11 Chronicles Chapter 35

Josiah Keeps the Passover

2Chronicles 35:1 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
2 And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD,
3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel,
4 And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son.

What awe and respect for the law of God Josiah had. Since the days of Samuel the last judge of Israel before the era of kings, the Passover had not been kept perfectly. Unless one reads, studies and makes sure to keep what God ordains, we as humans tend to forget the details and treat the worship of God in a haphazd manner.

We are no longer under the Mosiac law because Jesus fulfilled it, but we still need to remember who is being worshipped and be respectful. Never should we take our church services lightly or in a manner that doesn't honor God.

2Chronicles 35:5 And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites.
6 So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

This part should be remembered today. We should keep the word of God in our hearts that we might not sin against Him. To us we now have the New Testament as well and through faith in Jesus we can learn and understand the word of God with the help of the Holy Spirit. We learn also from through those that are called to teach God's word.

God didn't leave us alone after Jesus went back to Heaven after His resurrection. He gave us the Holy Spirit to abide within each believer in Jesus. The more we seek the more we receive. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit enable us to have the fruits of the Spirit. Having these gifts will build the church and add to the church daily just like it happened with the early church on the day of Pentecost. Everything that happened then can happen now. Nothing has passed away yet because that which is perfect has not yet come which is the Lord Himself returning. We need everything God promises in His word to His called out ones, we call the church or assembly of God.

After the peaching, teaching, and the coming of the Lord, perhaps we will not need all we needed before that time but as we can see, not everyone is yet saved, not everyone understands the word perfectly and not everyone is living as they should be....so the gifts of the Holy Spirit are still needed in today's world.

2Chronicles 35:7 And Josiah gave to the people, of the flock, lambs and kids, all for the passover offerings, for all that were present, to the number of thirty thousand, and three thousand bullocks: these were of the king's substance.
8 And his princes gave willingly unto the people, to the priests, and to the Levites: Hilkiah and Zechariah and Jehiel, rulers of the house of God, gave unto the priests for the passover offerings two thousand and six hundred small cattle, and three hundred oxen.
9 Conaniah also, and Shemaiah and Nethaneel, his brethren, and Hashabiah and Jeiel and Jozabad, chief of the Levites, gave unto the Levites for passover offerings five thousand small cattle, and five hundred oxen.

Once revival comes and people are restored to proper worship to God, people will give from their hearts. Begging, pleading and threatening with judgment wiil not be necessary. God loves a cheerful giver.

2Chronicles 35:10 So the service was prepared, and the priests stood in their place, and the Levites in their courses, according to the king's commandment.
11 And they killed the passover, and the priests sprinkled the blood from their hands, and the Levites flayed them.
12 And they removed the burnt offerings, that they might give according to the divisions of the families of the people, to offer unto the LORD, as it is written in the book of Moses. And so did they with the oxen.
13 And they roasted the passover with fire according to the ordinance: but the other holy offerings sod they in pots, and in caldrons, and in pans, and divided them speedily among all the people.

Passover is a feast of rememberance. The people eat of this. It is a holy feast. For them it is to remember when God was judging Egypt with the death of the firstborn. Those that lived by faith and obeyed the commandment God gave through Moses to slay a lamb and place the blood on the door posts were spared that judgment. To us who live after Jesus, we keep the Lord's supper to remember His death and that His blood was shed to cleanse all who have received Him into their lives. We are forgiven of sin and also cleansed from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus.

The Passover was a sign of the one to come. The Messiah, the savior, was call Jesus is the Son of God who came to die, sacrificing Himself and paying the price for our sins. When we receive this, we are made clean by His precious blood He shed.

2Chronicles 35:14 And afterward they made ready for themselves, and for the priests: because the priests the sons of Aaron were busied in offering of burnt offerings and the fat until night; therefore the Levites prepared for themselves, and for the priests the sons of Aaron.
15 And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the porters waited at every gate; they might not depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.
16 So all the service of the LORD was prepared the same day, to keep the passover, and to offer burnt offerings upon the altar of the LORD, according to the commandment of king Josiah.
17 And the children of Israel that were present kept the passover at that time, and the feast of unleavened bread seven days.
18 And there was no passover like to that kept in Israel from the days of Samuel the prophet; neither did all the kings of Israel keep such a passover as Josiah kept, and the priests, and the Levites, and all Judah and Israel that were present, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
19 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah was this passover kept.

This was an awesome great day for them. The Lord was glorified among them. It was perfect.

Josiah Killed in Battle

2Chronicles 35:20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Carchemish by Euphrates: and Josiah went out against him.
21 But he sent ambassadors to him, saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
22 Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him, but disguised himself, that he might fight with him, and hearkened not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God, and came to fight in the valley of Megiddo.
23 And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants, Have me away; for I am sore wounded.
24 His servants therefore took him out of that chariot, and put him in the second chariot that he had; and they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died, and was buried in one of the sepulchres of his fathers. And all Judah and Jerusalem mourned for Josiah.
25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah: and all the singing men and the singing women spake of Josiah in their lamentations to this day, and made them an ordinance in Israel: and, behold, they are written in the lamentations.
26 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah, and his goodness, according to that which was written in the law of the LORD,
27 And his deeds, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah.

Josiah although perfect in all his ways didn't have to fight against this king and was warned not to but as we all are human, we make mistakes that steer us in the wrong way. He still was mourned by those he ruled over. Even Jeremiah mourned. He was still considered one of the great kings of Judah and Israel. The judgment for Judah's sin of idolatry before Josiah's reign still had to come to pass as we can see when his son Jehoahaz has an evil reign after him. The judgment didn't come under Josiah's reign. Perhaps his death in battle was to take Josiah out before the judgment came.
Hezekiah was a good king too and his mistake was to show off his treasures to the visitors that came when he was recovered from sickness at the time when God added 15 years to his life when he didn't want to die. Those treasures were what caused the invasion later. The enemies of Judah came to get those treasures but it was the nation of Judah's idolatry that really caused that day to come. DC

11 Chronicles Chapter 36