C. Josiah Reigns Over Judah (22:1-23:30)
Josiah, Amon’s son, came to power in 639 B.C., and in the eyes of the editor, he surpasses even Hezekiah in greatness. He also turned out, however, to be Judah’s last breath of hope. Josiah’s leadership somewhat resembles Hezekiah’s, particularly in the area of religious reform. Needless to say, it is precisely this reform that dominates the account of his reign.
Some eighteen years into Josiah’s kingship, a certain Book of the Law was found in the temple (22:8). Since the time of St. Jerome (c. a.d. 340-420), this book has been identified with at least a major portion of the book of Deuteronomy. How such a book could be found is difficult to understand. How it could be lost is harder still! As might be expected, scholarly views on the subject cover a wide variety of possibilities. In general, these range from seeing the find as an actual rediscovery of some previously written law to suggesting that it simply depicts the origin of that law during Josiah’s time, not only in written form but, to a degree, in content. (For a more thorough discussion, see LaSor, Hubbard, and Bush, 177-80.) The view supported here is that, regardless of the actual written history of the book of Deuteronomy, the laws contained therein predate the reign of Josiah by a number of years. The discovery was in some fashion a rediscovery of materials and traditions that should have been familiar at the time.
Given Josiah’s renewed interest in the temple even before this significant discovery (22:3-7), an interest that clearly separated him from his predecessors, he was no doubt ready for some sort of reform. Therefore, when he heard the Book of the Law being read, he experienced immediate conviction (22:11). Clearly Judah fell short of this newly discovered law on virtually every count.
After receiving confirmation from the prophetess Huldah concerning the legitimacy of the book (22:14-20), Josiah set out on an all-encompassing policy of reform. Included are each of the following steps:
1. He gathered the elders, priests, prophets, and general population at the temple for a public reading of the book (23:1-2).
2. He renewed the covenant, and all of those gathered comply with the agreement (23:3).
3. He removed the false gods and idols (23:4, 6-7).
4. He slaughtered the pagan priests (23:5, 20).
5. He destroyed the competing shrines or high places (23:8).
6. He desecrated Topheth (23:10). Topheth was a hearth located in the Hinnom Valley just outside Jerusalem. The site was used specifically for the offering of human sacrifices (Gray, 735-36).
7. He went into the northern kingdom’s former territory and destroyed the altar at Bethel constructed by Jeroboam (23:15).
8. He reinstituted the Passover (23:21).
According to 23:24-25, no one could possibly compare to Josiah in terms of religious fidelity. Systematically, he removed the abominations left behind by all of his predecessors, both from Israel and Judah. At the same time, he served Yahweh with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, no doubt the highest imaginable Deuteronomic evaluation (Dt 6:5).
At this point in the narrative, the sympathetic reader can sense the excitement of the editor. Josiah, it would seem, was the king that he had longed for. The northern kingdom’s fate would not be repeated. When even hope itself appeared hopeless, a few lessons had been learned from the many mistakes of the past. Finally Yahweh’s mercy had paid off.
Then, incredibly enough, the Egyptian army under Pharaoh Neco headed north to provide assistance to the weakened Assyrians, of all people (23:29). While attempting to thwart the plan, Josiah was killed at Megiddo. With him died the dream of reform. Though surely hoping to finish the story on a positive note, the editor now had a new conclusion to write. In retrospect, the sins of Manasseh simply proved too severe for even Josiah’s reforms to counteract (23:26-27). The honest repentance of one individual, Wesley suggests, could not easily alter the condition of a generally corrupt people (Wesley, 1261).