提要
約西亞才八歲就登基作王，一定有一些敬虔的長老或大祭司在旁協助、引導他，就像約阿施一樣，終能長成公義之君（11：17、21）。約西亞摒棄他父親亞們、祖父瑪拿西的行徑，像他的曾祖希西家和先祖大衛那樣，行上帝眼中看為正的事。
從歷代志我們曉得，約西亞十六歲時（他登基後的第八年）就開始尋求上帝。二十歲時，開始在猶大展開屬靈改革運動，除去一切的偶像。六年後，約西亞開始重修被忽略已久的聖殿。這座敬拜中心對信徒而言非常重要，在位者必須倡導正統的聖殿敬拜，好使百姓能聯合起來，一起享受與上帝的友誼和團契。
出於上帝的帶領，在修理聖殿期間，大祭司發現了摩西律法書的副本。這部聖書的原稿可能已經遺失，其他抄本也可能被以前的壞王毀棄了。不過上帝保存了這些作品，並在最適當的時機將它公諸於世。在所發現的律法書中，申命記一定也在內，書記讀給約西亞王聽的那一部分很可能就是申命記廿八章所記載有關悖逆的咒詛。不論是那一部分，總之約西亞聽了上帝的話就難過的撕裂了衣裳，因他發現上帝的兒女偏離了上帝的道甚遠，而那將臨到他們的咒詛極為恐怖。
上帝用這些律法書，在那特別的時刻給予猶大百姓更強烈的警告，好讓他們能悔改、順服、單單事奉祂。這些律法書的發現也促使約西亞更迫切的推行道德改革，潔淨猶大國中所有的罪惡，想使上帝不降重災於猶大的餘民。
約西亞立刻透過住在耶路撒冷的女先知戶勒大求問上帝。耶利米和西番雅與戶勒大都是同時代的先知，但在這件事上，上帝使用戶勒大來傳達祂的心意。戶勒大從上帝得到的是對猶大國不利的壞消息。上帝的怒氣因猶大國拜偶像而發，祂必降災於猶大的百姓。
不過，因為約西亞有柔軟的心──他聽到律法書上的話就接受並懊悔──，所以上帝向他施憐憫，應許約西亞在他有生之年不致看到猶大可怕的災難，並且他會平安而逝。雖然約西亞最後是死在戰場上（23：29），但他心裡一定有平安，因為他一生都信實的按公義治國。「惡人必不得平安」（賽57：21），但上帝應許那些清心跟隨祂的人必得平安（約16：33）。
|
Overview
Since Josiah took the throne at such a young age (only eight years old), he must have been under the good guidance of some godly elders or the high priest, as had Joash (11:17,21), who grew to be a righteous king. Unlike his father Amon, and grandfather Manasseh, who did evil in the sight of the Lord, Josiah did what was right, as had his great-grandfather Hezekiah and his forefather David (22:2).
We learn from the Book of Chronicles that when Josiah was sixteen (in the eighth year of his reign) he began to seek after the Lord. At the age of twenty, he began a campaign to reform the nation spiritually by purging it of idolatry. Six years later, Josiah began to repair the Temple that had been neglected and desecrated during the previous generation. This central place of worship was very important for the community of faith. It was necessary to promote worship only at the central sanctuary so that the people might be unified and enjoy communion and fellowship with God.
In the providence of God, during the repairs, the high priest found a copy of the Book of the Law of Moses. The holy writings must have been lost somehow, or other copies were possibly destroyed by one of the evil rulers. However, God preserved these writings and brought them out into the open at a time when they were needed. No doubt the book of Deuteronomy was among the writings discovered, and it may well have been the passage on the curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28) that the scribe read to Josiah. Whatever portion of God's Word was read caused Josiah to tear his clothes in grief. He saw how far the children of God had strayed from His ways and how horrible the curses upon them would be.
God used these writings at that specific time to bring a stronger warning to the people to Judah that they might repent, obey, and serve Him alone. These writings also would have prompted Josiah to be even more fervent in his moral reform and purging the land of all evil, so that God would not bring such calamities upon the remnant of His people.
Josiah immediately sought to enquire of the Lord through the prophetess Huldah, who lived nearby in Jerusalem. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1-2) and likely Zephaniah (Zephaniah 1:1) were her prophetic contemporaries, but on this occasion God chose to use Huldah to bring forth His word. The message from God brought bad news for Judah. They learned that His wrath against the people of Judah for their idolatry would surely bring calamity.
The Lord, however, would grant mercy to Josiah because his "heart was tender", meaning that when he heard the writings of the Law, he was receptive and repentant. God promised Josiah that he would not see these terrible disasters come upon Judah in his lifetime, and he would die in peace. Although he eventually died in battle (23:29), Josiah must have had inner peace with God, because he continued to live and rule the kingdom faithfully and righteously. Indeed, as we have seen throughout the Bible, "there is no peace for the wicked" (Isaiah 57:21), but God promises peace for those who follow Him with a pure heart (John 16：33）
|
