Study of the Book of Kings – 2Ki 22:1-20 “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD”
2Ki 22:1-20 “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD”
[study Aired April 6, 2023]
2Ki 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2Ki 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
2Ki 22:3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,
2Ki 22:4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
2Ki 22:5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
2Ki 22:6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
2Ki 22:7 Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
2Ki 22:8 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.
2Ki 22:9 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.
2Ki 22:10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
2Ki 22:11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
2Ki 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
2Ki 22:13 Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
2Ki 22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
2Ki 22:15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
2Ki 22:16 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
2Ki 22:17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
2Ki 22:18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
2Ki 22:19 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.
2Ki 22:20 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. And they brought the king word again.
Josiah, like Hezekiah, is one of the few kings of Judah who typifies Christ and in this section of Kings we see how God’s judgments unfolded through this section of his reign that was going to set the affairs of the nation of Judah in order, especially in regard to “the oversight of the house of the LORD.”
That oversight is revealed to have been lacking, and Josiah is the introspective king who sets out to change all that so that through those judgments that are brought upon “the house of the LORD” order can be restored and the breaches repaired spoken of in (2Ki 22:5).
2Ki 22:5 and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and let them give it to the workmen that are in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house,
There were physical issues in the distribution of the silver to the workers on the temple which symbolize an unrepentant [silver] body of Christ that was sick from the foot to the head (Isa 1:5-6), with no humble and contrite heart that is softened, tender and yielded to God’s will, as was revealed to be the case with king Josiah, “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD.” Josiah typifies for God’s elect our hope of glory within (Col 1:27) who is working within each member of the body of Christ to create such an heart of humility and brokenness by which the works of God can manifest in the church (Isa 66:2).
Isa 1:5 Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.
Isa 1:6 From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.Col 1:27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Isa 66:2 For all these things hath my hand made, and so all these things came to be, saith Jehovah: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at my word.
Josiah sent “Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD” to “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people: And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house.” Josiah sent Shaphan to discover this point that there was much physical damage done that typifies the spiritual neglect during the reign of Manasseh and Amon and this was all about to change with Josiah in rule (2Ki 22:4-5).
This story of king Josiah is a shadow of Christ’s judgments that are now coming upon the years of corrupt and defiled leadership that came forth from these two kings Manasseh and Amon, and is written for our sakes to give us hope in how the Lord can and will search out the hidden places in our hearts and cleanse us from all our sins and all our iniquities (Isa 28:7, Isa 28:17, Zec 4:10), which is impossible to detect without this chastening process being brought upon us by the LORD (Psa 19:12, Psa 90:8, Isa 53:4-6, Col 1:24, Col 1:27).
Psa 90:8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, Our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all [function of the scapegoat and the means by which that function is being accomplished (Col 1:24, Col 1:27, Php 2:12-13)].
Col 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, [Eph 5:30] which is the church;
2Ki 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah of Boscath.
2Ki 22:2 And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
King Josiah being eight years old reveals he is a type of the new man who has God’s holy spirit within him (Rom 8:9), and he is going to affect the nation that will be coming to learn what they were not doing right in regard to the “scroll of the law” that “Hilkiah the priest” finds in the temple. These events typify Christ (Josiah the type) stirring up the spirit of God within the temple of God that has been neglected (Heb 2:3, 2Ti 1:6).
Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
The “scroll of the law” is a type of the law found in Galatians 6:2, which is the law of liberty spoken of in the book of James (Jas 1:25) and the means by which the Israel of God (Gal 6:16), the temple of God which we are, can be restored, a law being typified by the “scroll of the law” which will be discovered in the temple and implemented by King Josiah who typifies our Lord who is doing that restorative work within us as our hope of glory (Col 1:27).
Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Jas 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Gal 6:16 And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
What that “scroll of the law” can do for the nation of Israel if implemented is restore the breaches, and the means by which this is going to be accomplished is typified by the names that surround king Josiah’s life, his own name meaning “sustained of Jehovah” (Php 4:13, Rom 3:27) which is the only way this restorative work of the temple can be accomplished by those who are born of God and meant to be adorned as the bride of Christ (Jas 2:5, Deu 33:12, Rev 19:7) who will be raised up (Rev 12:5) in order to mature and become the foundation of God’s government built upon Christ the chief corner stone (Mat 16:18, Psa 118:22). All those points are brought out with this one sentence:
2Ki 22:1 Josiah’s [sustained of Jehovah] “mother’s name was Jedidah [beloved], the daughter of Adaiah [Jah adorns] of Boscath [rising ground]”. PNB-kjv
Josiah’s life was typical of what Christ can do through those who are led of the holy spirit: “he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father” (Rom 8:14-15), and foreshadows those who will be granted to look into “the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein“. That continual pressing forward process, the “turned not aside to the right hand or to the left” part of our walk, is accompanied with tribulation that teaches us obedience as were given the faith and strength through Christ to endure to the end, God willing (Heb 5:8, Act 14:22, Mat 24:13). God’s elect are granted to walk in the light turning not aside to the right hand or to the left as the Lord cleanses us from all our iniquities (Psa 103:3-6) and show us what needs to be changed in our lives as we walk in the light, symbolized by “the scroll of the law“(Php 3:13-15, 1Jn 1:7, Psa 119:105).
Rom 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, [“press toward the mark for the prize“] as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin [“God shall reveal even this unto you“].
Psa 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
2Ki 22:3 And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD, saying,
2Ki 22:4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:
We grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2Pe 3:18) as we are judged by God (1Pe 4:17), and those judgments and instructions of the LORD keep us on the straight and narrow path that takes us from “death to life” (Pro 5:1-6, Pro 10:17, Joh 5:24, Mat 7:14, Mat 22:14).
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Mat 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
The eighteenth year (2×9 or 1+8 connected to judgment) is the year king Josiah sends “Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of the LORD” and he is the one who is sent to “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people.”
ShaphanH8227 typifies the holy spirit which is sent to God’s elect, the treasure in earthen vessels (2Co 4:7), that is able to lead us into all truth (Joh 14:16). Shaphan goes to “HilkiahH2518 the high priest” who represents that portion of God’s spirit that God has been given us and that He is working in our lives as our high priest (Eph 2:8-10 , Col 1:27).
H8227 Shaphan shâphân shaw-fawn’
From H8226; a species of rock rabbit (from its hiding), that is, probably the hyrax: – coney.
H8226śâphan saw-fan’
A primitive root; to conceal (as a valuable): – treasure.
H2518 Hilkiah chilqı̂yâh chilqı̂yâhû khil-kee-yaw’, khil-kee-yaw’-hoo
From H2506 and H3050; portion of Jah; Chilhijah, the name of eight Israelites: – Hilkiah.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
The work that is at hand in the lives of God’s elect is symbolized by this statement “that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people” and only made possible by God’s spirit working within us, symbolized by “Hilkiah the high priest” who is the one who will “sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people”. Christ is the one who gives us the power to give an accounting of our sins in this age, which is what Hilkiah the high priest typifies for us today (Rom 2:4).
The “keepers of the door” who have gathered represents those who have watered and planted, but God must give the increase and that comes by way of the holy spirit that is sent and shed abroad in our hearts. The watering and planting is the Body’s part that we do with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God who is working in us both to will and to do, giving the increase that comes from Him alone (1Co 3:6, Php 2:12-13, Rom 5:5, Rom 2:4).
1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
Php 2:12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
2Ki 22:5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which is in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
2Ki 22:6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
2Ki 22:7 Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.
Those who have “the oversight of the house of the LORD” is speaking of the fellow labourers that we are in the Lord, “doers (Rom 2:13) of the work which is in the house of the LORD” who have been called to work together to “repair the house” each joint supplying in love what is needed “to repair the breaches of the house“.
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
The body of Christ has many members but is one bread and one spirit (1Co 10:16-17). This multi-faceted body is typified by these different trades who were used to repair the physical temple of God, “Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.”
1Co 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? [Eph 5:30]
1Co 10:17 For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.
To carry on with the analogy, once the gifts (the monies) are given to the builders of the house there was “no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully“, telling us that the work that God does in us through Christ is a faithful work that he will start and finish as he is the builder, the author and finisher of our faith (Php 1:6, Psa 127:1, Heb 12:2).
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Psa 127:1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
2Ki 22:8 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.
2Ki 22:9 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.
God’s wisdom is hidden from the world and foolish in the heart of the natural man, and it takes Christ in us as our hope of glory to find the truth: “I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD“(1Co 2:7, 1Co 3:19). This account of Hilkiah the high priest giving the book that he found to Shaphan the scribe to read is symbolic of how God’s spirit can lead us into all truth (Joh 14:16), and reveal things that have been hidden from us.
1Co 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
The work of God is given to those “that have the oversight of the house of the LORD” and Shaphan brings this message to king Josiah who typifies Christ, “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”, which typifies for us how we acknowledge Christ who is typified by Josiah whose servants, “thy servants“, that represent God’s workmanship are given gifts to be used for the body, that is fitly framed by God (1Co 12:18) as we learn to operate in the measure of faith given (Eph 4:7) so we can demonstrate the right “oversight of the house of the LORD” and come to the same unity of faith to the glory of God (Eph 4:13).
1Co 12:18 But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
Eph 4:7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
2Ki 22:10 And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
2Ki 22:11 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.
It is after we read and understand the word of God that we learn how spiritually lacking we are, it is “when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes“, a symbol of the elect who read, hear and keep the sayings of the prophecy (Rev 1:3) that convict us so that we mourn and sigh and cry for our own wretchedness and nakedness that is now exposed: “he rent his clothes“. In this case Josiah represents Christ who rends his heart and not his garments as he weeps over Jerusalem (Joe 2:13) typified by Josiah who sees the need for judgement upon the nation of Judah who have not kept “the words of the book of the law“(Rev 1:3, Rev 3:17, Luk 19:41).
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
Joe 2:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
Luk 19:41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
2Ki 22:12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asahiah a servant of the king’s, saying,
2Ki 22:13 Go ye, enquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found: for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
We must, at the command of the King, study to show ourselves approved which will benefit everyone in time (2Ti 2:15, 1Ti 4:16). This is what enquiring “of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found” will produce, in type and shadow. Until we do that God’s wrath continues to abide upon all unrighteousness of men “for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us” (Rom 1:18), and the reason being is that the natural carnal status of mankind leaves us in a state where “our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us”. It is only when we “enquire of the LORD” and seek him with all our hearts that we are promised that we will find him, which cannot happen unless we are dragged to His son (Jer 29:13, Joh 6:44).
2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Joh 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
2Ki 22:14 So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her.
2Ki 22:15 And she said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell the man that sent you to me,
2Ki 22:16 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read:
2Ki 22:17 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asahiah went unto “Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe” and she in no uncertain terms explained the punishment that was going to come upon Judah: “Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched“. The number of men that went up to see the prophetess is significant as it is by God’s grace symbolized by the five men that the nation of Judah will learn of the Lord’s chastening grace for forsaking him.
Huldah is married to “Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;) and they communed with her” creating imagery for us that tells us that she is a type of Jerusalem above the mother of us all whose lineage has someone in it who is a “keeper of the wardrobe” which symbolizes the words of God that are eternal and being preserved (Joh 6:68). Dwelling in “Jerusalem in the college” also reminds God’s elect today in type and shadow language where we dwell with knowledge which is described in this verse (1Ti 3:15).
1Ti 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.(“Jerusalem in the college“)
2Ki 22:18 But to the king of Judah which sent you to enquire of the LORD, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, As touching the words which thou hast heard;
2Ki 22:19 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.
2Ki 22:20 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. And they brought the king word again.
This is the key point being made in this study “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“. God grants the king to have that humble and contrite heart just as he does His elect, who sigh and cry for the abominations that are now being revealed to us just as they were to King Josiah (Eze 9:4). This sighing and crying which occurs is true of both Christ and His body (1Jn 4:17), and that’s the main typical message of this chapter of Kings. When God is working with you, He is humbling your heart which is a miracle because the natural status of the human heart is deceitful and desperately wicked, not able to be known (Jer 17:9, Eze 36:26).
Eze 9:4 And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
The fact that we are even inquiring of the LORD is a miracle as king Josiah demonstrates, and we have not because we ask not (Jas 4:2). Josiah not only asked, he asked with a humble and contrite heart and was heard “Because thine heart was tender, and thou hast humbled thyself before the LORD“. So God made him to be a type of a vessel of honour who demonstrated that God was working with him because thou “hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith the LORD“. That act of sighing and crying before the LORD also can remind us of this verse that says for the elect sakes those days shall be shortened (Mat 24:22).
Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
God will physically stop the destruction of this earth from unfolding because of the elect who will be the reason that God will not bring about utter destruction upon the nations of the world and then at the end of the thousand year reign the elect will fulfill the spiritual counter point of saving the world from physical destruction by saving all mankind in the lake of fire judgment (1Co 15:46, Rom 1:20, Oba 1:21).
1Co 15:46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Oba 1:21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.
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