How does Josiah's reform compare to other biblical leaders' efforts against idolatry? Setting the Scene—2 Kings 23:19 “Josiah also removed all the shrines of the high places in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had built to provoke the LORD to anger. He did to them just as he had done in Bethel.” What Josiah Actually Did • Tore down every remaining high place—north and south, Judah and former Israel • Smashed altars, ground them to dust, desecrated sites with human bones (vv. 15–20) • Carried the reform into territory long outside Judean control (Samaria) • Sealed his commitment with a covenant renewal and the greatest Passover since Samuel (vv. 21–23) Lining Up the Other Reformers • Moses (Exodus 32:19–20): shatters the golden calf, burns it, grinds it to powder—swift, decisive, but localized to one object • Joshua (Joshua 24:23): commands the nation, “Remove the foreign gods”; burial of idols under the oak—national call, yet idols linger afterward • Gideon (Judges 6:25–27): destroys his father’s Baal altar—courageous but confined to one town • Samuel (1 Samuel 7:3–4): urges Israel to “remove the Baals and the Ashtoreths”—spiritual revival, though no smashing of physical high places is recorded • Elijah (1 Kings 18:40): executes Baal’s prophets at Carmel—spectacular showdown, yet widespread Baal worship soon resurfaces • Jehu (2 Kings 10:18–28): annihilates Baal’s temple and priests—thorough against Baal, but leaves the golden calves at Bethel and Dan • Asa (2 Chronicles 14:3–5): removes foreign altars and high places early on—later stumbles and relies on Syria • Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 17:6): tears down high places in Judah—fails to eradicate them entirely (1 Kings 22:43) • Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:4): removes high places and the bronze serpent—reform limited to Judah, some practices return under Manasseh What Sets Josiah Apart • Breadth—extends the purge into Samaria, erasing northern idols untouched even by Jehu • Depth—destroys not only idols but priests, altars, asherim, bones, and implements (2 Kings 23:4–20) • Scriptural Anchor—acts “according to all that is written in the Book of the Covenant” (v. 25); others often worked from prophetic impulse, Josiah works from discovered Scripture • Covenant Renewal—public reading, binding oath, national Passover; earlier leaders called for loyalty, Josiah institutionalizes it (vv. 21–23) • No Compromise—does not leave a single syncretistic symbol standing; earlier kings frequently tolerated remnants Shared Threads Among the Faithful • Zeal for Yahweh’s exclusivity • Visible destruction of idolatrous objects to teach spiritual purity • Renewal of covenant language—“return,” “serve the LORD only,” “walk in His ways” Takeaway for Today • God honors wholehearted, Scripture-saturated reforms that uproot sin completely, not superficially • National repentance can begin with one leader fully yielded to God’s Word • The permanence of a reform depends on how deeply it is grounded in both the heart and the public life of the people |
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