35 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the Lord in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.
What is the Passover? Passover, Hebrew Pesaḥ or Pesach, in Judaism, a holiday commemorating the Hebrews' liberation from slavery in Egypt and the “passing over” of the forces of destruction, or the sparing of the firstborn of the Israelites, when the Lord “smote the land of Egypt” on the eve of the Exodus.
Read Exodus 12 for a complete account of What God told Moses.
2 And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord,
The priests were given assignments. Josiah made sure they carried out their duties properly. Josiah encouraged them to do a job well done.
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,
The Levites were holy unto the Lord. To be holy unto the Lord means that they were employed by God. These men had nothing to do with working a 9-5. Their duty was given by God to help the priest. The Levites taught the people. The Levites carried the Ark of the covenant on their shoulders. Josiah instructs them to place the Ark of the Covenant in the house of the Lord. No longer are you to carry it on your shoulders. It has a place. It will be a burden to you to carry as of this day. So, place it in and the temple, and you serve God's people.
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.
David was organized. Solomon carried out the same plan of organization demonstrated by his father David. Josiah who was born many years later told the Levites to use what was done by David to carry out the duties concerning the Passover.
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.
God is escalating his plan. There were things that were needful during Moses' term that are being modified at this time. It is important to keep up with what the king is doing and that requires listening. God is not changing his plan, God is changing how to carry out his plan according to his timing. The heart of God is forever the same.
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.
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.
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.
The Levite's work was extraordinaire. To behold all of what they did in a day's work would make you silent in watching them. When the hand of God is upon you, you will do great exploits. We live in a time where people are lazy compared to what the Levites did at this time. We must learn from Levites as Jesus said to see what God expects of us. God expects us to do our job so well, we look like Him on the earth.
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.
Josiah started and finished everything concerning the Passover. His leadership of overseeing this celebration was done in excellence.
20 After all this, when Josiah had prepared the temple, Necho king of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish 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.
Josiah entered a fight that was not assigned to him by God. Josiah lost his life needlessly. Josiah did his job well as the leader of the people of God. Sometimes we overstep our boundaries when we take our position too far. Josiah entered a war that was not his. We can learn from what happened to Josiah at the end of his life. First, we can learn that we must complete what we must complete and make sure it is done well. Next, we can learn a lesson from Josiah by understanding that, just because we did what we were told to do correctly, does not mean we can control what is out of our control.
Our bodies are an illustration of how to mind your own business. My pinky finger is not my nose. My pinky can assist my nose when needed, but it cannot take the place of becoming my nose and the duties of my nostrils. God is clearly saying, stay in your position. Even if you are the highest man in charge.
Josiah lost his life because he jumped into someone else's business.
Like Moses, Josiah's life was taken. We can learn to listen and obey God, listen to others when they encourage us to stay away from concerns that are not ours.
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.
Thank you Josiah you are a young man to be remembered.
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