SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Jul 26, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 30.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON 6.—AUGUST 6.—JOSIAH'S GOOD REIGN.

Lesson Scripture.—2 Chron. 34:1-13, A. R. V.

(1) "JOSIAH was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. (2) And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in the ways of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left. (3) For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images. (4) And they brake down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images that were on high above them he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them. (5) And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and purged Judah and Jerusalem. (6) And so did he in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, in their ruins round about. (7) And he brake down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.

(8) "Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of Jehovah his God. (9) And they came to Hilkiah the high priest, and delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites, the keepers of the threshold, had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin, and of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (10) And they delivered it into the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and the workmen that wrought in the house of Jehovah gave it to mend and repair the house; (11) even to the carpenters and to the builders gave they it, to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to make beams for the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed. (12) And the men did the work faithfully; and the overseers of them were Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set it forward; and others of the Levites, all that were skilful with instruments of music. (13) Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all that did the work in every manner of service; and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters."

Golden Text.—Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.—Eccl. 12:1.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) How old was King Josiah when he began to reign? How long did he reign? Verse 1. (2) What is said of his reign? In whose way did he follow? Verse 2. Note 1. (3) After eight years on the throne, what course did the young king pursue? And in four years more what did he do? Verse 3. Note 2. (4) In what way did he aim to utterly destroy idolatry? Verse 4. (5) How did he emphasize his destruction of the heathen implements of worship? Verse 5. Note 4. (6) Did Josiah confine his work of reform to the territory of Judah? Verse 6. (7) How is this work of destruction further described, and to what extent? Verse 7. (8) In the eighteenth year of his reign, what further work did Josiah undertake? Verse 8. Note 4. (9) To whom was money for this purpose brought? Who had gathered this money? Of whom had they collected it? Verse 9. (10) To whom was the money eventually given? Verse 10. (11) What special artificers are mentioned? Verse 11. (12) With what spirit did the workmen labor? Who were overseers in the work? Verse 12. Note 5. (13) What other workmen were these men over? What positions did the Levites fill? Verse 13.

NOTES.

1. As Manasseh's life illustrates how one may grow up under good influences, and yet become evil, so Josiah is an illustration of the possibility of becoming a servant of God, altho surrounded by evil influences. It is most probable, however, that, while the court environment of King Amon's reign was exceedingly wicked, Josiah's mother was a godly woman.

2. At the age of sixteen years Josiah began to serve the Lord in earnest. David is called the father of all his descendants, especially those of the royal line in the kingdom of Judah. When Josiah was twenty years old, he began to destroy all the evidences of idol-worship in the land. This had been prophesied of him many years before. See 1 Kings 13:1, 2. At the age of twenty he seems to have taken the reins of government more fully into his own hands.

3. Imbued with the spirit of David, Josiah evidently aimed, not only to restore the worship of Jehovah, but also to regain the political control of the former dominion—Simeon being in the extreme south of Palestine, and Naphtali in the north. The Assyrians, who had conquered the kingdom of Israel, were now being oppressed by their more powerful enemies on the east, and it was a favorable time for Josiah to act. As the son of David, he evidently thought it his right to reign over all the kingdom of David.

4. After six years of aggressive work in renovating the country, and preparing the people for the true worship, Josiah set about the work of repairing the house of God in Jerusalem. For this purpose the Levites had been collecting money. Two centuries before this, another young king, Joash by name, had, in a similar way, repaired the temple. See 2 Kings 12.

5. That the men worked faithfully is evidence of thorough repentance and earnestness in returning to Jehovah, as had been the liberality of the people in giving of their means to the work. As in the times of Hezekiah (2 Chron. 31:12), there was faithfulness in bringing in the tithe, and liberality in offerings. As in the time of Joash (2 Kings 12:13), the overseers and workers were so honest that they were not required to give account of the money put into their hands for expenses. There is no better evidence of true service than faithfulness in material things—bringing in all the tithes, liberality in offerings, and energetic labor for God, and for any employer in legitimate business.