechariah 12:11)