Passing The Point of No Return

Transcript

GRS 2-115
6/15/2008
Passing the Point of No Return
2 Kings 23
Gil Rugh

We are in Second Kings and the 23rd Chapter. We’ve been looking at the reign of Israel’s greatest reformer king, King Josiah, and that is a testimony to his godly character, but the fact that his reformation had to be so complete. There was so much to be reformed and dealt with is an indication of the corruption that has permeated Israel. And as we noted at the conclusion of our last study, Jeremiah the prophet who is prophesying in these days indicated in Jeremiah 3:10 God said through Jeremiah "Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but rather in deception declares the Lord.” So as we come in to Chapter 23 and we see some of the extensive reforms that Josiah brought about, we need to keep in mind Jeremiah’s words as he spoke on behalf of God. "Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but rather in deception declares the Lord."

Even with the godly impact of Josiah and his leadership the change in Israel was surface and they were quickly upon the death of Josiah returned to their wicked ways. And if you have your list of kings you’ll note Josiah is number sixteen. There will be four that will follow him some very briefly, but Josiah is not only the greatest reformer, he is last godly king in Israel. So you see his reformation work lasted only during his lifetime.

Second Kings 23 records these reforms and I want to just walk through them because in walking through them we’re reminded of how paganism had permeated Israel and it’s always shocking to me to read the Old Testaments and be reminded that this is the people that God has chosen for himself. He has given them his word; he’s given them many precious promises. He has established the covenant relationship with them and they become totally and completely corrupted. Paganism, idolatry, permeates them every bit as much as the pagan nations around them.

So look at some of the reforms beginning in Chapter 23 verse 4. Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priest of the second order and the door keepers to bring out of the temple of the Lord, now note this where these items are. Bring these out of the temple of the Lord. All the vessels that were made for Baal for Asherah for all the host of heaven and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron carried their ashes to Bethel, All the items for pagan worship. The temple of the living God had been made the temple of paganism.

So Josiah takes all these elements associated with pagan worship out of the temple and burns them and then he takes the ashes to Bethel, the center of Idolaters’ worship for the northern kingdom and he is going to defile the altar there with these ashes.

Verse 5 He did away with the adulterous priest whom the kings of Judah had appointed to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Jerusalem and in the surrounding area of Jerusalem. Also those who burnt incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations to all the host of heaven oh these idolatrous priests are removed. I mean, and Judah has appointed them. I mean look at Judah as the better of the two aspects of the kingdom as it split, the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and yet this is what Judah had appointed these pagan priests for pagan worship.

Verse 6 he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the brook Kidron burnt it out at the brook Kidron grounded to dust and threw its dust on the graves of the common people. Asherah, the Asherah this was the consort of Baal. So part of that idolaters’ worship system it’s removed from the temple it’s burnt, the ashes are scattered over the graves.

Verse 7, he also broke down the hoses of the male called prostitutes which were in the house of the Lord were the women were weaving hangings for the Asherah. Can you believe it? How do you get to this level of degradation? Male prostitution, tents, and huts for this to take place within the confines of the house of the Lord. Things that we would find even at the world of repulsive, we look around and say oh, look at homosexual practices today you understand in Israel at this time they had made special provisions within the confines of the temple for this kind of degraded immorality to go on his part of their worship. They’ve passed beyond doing shameful things that they weren’t afraid to set up such places as part of their worship, within the confines of the temple itself. You talk about doing all you can to be an affront to defy the living God that you would set up these places?

Josiah removes them verse 8. Then he brought all the priest from the cities of Judah and defiled the high places where they priest had burnt incense from Geba to Beersheba. He broke down the high places of the gates which were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua, the governor of the city which were on ones left of the city gate. What he does is gather the Levitical priest from all over the Judah and they come to help in defiling these idolatrous places for they could not be used for Idolatrous worship again.

Down in verse 10, he also defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the son of Hennom, that no man might make his son or daughter pass through the fire for Molech. He defiles the place where human sacrifice where the people of Israel would take their sons and daughters and burn them as a burnt offering to the pagan God Molech.

Verse 11, he did away with the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the son in their worship of the son. At the entrance of the house of the Lord, amazing. They haven’t abandoned the temple and the temple compound; they have just turned it into a centre of the worst, filthiest places of worship that you can imagine. The horses, the chariots devoted to the sun at the entrance of the house of the Lord by the chamber of Nathan-melech, the official which was in the precincts; he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.

Verse12; the altars which were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down; he smashed them there threw their dust into the brook Kidron. The heathen altars erected in the temple area by Ahaz, by Manasseh are destroyed. You know this paganism going on for a long time. We’re going to go back now hundreds of years.

Verse 13, the high places which were before Jerusalem, which were on the right of the mount of destruction which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled. Solomon ruled from 970 to 931. Josiah’s ruling from 640 to 609 three hundred years. And we still have that what Solomon had started. This goes back.

Go back to First Kings 11. We’re back now before the kingdom even divided you’re aware. First Kings Chapter 11, the Chapter opens up the King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after other gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love. The devil knows how to get his work done. I mean it’s hard; Solomon’s pagan turned hundreds of year later was still present in flourishing in the nation Israel till Josiah deals with it.

All of Solomon’s wives and in verse 4 when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of his father David had been. Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, did not follow the LORD fully as David his father had done.

Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. He did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to other gods. And you know what, those places remained intact, in-place for all this time, remarkable. Israel has suffered the split of the kingdom as punishment as the chapter we’ve been reading goes on to say but Israel learnt nothing if you will.

Come back to 2 Kings Chapter 23 verse 15. Furthermore, the altar that was at Bethel the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he broke down. He demolished its stones, ground them to dust, and burned the Asherah. Jeroboam’s altar, remember the first king of the northern kingdom we’ll say something about Josiah’s the ability to carry on reforms into the region of the north, what have been the northern ten tribes in a moment but the altar at Bethel its finally three hundred years later dealt with in the reforms of Josiah. So you see this paganism has a long, long history.

Verse 19, Josiah also removed all the houses of the high places which were in the cities of Samaria. His reformation moves into the region of what it had been the northern ten tribes. Their kingdom longer exist but they are remnants there of the ten tribes and he moves into that region and deals with the places of worship with the kings of Israel had made provoking the Lord. He did to them justice he had done at Bethel.

Furthermore in verse 20 all the priests of the high places who were there he slaughtered on the altars and burned human bones on them; then he returned to Jerusalem. I mean these leaders of paganism have to pay the penalty for corrupting Israel.

Down in verse 24, moreover Josiah removed the mediums and the spiritists, the teraphim, the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem; they might confirm the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord. I mean, what a list, these are the people of God, these are his covenant people, and that’s the list of things that he had to deal with.

We will turn there now but Second Chronicles Chapter 34 pickup verse 3 and read following you find Josiah started these reforms in his twelfth year. He didn’t get it done till his eighteenth year. Look how bad things are. And he in his process to takes him some time to purge the land of the paganism that is corrupted it.

Backup in Chapter 23 verse 15 were we’re told that the altar that was at Bethel, place where Jeroboam had establish to make Israel sin, the calf worship that was established really at the beginning of the northern kingdom when the kingdom split to northern and the southern Israel and Judah is finally dealt with verse 16. Now when Josiah turned and he saw the graves that were there on the mountain and he sent and took the bones from the graves burned them on the altar defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these things.

You have to come back to First Kings Chapter 13. First Kings Chapter 13 verse 1, now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. He cried against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the Lord, 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name." Remarkable his specific prophesy. We’re three hundred years before Josiah. Here’s the man who will be born in the line of David, a descended of David, his name will be Josiah. "And on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you and human bones shall be burned on you.'" And Josiah comes and the word of the Lord is fulfilled.

Israel tragically failed to appreciate God is a God of his work all their blessings could have been theirs for obedience. All that he promised them, but they fail to take seriously all the curses he promised would be theirs for disobedience as well. And now judgment comes and judgment is on the paganism of the land as the reform movement of Josiah takes place.

Now back in Chapter 23 verse 25. Before him there was no king like him who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. He’s unique among the kings and he is the greatest reforming king in Israel. So Israel, southern kingdom Judah has a number of several godly kings but Josiah stands out for his zeal and passion in doing all he can to rid the land of paganism.

Even all of this on Josiah’s part though not enough to turn away the Lord’s anger. They have passed the point of no return. The reforms of Hezekiah, the reforms of Josiah are used of God and his mercy and grace to delay his judgment but it’s too late to stop the judgment. So verse 26 However, the Lord did not turn from the fierceness of his great wrath with which his anger burned against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. But as we’ve seen in the history all Manasseh did was bring to a peak the over rejection of God and the paganism that had flourished in the land for these centuries.

The Lord said, "I will remove Judah also from my sight, as I have removed Israel and I will cast off Jerusalem, this city which I have chosen, and the temple of which I said, 'My name shall be here.'" That’s the judgment’s coming, Judah is going the way of the northern ten tribes. Now keep in mind, this is not God’s last word on the matter. We saw that in passages we’ve read earlier this evening regarding Gods promises to the nation but terrible time of judgment now have arrived.

So we’re ready to record the death of Josiah. Verses 28 to 30 the rest of the acts of Josiah all he did they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and when Pharaoh Neco saw him he killed him at Megiddo. So his servants put his body in the chariot and took him from Megiddo brought him to Jerusalem and buried him there and he’s replaced by his son.

The final years of Josiah’s life are times of major events. If you have your list of the kings of Judah you’ll note Josiah’s reign comes to an end in 609. The year before the Assyrian empire had to come to an end 610 BC when the last Assyrian king is defeated and has to flee from Harran, the Carchemish, the Assyrian empire is over that’s why Josiah is found carrying his reforms into the region of the northern ten tribes because during Josiah’s reign the Assyrian empire is on the wane they are not in a position to assort their authority at the extent of their empire. They are in the process of disintegration. Media on the region of Media, the Medes and the Babylonians have risen to power and that alliance will ultimately bring an end to the Assyrian empire formally and Assyrians have already fled from their capital Nineveh and so on they’ve retreated.

If you remember the Mediterranean, since I don’t use maps my finger and he go up to Mediterranean and then around of it the land goes up. When you get up to the top where the land goes around and now you are on the north side of the Mediterranean where that land starts to go over if you just travel east you will come inland to the city of Carchemish on the Euphrates. And further east of that Harran and when the Assyrian king was defeated at Harran by the Babylonians he flees with the remnant of his army to Carchemish. The Assyrian empire is officially over but he is trying to get some help.

Pharaoh Neco and at the extent of the Assyrian empire the Assyrians dominated everything down through Egypt. So all across the northern part all the Fertile Crescent in the north all the way down through Syria, down through Palestine, down through Egypt the Assyrians ruled. So it’s interesting to find Pharaoh Neco moving his armies in 609 BC up to Carchemish to try to help the Assyrians. But what Pharaoh Neco realizes is the Assyrians are over as a threat to us, the threat to us now is the Babylonians. So the better part of wisdom is for us to do what we can to try to strengthen what’s left at the Assyrians and drive back the Babylonians. So that’s what Pharaoh Neco is doing, he’s coming up from Egypt and he has no issue with Josiah. He wants to get his armies to Carchemish.

Turn over to Second Chronicles Chapter 35. Second Chronicles 35, you get a little more detail on what happens here to Josiah and interestingly you find here’s Josiah, Israel’s greatest reforming godly kind and yet for some reason God speaks to him through Pharaoh Neco a total pagan. And Josiah doesn’t heed what Pharaoh Neco tells him and he will die at the hands of Pharaoh Neco.

So verse 20, after all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Neco king of Egypt came up to make war at Carchemish on the Euphrates. Josiah went out to engage him but Neco sent messengers to him, saying, 'what have we to do with each other, O King of Judah? I am not coming against you today but against the house with which I am at war, and God has ordered me to hurry. Stop for your own sake from interfering with God who is with me, so that He will not destroy you." However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God. I think why God used Neco, there are prophets available.

At the end of the Chapter 22, remember in our previous study we read the prophecy of Huldah the prophetess. I think God, somebody like this come, I tell Neco? And Neco says I am going up there because God wants me to but Neco goes up there he can’t win against the Babylonians, the Assyrians are done. So he’s not going up there and have a great victory because God sent him but the point is for whatever reason we’re not giving any details here. Josiah has no business interfering with which going on here and made a reflection to Josiah has failed to consult the Lord with the prophets available to him or the priest or whatever. But anyway he chooses to ignore what Neco says and came to challenge Neco on the point of Megiddo that infamous battle where at a future time we will have the battle of Armageddon take place.

The archers shot King Josiah, the king said to his servants, "Take me away I am badly wounded." So he thought he disguise himself go in to battle they won’t know where he is. We’ve seen that happen on a previous occasion but just so happens he takes an arrow and he’s killed. His servants took him out of the chariot, carried him in the second chariot which he had, brought him to Jerusalem where he died he’s buried in the tombs of his fathers. All Judah and Jerusalem mourned for him.

So the reign of Josiah ends and with that Israel is done. And in the plan of God, the nation now will move rather quickly to judgment to a succession of kings three of Josiah’s sons and his grandsons, four kings, three of his sons and grandsons all godless men. So here you have Josiah in the line of Manasseh then Amon who were two ungodly kings, then Josiah very godly but it doesn’t carry on even to his sons. And Josiah dies at a rather young age he began to rule at eight years of age. He rules 31 years but he’s only 39 when he dies but we have passed the time of Judah’s glory if you will.

We move now rapidly to foreign powers controlling here, we’ve had somewhat of a power vacuum. Assyria is not been a major player in the region for some time. Their empires disintegrating and now it’s over officially in 610 BC Josiah dies in 609. And we are within four years of the Babylonians coming in to Jerusalem and the first deportation that will take place in 605.

What happened is Pharaoh Neco proceeded to join the Assyrians and trying to reestablish their control over Harran, remember we’re up at war commences on the Euphrates up there to top of the Mediterranean only inland east over to the Euphrates that’s Carchemish, further inland is Harran Neco and the remnant of the Assyrians under the king of Syria who really has no empire left try to go back and retake Harran to establish a position but they are unable to defeat the Babylonians and the Assyrians pass off the scene at this stage.

Egypt will continue to be a power to reckon with for some time, and they will now assert their power and authority over Judah because now we have a vacuum. The Babylonians haven’t moved down into this region yet, the Assyrians are no more. The Egyptians have already killed the king. So who is the power of this region for the time? It is Egypt. God is now ready to bring the judgment that he said he would bring on the nations.

Come back to Second Kings Chapter 23 verse 31. Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king; he reigned three months in Jerusalem. What happened is with the death of Josiah the people of Judah installed his son as king. He only reigns three months but that’s long enough to reveal his true character.
Verse 32 he did evil in the sight of the Lord according to all that his fathers had done. While when Pharaoh Neco returns from his unsuccessful attempt to drive back the Babylonians, they fail but the attempt was here to join the Assyrians at Carchemish, because the Assyrian, the king and the remnants of his army had been driven out of Harran so they had moved to Carchemish. But the goal now was to join the Assyrians at Carchemish and move with them and try to take Harran back from the Babylonians. They are unsuccessful in doing that so there’s no more Assyrians and the Egyptians return home. Now that does indicate the power now of the Babylonians. It’s just the matter of time until they extent their empire. When Neco returns from the battle, I am not going to leave the Judeans appoint their king so he removes Jehoahaz from being king and he imprisons him, he’ll ultimately take him to Egypt.

Jeremiah the Prophet spoke about this man. Turn to Jeremiah 22; Jeremiah had an unpleasant task of ministering during these days and the fall of Jerusalem, we have the lamentations of Jeremiah in that tragedy and he’s the weeping prophet as we come to know him. He prophesized concerning Jehoahaz who has such a brief reign. Jeremiah calls him Shallum another name for Jehoahaz.

So in Jeremiah Chapter 22 verse 10. Do not weep for the dead or mourn for him but weep continually for the one who goes away because the one who dies they are spared the sufferings that come. Weep for the one who goes away, this is Jehoahaz. Three months earlier his father died but you don’t have to weep for him, the one who is going away into captivity he will never return or see his native land. For thus says the Lord in regard to Shallum, you may have a marginal note Jehoahaz. The son of Josiah king of Judah who became king in the place of Josiah’s father who went forth from his place, "He will never return here." But in the place where they led him captive there he will die will not see this land again.

So God’s judgment now beginning to unfold and Jehoahaz will be carried away to die in a foreign land never to return to this land again. Back in Kings, Second Kings 23; Neco does, he’s replaced Jehoahaz with his brother Jehoiakim. So in verse 34, after telling you verse 33 Neco imprisoned Jehoahaz then he’ll deport him later, he imposes a fine on the land a hundred talents silver and a talent of gold. Pharaoh Neco made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in his place. So he takes the half brother of Jehoahaz, another son of Josiah by a different wife and places him. So he doesn’t end the line of Josiah but he accesses his authority so the king will be the one that he is placed and thus will have legions to Neco.

He change his name to Jehoiakim, he took Jehoahaz away brought him to Egypt so he died there. Jehoiakim gave the silver and gold to Pharaoh he taxed the land to get the money. Jehoiakim verse 36 was twenty-five years old when he became king he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. Verse 37 he did evil in the sight of the Lord. He is also a wicked king.

Jeremiah 22 verse 17, you don’t need to turn back there since I forgot to tell you to leave something there but listen to what Jeremiah 22. Jeremiah says concerning this king "But your eyes and your heart Are intent only upon your own dishonest gain and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion." As Jeremiah’s word concerning Jehoiakim in Jeremiah 22:17.

When you come into Chapter 24 and we’re going to stop here but just let me prepare you and we’ll pick up here. In 605, now remember in 609 Neco had come up through the land to try to support the remnants of the Assyrians against the Babylonians. He failed then he returned that was 609. Now in 605 BC Pharaoh Neco moves again to Carchemish on the Euphrates to do battle with the Babylonians at Carchemish. Nabopolassar is king of Babylon. We’re as familiar with his name as we are with his son Nebuchadnezzar. But Nabopolassar is king of Babylon he’s at home sick, so he couldn’t lead the armies of Babylon because he’s in ill health. This becomes an important factor in events that are going to impact Judah.

So Nebuchadnezzar leads the Babylonians in victory over the Egyptians and at this time the Babylonians sweep down into Palestine they drive the Egyptians back into Egypt and this time they conquer Jerusalem and Jehoiakim is bound with the plan to take him to Babylon as a captive but, at this point, something historically interesting happens Nabopolassar dies in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar has to change his plans because if you note on your list of the kings Jehoiakim going to reign till 598 but Nebuchadnezzar has just dethroned him in 605 that was the word.

His father’s dead Nebuchadnezzar has to change plans and get back to Babylon to secure his throne, because if you delay that by the time you get back probably someone else has established himself as king and now you are in trouble. So the events unfold, God is sovereign over all. And even here in the timing of everything it has to be on his schedule and here the king of Babylon dies at the time that enables the king of Judah to maintain his reign not because he’s godly but because it’s now time for final events to take place. But we’re going to have the first deportation take place in 605 and that will include some well known people like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego but we’ll see that in our next study.

Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your word, thank you for your faithfulness. Your faithfulness even though Israel was so unfaithful. Lord, we are somewhat in awe to see how totally pagan your people had become. Lord, one step after another and they become totally corrupted. Lord, we who have this record are to learn from these things. We your people today are necessary that we are careful to remain pure in our devotion to you, to honor your word, to be obedient to your word, to worship you in spirit and in truth, to have a true holy fear of any corruption, any alterations or any changes. Lord, may we not sit with an area of arrogance, but may we be those who take heed lest we think we stand and fall. Bless us in our walk with you this week, may our testimony be strong and clear. Give us a love for Christ and a passion for sharing the truth concerning him with those who we come in contact with. May the spirit be pleased to use the Gospel of Jesus Christ to draw family and friends, co-workers, neighbors to the saving knowledge of the one that we love and serve, we pray in his name, amen.