Josiah at Bethel

From: Josiah and Revival By: William Woldridge Fereday

• 10 min. read • grade level: 8

The great work of destruction, to which Josiah committed himself in faith, must have occupied considerable time; how long is not recorded. The earnest young king swept through the land from the territory of Simeon in the south to territory of Naphtali in the north (2 Chron. 34:6⁶And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about. (2 Chronicles 34:6)), smashing up and consigning to the flames everything that he knew was detestable in the sight of the Holy One of Israel. It was the book of the law, and nothing else, that influenced his movements. No false motives are discernable in the Spirit’s report of what he did. With Jehu, as we have seen, it was otherwise. By him a useful work was performed but his motives were not pure.

It may surprise some that Josiah was able to act so freely in Northern Palestine seeing that it had been for about one hundred years a province of the kingdom of Assyria. The explanation is that the latter power was declining; its day was drawing to a close. In Ezekiel 31 the Assyrian is described “as a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud and of a high stature.” The system of nations that existed in that day by divine permission is called “the garden of God.” The Assyrian exalted himself exceedingly amongst the other trees (that is, nations), but his downfall was approaching. Assyria, had striven for world-supremacy ever since the days of Asshur (Gen. 10:11¹¹Out of that land went forth Asshur, and builded Nineveh, and the city Rehoboth, and Calah, (Genesis 10:11)). Such a position properly belongs to Israel in the ways of God. Israel’s unfaithfulness was now causing God to hand over supreme power to the Gentiles; but it was not to Assyria that He intended to give it. Babylon was the destined head of the great image which set forth symbolically Gentile Imperialism as a whole, from first to last. Assyria had a solemn warning when Jonah marched through the streets of Nineveh with his terrible message of judgment. The King was moved by it; and the nation (or at least its capital city) bowed low before the Creator, and was spared in mercy. But nothing permanent resulted. Evil returned in full force, and in Josiah’s day Assyria’s destruction was near. The central government was no longer strong enough to hold effectively its distant conquests; hence Josiah’s liberty of action in Northern Palestine. Proud Nineveh was soon to be a desolation, never to be rebuilt while the earth, lasts. “Jehovah hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown” (Nahum 1:14¹⁴And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. (Nahum 1:14)). Such was the divine decree.

In the goodness of God no external complications arose while Josiah was engaged in his good work. The movements of nations are under divine control. Elihu said truly, “When He giveth quietness, who can make trouble?” and he added that this applies to nations as well as to individual men (Job 34:29²⁹When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only: (Job 34:29)). When David gave his charge to Solomon he told him what Jehovah had said concerning him: “Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for My name” (1 Chron. 22:9⁹Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. (1 Chronicles 22:9)). A war-less reign enabled Solomon thus to serve his God. In Jehoshaphat’s reign “the realm was quiet for his God gave him rest round about” (2 Chron. 20:30³⁰So the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet: for his God gave him rest round about. (2 Chronicles 20:30)). On the contrary Jehovah allowed Israel to be invaded at a moment when Saul had almost captured David. “There came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines” (1 Sam. 23:27-28²⁷But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land. ²⁸Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines: therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth. (1 Samuel 23:27‑28)). Is it not better to confide in God than to seek safety in treaties, and alliances? Useful work, even of a social character is hindered by the waste and turmoil of war. Even God’s saints find their important service hampered by the world’s strife; although in their case God graciously overrules the circumstances to send the gospel where otherwise it might not have gone. Josiah had thirty-one years of peace in which to serve God in Israel. Alas, it was his own folly which brought the peace to an end!

Amongst the many idolatrous centers which were visited by Josiah, Bethel is specially mentioned, and some remarkable incidents are noted. Bethel had an important place in the ways of Jehovah, and it had tender associations for the hearts of the godly in Israel. Nearby was Abraham’s first camping-ground when he entered the land. In that neighborhood he pitched his tent and built his altar (Gen. 12:8⁸And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Beth-el, and pitched his tent, having Beth-el on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 12:8)). After his mistaken journey into Egypt, Abraham returned to the place where he built his altar at the first (Gen. 13:3-4³And he went on his journeys from the south even to Beth-el, unto the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-el and Hai; ⁴Unto the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first: and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 13:3‑4)). Communion with God was thus restored. It was at Bethel where Jacob rested for the night on his journey from Beersheba to Haran. The vision of the ladder set up from earth to heaven, with the angels ascending and descending upon it, and Jehovah speaking to his poor wayward servant from the top of it, is familiar to us all. Early in the morning Jacob “took the stone which he had put for his pillows and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of the place Bethel” (Gen. 28:10-22¹⁰And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. ¹¹And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. ¹²And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. ¹³And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; ¹⁴And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. ¹⁵And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. ¹⁶And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not. ¹⁷And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. ¹⁸And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. ¹⁹And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. ²⁰And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, ²¹So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: ²²And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. (Genesis 28:10‑22)). Bethel means “house of God.” After years of wandering, Jacob returned thither, and learned precious lessons concerning the God with whom he had to do (Gen. 35:1-15¹And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. ²Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: ³And let us arise, and go up to Beth-el; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went. ⁴And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. ⁵And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. ⁶So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. ⁷And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother. ⁸But Deborah Rebekah's nurse died, and she was buried beneath Beth-el under an oak: and the name of it was called Allon-bachuth. ⁹And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. ¹⁰And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. ¹¹And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; ¹²And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. ¹³And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. ¹⁴And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. ¹⁵And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el. (Genesis 35:1‑15)). Several centuries later Jehovah referred very touchingly to Jacob’s second visit to Bethel, “There he spake with us, even the Lord God of hosts; Jehovah is his memorial” (Hosea 12:4-5⁴Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us; ⁵Even the Lord God of hosts; the Lord is his memorial. (Hosea 12:4‑5)). Mark how the Triune God appreciated the fact that “there he spake with Us.” Bethel became one of Jeroboam’s chief seats of idolatry. He did his utmost to prevent the people speaking with their God, as their father Jacob did. Indeed the proximity of Bethel to Jerusalem looks as though Jeroboam deliberately established Bethel as a religious center in order to obstruct the way of the people to the sanctuary of Jehovah.

Bethel was a hot-bed of iniquity from the time of Jeroboam to the days of Josiah. In Amos 4:4⁴Come to Beth-el, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, and your tithes after three years: (Amos 4:4), Jehovah says sarcastically to His wayward people, “Come to Bethel and transgress.” But in the next chapter of the same prophet we hear a pleading voice, “Thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye Me, and you shall live; but seek not Bethel.... Seek Jehovah, and you shall live, lest He break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it; and there be none to quench it in Bethel” (Amos 5:4-5⁴For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live: ⁵But seek not Beth-el, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Beth-el shall come to nought. (Amos 5:4‑5)). When Jeroboam was granted dominion over the ten tribes because of the unfaithfulness of Solomon, Jehovah told him that if he would hearken unto His commandments and walk in His ways, and do that which is right in His sight, He would be with him, and build him “a sure house” (1 Kings 11:38³⁸And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. (1 Kings 11:38)). But who can God trust save the Lord Jesus? Solomon was unfaithful; so likewise was Jeroboam. When the latter fled into Egypt to escape the wrath of Solomon, he saw the people there worshipping the god Apis; this probably suggested to him the golden calves that he set up in Bethel and in Dan. From the same source Aaron and the children of Israel got the idea of the golden calf (Ex. 32). Egypt is a type of the world in its independence of God; let the children of God beware of copying its ways!

The general condition of the Northern districts of Palestine was deplorable when Josiah marched through on his mission of judgment. When the Kings of Assyria removed considerable numbers of the ten tribes from the land, they replaced them with colonists from Babylon and other provinces, who brought with them their heathen gods. This sorry admixture is described in 2 Kings 17. From that time there was a strange blend of Israelites and Gentiles, and of paganism and Judaism in the land which Jehovah loved, and over which His beloved Son will yet reign gloriously. What confusion as the result of disobedience to God!

Never was idolatry so thoroughly extirpated anywhere as by Josiah throughout the length and breadth of the land of Israel. He slew all the priests, burnt their bones upon their altars, and then destroyed the altars themselves, reducing them to powder. Such thoroughness God loves. The Corinthian saints were very slow in dealing with wickedness in the assembly while active in avenging their personal wrongs, even taking one another into the world’s courts, (1 Cor. 5:6⁶Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (1 Corinthians 5:6)). A worldwide clearance will be effected by the Lord Jesus at His appearing. “The Son of Man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:41-42⁴¹The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; ⁴²And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 13:41‑42)).

When looking around the sepulchers in Bethel, one in particular attracted Josiah’s attention. “What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulcher of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things which thou hast done against the altar of Bethel. And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet, that came out of Samaria” (2 Kings 23:17-18¹⁷Then he said, What title is that that I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the sepulchre of the man of God, which came from Judah, and proclaimed these things that thou hast done against the altar of Beth-el. ¹⁸And he said, Let him alone; let no man move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet that came out of Samaria. (2 Kings 23:17‑18)). A remarkable story is here recalled. The men of Bethel were speaking of a visit to their city three and a half centuries earlier. The memory of it lingered in the district, and the people recognized the fulfillment of the words of the man of God in the terrible doings of Josiah.

Is there such a thing as prophecy? The modern mind rejects the suggestion with scorn. But the Scriptures are full of prophecy. That which has been already fulfilled constitutes a great mass of divine testimony. Concerning Christ Himself: His birth—the fact and the place of it; His ministry and miracles; His rejection by Israel; His sufferings at the hands of men and of God; His death, burial, resurrection and ascension; and His present session in manhood at the right hand of God, were all put into writing by the Holy Spirit centuries before He came into the world. Concerning Israel and the nations in general—their downfall and sufferings were predicted while they were at the height of their prosperity, and in some instances long before they rose to power at all. If so much has been fulfilled to the letter, faith confidently expects the full accomplishment of all that yet remains. Man is incapable of forecasting the future, for he is but the creature of a day; God, on the contrary “calleth those things which be not, as though they were” (Rom. 4:17¹⁷(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. (Romans 4:17)). Men who in their pride and independence of heart reject the prophetic lamp which God has graciously placed within the reach of all who can appreciate it, must of necessity grope in darkness. Light from God, which cheers the spirit and guides the steps, is not far away; but they desire it not. Never was the word of prophecy more necessary for the people of God than in this twentieth century of the Christian era, with its manifold complications and perplexities (2 Pet. 1:19¹⁹We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: (2 Peter 1:19)).

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