"Let him rest," said Josiah. "Do not let anyone disturb his bones." So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria. “Let him rest,” said Josiah.Josiah, the king of Judah, is known for his religious reforms and efforts to restore the worship of Yahweh. His command to let the bones rest reflects his respect for the prophets and the sacredness of their mission. This action aligns with Josiah's commitment to purging idolatry and honoring true worship, as seen in his broader reforms ( 2 Kings 23:4-25). “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.”
This phrase underscores the importance of respecting the dead, particularly those who served God faithfully. In ancient Israel, disturbing graves was considered a serious offense, as it violated the sanctity of the deceased. Josiah's directive may also reflect a belief in the future resurrection, a theme that appears in later Jewish thought and is echoed in Christian teachings about the resurrection of the dead (Daniel 12:2, John 5:28-29). So they left his bones undisturbed,
The obedience to Josiah's command indicates the respect and authority he held as king. It also highlights the fulfillment of the prophecy given in 1 Kings 13:2, where a man of God from Judah prophesied against the altar at Bethel, predicting Josiah's actions. This fulfillment of prophecy serves as a testament to the reliability of God's word. along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.
The prophet from Samaria refers to the man of God who had earlier prophesied against the altar at Bethel (1 Kings 13:1-32). His inclusion in the narrative emphasizes the unity of God's message across the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. It also serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience, as this prophet was deceived and met an untimely death, yet his bones were honored due to his initial faithfulness. This act of leaving the bones undisturbed can be seen as a type of Christ, who was also a prophet not fully recognized in His time but honored posthumously. Persons / Places / Events 1. JosiahThe king of Judah who initiated religious reforms to restore the worship of Yahweh and eliminate idolatry. 2. The Prophet from JudahA man of God who had previously prophesied against the altar at Bethel, as recorded in 1 Kings 13. 3. The Prophet from SamariaA prophet who had come from Samaria and was buried alongside the prophet from Judah. 4. BethelA significant religious site in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where Jeroboam had set up a golden calf. 5. Josiah's ReformsThe religious reforms led by King Josiah, which included the destruction of idolatrous sites and the restoration of true worship. Teaching Points Respect for God's ServantsJosiah's command to leave the bones of the prophets undisturbed shows respect for those who faithfully served God, even after their death. Fulfillment of ProphecyThe preservation of the prophets' bones fulfills the prophecy given in 1 Kings 13, demonstrating God's faithfulness to His word. The Importance of True WorshipJosiah's reforms emphasize the need to worship God in truth, removing any form of idolatry or false worship. Legacy of FaithfulnessThe account encourages believers to leave a legacy of faithfulness that honors God and impacts future generations. God's Sovereignty in HistoryThe events surrounding Josiah's reforms remind us of God's sovereign control over history and His ability to bring about His purposes. Bible Study Questions 1. How does Josiah's respect for the prophets' bones reflect his understanding of God's authority and the importance of honoring His servants? 2. In what ways can we ensure that our worship remains true and free from idolatry in today's context? 3. How does the fulfillment of prophecy in this passage strengthen your faith in God's promises? 4. What legacy are you leaving for future generations, and how can you ensure it aligns with God's will? 5. How can we see God's sovereignty at work in our own lives and the world around us, similar to how He orchestrated events in Josiah's time? Connections to Other Scriptures 1 Kings 13This chapter provides the background account of the prophet from Judah who prophesied against the altar at Bethel, which Josiah later destroyed. 2 Chronicles 34-35These chapters parallel the account of Josiah's reforms and provide additional details about his efforts to purify worship in Judah. Jeremiah 1:1-3Jeremiah's ministry began during Josiah's reign, highlighting the spiritual climate and the need for reform. Matthew 5:17-18Jesus' teaching on the fulfillment of the Law connects to Josiah's commitment to uphold God's commandments. People Ahaz, Ammonites, Ashtoreth, Ben, Chemosh, Eliakim, Hamutal, Hilkiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jeremiah, Jeroboam, Joshua, Josiah, Manasseh, Melech, Milcom, Moabites, Molech, Nathan, Nathanmelech, Nebat, Pedaiah, Pharaoh, Pharaohnechoh, Sidonians, Sodomites, Solomon, Zebudah, ZidoniansPlaces Assyria, Beersheba, Bethel, Egypt, Euphrates River, Geba, Hamath, Jerusalem, Kidron, Libnah, Megiddo, Moab, Riblah, Rumah, Samaria, Topheth, Valley of HinnomTopics Alone, Anyone, Bones, Disturb, Escape, Move, Moved, Prophet, Samaria, Sama'ria, Saved, Spared, Touch, UndisturbedDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Kings 23:18 5137 bones 2 Kings 23:1-20 7241 Jerusalem, significance 2 Kings 23:1-24 8466 reformation 2 Kings 23:1-25 5345 influence
7245 Judah, kingdom of 2 Kings 23:4-20 4906 abolition 2 Kings 23:8-20 7442 shrine 2 Kings 23:15-20 7302 altar 2 Kings 23:16-18 1429 prophecy, OT fulfilment Library Reformation Lessons
Eversley. 1861. 2 Kings xxiii. 3, 4, 25, 26. "And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to "walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant. And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out …
Charles Kingsley—All Saints' Day and Other SermonsWhether the Old Law was Suitably Given at the Time of Moses?
Objection 1: It would seem that the Old Law was not suitably given at the time of Moses. Because the Old Law disposed man for the salvation which was to come through Christ, as stated above ([2068]AA[2],3). But man needed this salutary remedy immediately after he had sinned. Therefore the Law should have been given immediately after sin. Objection 2: Further, the Old Law was given for the sanctification of those from whom Christ was to be born. Now the promise concerning the "seed, which is Christ" …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Christ Should have Been Born in Bethlehem?
Objection 1: It would seem that Christ should not have been born in Bethlehem. For it is written (Is. 2:3): "The law shall come forth from Sion, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." But Christ is truly the Word of God. Therefore He should have come into the world at Jerusalem. Objection 2: Further, it is said (Mat. 2:23) that it is written of Christ that "He shall be called a Nazarene"; which is taken from Is. 11:1: "A flower shall rise up out of his root"; for "Nazareth" is interpreted "a flower." …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether Prophets Always Know the Things which they Prophesy?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophets always know the things which they prophesy. For, as Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9), "those to whom signs were shown in spirit by means of the likenesses of bodily things, had not the gift of prophecy, unless the mind was brought into action, so that those signs were also understood by them." Now what is understood cannot be unknown. Therefore the prophet is not ignorant of what he prophesies. Objection 2: Further, the light of prophecy surpasses …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica Whether the Prophecy which is Accompanied by Intellective and Imaginative vision is More Excellent than that which is Accompanied by Intellective vision Alone?
Objection 1: It would seem that the prophecy which has intellective and imaginative vision is more excellent than that which is accompanied by intellective vision alone. For Augustine says (Gen. ad lit. xii, 9): "He is less a prophet, who sees in spirit nothing but the signs representative of things, by means of the images of things corporeal: he is more a prophet, who is merely endowed with the understanding of these signs; but most of all is he a prophet, who excels in both ways," and this refers …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica The Fall of Solomon
'For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father. 7. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Rediscovered Law and Its Effects
'And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord: and Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 9. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. 10. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Entering the Covenant: with all the Heart
"And they entered into the covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and all their soul."--2 CHRON. xv. 12 (see xxxiv. 31, and 2 Kings xxiii. 3). "The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul."--DEUT. xxx. 6. "And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall turn to Me with their whole heart."--JER. xxiv. 7 (see xxix. 13). …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants How Shall one Make Use of Christ as the Life, when Wrestling with an Angry God Because of Sin?
That we may give some satisfaction to this question, we shall, 1. Shew what are the ingredients in this case, or what useth to concur in this distemper. 2. Shew some reasons why the Lord is pleased to dispense thus with his people. 3. Shew how Christ is life to the soul in this case. 4. Shew the believer's duty for a recovery; and, 5. Add a word or two of caution. As to the first, There may be those parts of, or ingredients in this distemper: 1. God presenting their sins unto their view, so as …
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life The Sins of Communities Noted and Punished.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." This is predicated of the judgments of God on those who had shed the blood of his saints. The Savior declares that all the righteous blood which had been shed on the earth from that of Abel down to the gospel day, should come on that generation! But is not this unreasonable and contrary to the Scriptures? "Far be wickedness from God and iniquity from the Almighty. For the work of man shall be render unto him, and cause every …
Andrew Lee et al—Sermons on Various Important Subjects The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
THE FALL OF NINEVEH AND THE RISE OF THE CHALDAEAN AND MEDIAN EMPIRES--THE XXVIth EGYPTIAN DYNASTY: CYAXARES, ALYATTES, AND NEBUCHADREZZAR. The legendary history of the kings of Media and the first contact of the Medes with the Assyrians: the alleged Iranian migrations of the Avesta--Media-proper, its fauna and flora; Phraortes and the beginning of the Median empire--Persia proper and the Persians; conquest of Persia by the Medes--The last monuments of Assur-bani-pal: the library of Kouyunjik--Phraortes …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 8 Josiah, a Pattern for the Ignorant.
"Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before Me; I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place."--2 Kings …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 2 Kings 23:18 NIV2 Kings 23:18 NLT2 Kings 23:18 ESV2 Kings 23:18 NASB2 Kings 23:18 KJV
2 Kings 23:18 Commentaries
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