What is the meaning of 2 Chronicles 35:21? Neco sent messengers to him • Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt does not march straight into dialogue with Josiah; he communicates through envoys, just as “David sent messengers to comfort him” (2 Samuel 10:2) or “Ben-hadad…sent messengers to Ahab” (1 Kings 20:2). • The indirection shows Neco’s desire to avoid unnecessary bloodshed. He is not looking for a fight with Judah; his concern lies elsewhere. • God’s providence is already visible: even pagan rulers are kept on divine schedule (Proverbs 21:1). What is the issue between you and me, O king of Judah? • The phrase echoes the ancient Near-Eastern idiom of distancing oneself from conflict—compare Jesus’ words, “Woman, what does this have to do with Me?” (John 2:4) and David’s “What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah?” (2 Samuel 16:10). • Neco reminds Josiah that no personal quarrel exists. The king of Judah is inserting himself into a battlefield that is not his. • Wisdom would say, “For lack of wood a fire goes out” (Proverbs 26:20). I have not come against you today • Neco’s campaign is northward toward Carchemish, not southward toward Jerusalem. • The Lord sometimes allows foreign armies to pass through the land without harm, as when Edom was spared by Israel in Moses’ day (Deuteronomy 2:4-6). • Josiah is therefore meddling in something outside his God-given jurisdiction (2 Samuel 18:12; 1 Kings 22:31 singles out the correct target but not Judah). I am fighting another dynasty • Historically Neco is hurrying to assist the fading Assyrian power against Babylon. Scripture simply records his own words: he is “fighting another dynasty.” • God often turns one empire against another to accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 10:5-7; Jeremiah 46:2 records this very campaign). • By divine design nations become instruments of judgment upon each other, sparing Judah at this moment—if Josiah will stay back. God has told me to hurry • Astonishingly, a pagan monarch claims direct orders from the true God, and the inspired writer presents the claim without sarcasm. • The Lord has spoken through outsiders before: – Balaam (Numbers 22:35) – Cyrus (Isaiah 44:28) – Pilate’s wife’s dream (Matthew 27:19) • Romans 9:17 reminds us God may raise or direct any ruler for His glory. Josiah should have recognized the possibility and sought confirmation (Proverbs 3:5-6). So stop opposing God, who is with me • To resist Neco’s divinely assigned mission is to resist God Himself—an echo of Gamaliel’s counsel, “If it is from God, you will not be able to stop them; you may even be found fighting against God” (Acts 5:39). • Even the best king can step outside the will of God if he despises counsel (Proverbs 15:22). Josiah had torn down idols, but here he refuses a word that challenges his plan. • The principle stands: “There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the LORD” (Proverbs 21:30). Or He will destroy you! • The warning is clear, conditional, and merciful. Sadly, Josiah “did not listen to Neco’s words from the mouth of God” (2 Chronicles 35:22). • Josiah’s disguise (v. 22) recalls Ahab’s failed disguise (1 Kings 22:30-37). Both kings fall by random arrows—evidence that God governs even chance. • Pride goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18); Josiah’s godly past does not shelter him from present disobedience. summary 2 Chronicles 35:21 records a genuine divine warning delivered through Pharaoh Neco. God had no quarrel with Judah that day; He was moving Egypt to check another empire. Josiah’s intrusion turned him into an obstacle to the Lord’s plan, and the same God who once partnered with Josiah’s reforms now opposed his presumption. The verse teaches that God can speak through unexpected mouths, that even the most faithful believer must remain teachable, and that resisting God’s revealed direction—however it comes—invites needless ruin. |
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