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Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 2 Kings 23:4–24. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
We have here an account of such a reformation as we have not met with in all the history of the kings of Judah, such thorough riddance made of all the abominable things and such foundations laid of a glorious good work; and here I cannot but wonder at two things: - 1. That so many wicked things should have got in, and kept standing so long, as we find here removed. 2. That notwithstanding the removal of these wicked things, and the hopeful prospects here given of a happy settlement, yet within a few years Jerusalem was utterly destroyed, and even this did not save it; for the generality of the people, after all, hated to be reformed. The founder melteth in vain, and therefore reprobate silver shall men call them, Jer 6:29, Jer 6:30. Let us here observe,
I.What abundance of wickedness there was, and had been, in Judah and Jerusalem.
One would not have believed it possible that in Judah, where God was known - in Israel, where his name was great - in Salem, in Sion, where his dwelling place was, such abominations should be found as here we have an account of. Josiah had now reigned eighteen years, and had himself set the people a good example, and kept up religion according to law; and yet, when he came to make inquisition for idolatry, the depth and extent of the dunghill he had to carry away appeared almost incredible.
1.Even in the house of the Lord, that sacred temple which Solomon built, and dedicated to the honour and for the worship of the God of Israel, there were found vessels, all manner of utensils, for the worship of Baal, and of the grove (or Ashtaroth), and of all the host of heaven, Kg2 23:4. Though Josiah had suppressed the worship of idols, yet the utensils made for that worship were all carefully preserved, even in the temple itself, to be used again whenever the present restraint should be taken off; nay, even the grove itself, the image of it, was yet standing in the temple (Kg2 23:6); some make it the image of Venus, the same with Ashtaroth.
2.Just at the entering in of the house of the Lord was a stable for horses kept (would you think it?) for a religious use; they were holy horses, given to the sun (Kg2 23:11), as if he needed them who rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race (Psa 19:5), or rather they would thus represent to themselves the swiftness of his motion, which they much admired, making their religion to conform to the poetical fictions of the chariot of the sun, the follies of which even a little philosophy, without any divinity, would have exposed and made them ashamed of. Some say that those horses were to be led forth in pomp every morning to meet the rising sun, others that the worshippers of the sun rode out upon them to adore the rising sun; it should seem that they drew the chariots of the sun, which the people worshipped. Strange that ever men who had the written word of God among them should be thus vain in their imaginations!
3.Hard by the house of the Lord there were houses of the Sodomites, where all manner of lewdness and filthiness, even that which was most unnatural, was practised, and under pretence of religion too, in honour of their impure deities. Corporal and spiritual whoredom went together, and the vile affections to which the people were given up were the punishment of their vain imaginations. Those that dishonoured their God were justly left thus to dishonour themselves, Rom 1:24, etc. There were women that wove hangings for the grove (Kg2 23:7), tents which encompassed the image of Venus, where the worshippers committed all manner of lewdness, and this in the house of the Lord. Those did ill that made our Father's house a house of merchandise; those did worse that made it a den of thieves; but those did worst of all that made it (Horrendum dictu! - Horrible to relate!) a brothel, in an impudent defiance of the holiness of God and of his temple. Well might the apostle call them abominable idolatries.
4.There were many idolatrous altars found (Kg2 23:12), some in the palace, on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz. The roofs of their houses being flat, they made them their high places, and set up altars upon them (Jer 19:13; Zep 1:5), domestic altars. The kings of Judah did so: and, though Josiah never used them, yet to this time they remained there. Manasseh had built altars for his idols in the house of the Lord. When he repented he removed them, and cast them out of the city (Ch2 33:15), but, not destroying them, his son Amon, it seems, had brought them again into the courts of the temple; there Josiah found them, and thence he broke them down, Kg2 23:12.
5.There was Tophet, in the valley of the son of Hinnom, very near Jerusalem, where the image of Moloch (that god of unnatural cruelty, as others were of unnatural uncleanness) was kept, to which some sacrificed their children, burning them in the fire, others dedicated them, making them to pass through the fire (Kg2 23:10), labouring in the very fire, Hab 2:13. It is supposed to have been called Tophet from toph, a drum, because they beat drums at the burning of the children, that their shrieks might not be heard.
6.There were high places before Jerusalem, which Solomon had built, Kg2 23:13. The altars and images on those high places, we may suppose, had been taken away by some of the preceding godly kings, or perhaps Solomon himself had removed them when he became a penitent; but the buildings, or some parts of them, remained, with other high places, till Josiah's time. Those that introduce corruptions into religion know not how far they will reach nor how long they will last. Antiquity is no certain proof of verity. There were also high places all the kingdom over, from Geba to Beer-sheba (Kg2 23:8), and high places of the gates, in the entering in of the gate of the governor. In these high places (bishop Patrick thinks) they burnt incense to those tutelar gods to whom their idolatrous kings had committed the protection of their city; and probably the governor of the city had a private altar for his penates - his household-gods.
7.There were idolatrous priests, that officiated at all those idolatrous altars (Kg2 23:5), chemarim, black men, or that wore black. See Zep 1:4. Those that sacrificed to Osiris, or that wept for Tammuz (Eze 8:14), or that worshipped the infernal deities, put on black garments as mourners. These idolatrous priests the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places; they were, it should seem, priests of the house of Aaron, who thus profaned their dignity, and there were others also who had no right at all to the priesthood, who burnt incense to Baal.
8.There were conjurers and wizards, and such as dealt with familiar spirits, Kg2 23:24. When they worshipped the devil as their god no marvel that they consulted him as their oracle.
II.What a full destruction good Josiah made of all those relics of idolatry.
Such is his zeal for the Lord of hosts, and his holy indignation against all that is displeasing to him, that nothing shall stand before him. The law was that the monuments of the Canaanites' idolatry must be all destroyed (Deu 7:5), much more those of the idolatry of the Israelites, in whom it was much more impious, profane, and perfidious.
1.He ordered Hilkiah, and the other priests, to clear the temple. This was their province, Kg2 23:4. Away with all the vessels that were made for Baal. They must never be employed in the service of God, no, nor reserved for any common use; they must all be burnt, and the ashes of them carried to Bethel. That place had been the common source of idolatry, for there was set up one of the calves, and, that lying next to Judah, the infection had thence spread into that kingdom, and therefore Josiah made it the lay-stall of idolatry, the dunghill to which he carried the filth and offscouring of all things, that, if possible, it might be made loathsome to those that had been fond of it.
2.The idolatrous priests were all put down. Those of them that were not of the house of Aaron, or had sacrificed to Baal or other false gods, he put to death, according to the law, Kg2 23:20. He slew them upon their own altars, the most acceptable sacrifice that ever had been offered upon them, a sacrifice to the justice of God. Those that were descendants from Aaron, and yet had burnt incense in the high places, but to the true God only, he forbade ever to approach the altar of the Lord; they had forfeited that honour (Kg2 23:9): He brought them out of the cities of Judah (Kg2 23:8), that they might not do mischief in the country by secretly keeping up their old idolatrous usages; but he allowed them to eat of the unleavened bread (the bread of the meat-offering, Lev 2:4, Lev 2:5) among their brethren, with whom they were to reside, that being under their eye they might be kept from doing hurt and taught to do well; that bread, that unleavened bread (heavy and unpleasant as it was), was better than they deserved, and that would serve to keep them alive. But whether they were permitted to eat of all the sacrifices, as blemished priests were (Lev 21:22), which is called, in general, the bread of their God, may be justly questioned.
3.All the images were broken to pieces and burnt. The image of the grove (Kg2 23:6), some goddess or other, was reduced to ashes, and the ashes cast upon the graves of the common people (Kg2 23:6), the common burying-place of the city. By the law a ceremonial uncleanness was contracted by the touch of a grave, so that in casting them here he declared them most impure, and none could touch them without thereby making themselves unclean. He cast it into the graves (so the Chaldee), intimating that he would have all idolatry buried out of his sight, as a loathsome thing, and forgotten, as dead men are out of mind, Kg2 23:14. He filled the places of the groves with the bones of men; as he carried the ashes of the images to the graves, to mingle them with dead men's bones, so he carried dead men's bones to the places where the images had been, and put them in the room of them, that, both ways, idolatry might be rendered loathsome, and the people kept both from the dust of the images and from the ruins of the places where they had been worshipped. Dead men and dead gods were much alike and fittest to go together.
4.All the wicked houses were suppressed, those nests of impiety that harboured idolaters, the houses of the Sodomites, Kg2 23:7. "Down with them, down with them, rase them to the foundations." The high places were in like manner broken down and levelled with the ground (Kg2 23:8), even that which belonged to the governor of the city; for no man's greatness or power may protect him in idolatry or profaneness. Let governors be obliged, in the first place, to reform, and then the governed will be the sooner influenced. He defiled the high places (Kg2 23:8 and again Kg2 23:13), did all he could to render them abominable, and put the people out of conceit with them, as Jehu did when he made the house of Baal a draught-house, Kg2 10:27. Tophet, which, contrary to other places of idolatry, was in a valley, whereas they were on hills or high places, was likewise defiled (Kg2 23:10), was made the burying-place of the city. Concerning this we have a whole sermon, Jer 19:1, Jer 19:2, etc., where it is said, They shall bury in Tophet, and the whole city is threatened to be made like Tophet.
5.The horses that had been given to the sun were taken away and put to common use, and so were delivered from the vanity to which they were made subject; and the chariots of the sun (what a pity was it that those horses and chariots should be kept as the chariots and horsemen of Israel!) he burnt with fire; and, if the sun be a flame, they never resembled him so much as they did when they were chariots of fire.
6.The workers with familiar spirits and the wizards were put away, Kg2 23:24. Those of them that were convicted of witchcraft, it is likely, he put to death, and so deterred others from those diabolical practices. In all this he had a sincere regard to the words of the law which were written in the book lately found, Kg2 23:24. He made that law his rule and kept that in his eye throughout this reformation.
III.How his zeal extended itself to the cities of Israel that were within his reach.
The ten tribes were carried captive and the Assyrian colonies did not fully people the country, so that, it is likely, many cities had put themselves under the protection of the kings of Judah, Ch2 30:1; Ch2 34:6. These he here visits, to carry on his reformation. As far as our influence goes our endeavours should go to do good and bring the wickedness of the wicked to an end.
1.He defiled and demolished Jeroboam's altar at Bethel, with the high place and the grove that belonged to it, Kg2 23:15, Kg2 23:16. The golden calf, it should seem, was gone (thy calf, O Samaria! has cast thee off), but the altar was there, which those that were wedded to their old idolatries made use of still. This was,
(1.)Defiled, Kg2 23:16. Josiah, in his pious zeal, was ransacking the old seats of idolatry, and spied the sepulchres in the mount, in which probably the idolatrous priests were buried, not far from the altar at which they had officiated, and which they were so fond of that they were desirous to lay their bones by it; these he opened, took out the bones, and burnt them upon the altar, to show that thus he would have done by the priests themselves if they had been alive, as he did by those whom he found alive, Kg2 23:20. Thus he polluted the altar, desecrated it, and made it odious. It is threatened against idolaters (Jer 8:1, Jer 8:2) that their bones shall be spread before the sun; that which is there threatened and this which is here executed (bespeaking their iniquity to be upon their bones, Eze 32:27) are an intimation of a punishment after death, reserved for those that live and die impenitent in that or any other sin; the burning of the bones, if that were all, is a small matter, but, if it signify the torment of the soul in a worse flame (Luk 16:24), it is very dreadful. This, as it was Josiah's act, seems to have been the result of a very sudden resolve; he would not have done it but that he happened to turn himself, and spy the sepulchres; and yet it was foretold above 350 years before, when this altar was first built by Jeroboam, Kg1 13:2. God always foresees, and has sometimes foretold as certain, that which yet to us seems most contingent. The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord; king Josiah's was so, and he turned it (or ever he himself was aware, Sol 6:12) to do this. No work of God shall fall to the ground.
(2.)It was demolished. He broke down the altar and all its appurtenances (Kg2 23:15), burnt what was combustible, and, since an idol is nothing in the world, he went as far towards the annihilating of it as he could; for he stamped it small to powder and made it as dust before the wind.
2.He destroyed all the houses of the high places, all those synagogues of Satan that were in the cities of Samaria, Kg2 23:19. These the kings of Israel built, and God raised up this king of Judah to pull them down, for the honour of the ancient house of David, from which the ten tribes had revolted; the priests he justly made sacrifices upon their own altars, Kg2 23:20.
3.He carefully preserved the sepulchre of that man of God who came from Judah to foretel this, which now a king who came from Judah executed. This was that good prophet who proclaimed these things against the altar of Bethel, and yet was himself slain by a lion for disobeying the word of the Lord; but to show that God's displeasure against him went no further than his death, but ended there, God so ordered it that when all the graves about his were disturbed his was safe (Kg2 23:17, Kg2 23:18) and no man moved his bones. He had entered into peace, and therefore should rest in his bed, Isa 57:2. The old lying prophet, who desired to be buried as near him as might be, it should seem, knew what he did; for his dust also, being mingled with that of the good prophet, was preserved for his sake; see Num 23:10.
IV.We are here told what a solemn passover Josiah and his people kept after all this.
When they had cleared the country of the old leaven they then applied themselves to the keeping of the feast. When Jehu had destroyed the worship of Baal, yet he took no heed to walk in the commandments and ordinances of God; but Josiah considered that we must learn to do well, and no only cease to do evil, and that the way to keep out all abominable customs is to keep up all instituted ordinances (see Lev 18:30), and therefore he commanded all the people to keep the passover, which was not only a memorial of their deliverance out of Egypt, but a token of their dedication to him that brought them out and their communion with him. This he found written in the book of the law, here called the book of the covenant; for, though the divine authority may deal with us in a way of absolute command, divine grace condescends to federal transactions, and therefore he observed it. We have not such a particular account of this passover as of that in Hezekiah's time, 2 Chr. 30. But, in general, we are told that there was not holden such a passover in any of the foregoing reigns, no, not from the days of the judges (Kg2 23:22), which, by the way, intimates that, though the account which the book of Judges gives of the state of Israel under that dynasty looks but melancholy, yet there were then some golden days. This passover, it seems, was extraordinary for the number and devotion of the communicants, their sacrifices and offerings, and their exact observance of the laws of the feast; and it was not now as in Hezekiah's passover, when many communicated that were not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary, and the Levites were permitted to do the priests' work. We have reason to think that during all the remainder of Josiah's reign religion flourished and the feasts of the Lord were very carefully observed; but in this passover the satisfaction they took in the covenant lately renewed, the reformation in pursuance of it, and the revival of an ordinance of which they had lately found the divine original in the book of the law, and which had long been neglected or carelessly kept, put them into great transports of holy joy; and God was pleased to recompense their zeal in destroying idolatry with uncommon tokens of his presence and favour. All this concurred to make it a distinguished passover.
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Summary
King Josiah's command in 2 Kings 23:21 marks a pivotal moment in Judah's spiritual history, compelling the entire nation to observe the Passover in strict accordance with the "book of this covenant" recently rediscovered in the Temple. This directive underscores Josiah's profound commitment to national repentance, the eradication of idolatry, and a comprehensive return to the pure worship of the LORD, signaling a powerful act of covenant renewal and adherence to divine instruction.
Context
Literary Context
This command serves as the climactic action in King Josiah's sweeping religious reforms, which were initiated earlier in his reign (compare 2 Kings 22:3-7). The immediate catalyst for these reforms was the momentous discovery of the "Book of the Law" (likely a significant portion of Deuteronomy) by Hilkiah the high priest during the Temple repairs, as vividly recounted in 2 Kings 22:8. Upon hearing its contents read, Josiah was deeply convicted, tearing his clothes in a profound act of repentance and immediately initiating a comprehensive purge of idolatry and syncretistic practices from both Judah and the former northern kingdom of Israel (see 2 Kings 23:4-20). The Passover celebration, explicitly commanded in 2 Kings 23:21, functions as the capstone of these extensive reforms, serving as a public, national affirmation of their renewed commitment to the covenant stipulations found within the rediscovered book, thereby demonstrating a full and intentional restoration of proper worship.
Historical & Cultural Context
Prior to Josiah's reign, the kingdom of Judah had endured several decades of profound spiritual apostasy under kings like Manasseh and Amon, who actively promoted and participated in idolatry, child sacrifice, and various syncretistic worship practices (as detailed in 2 Kings 21:1-26). The very Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem had been defiled, and the Mosaic Law had largely been forgotten, ignored, or actively suppressed. Josiah, who ascended to the throne at the tender age of eight (2 Kings 22:1), began his significant reforms around his eighteenth regnal year, strategically capitalizing on the weakened state of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, which had previously exerted considerable political and religious influence over Judah. The Passover, an ancient and foundational festival, commemorated God's miraculous deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exodus 12:1-28). Its meticulous observance, specifically "as it is written," represented a radical departure from the prevailing religious syncretism and a deliberate, decisive return to the foundational identity of Israel as God's exclusive covenant people.
Key Themes
The command issued in 2 Kings 23:21 powerfully encapsulates several major themes central to the Deuteronomistic history and the book of Kings. First, it highlights the absolute authority and transformative power of God's Word. The rediscovery of and subsequent obedience to the "book of this covenant" directly spurred Josiah's comprehensive reforms and the national Passover, demonstrating unequivocally that genuine spiritual revival and national restoration flow directly from a reverent adherence to divine revelation. Second, this command signifies a profound act of covenant renewal. By meticulously observing the Passover as prescribed in the Law, the people of Judah publicly reaffirmed their unique and sacred relationship with the LORD, a relationship established at Mount Sinai, and recommitted themselves to the terms of that solemn bond. Third, the emphasis on the Passover itself underscores the enduring theme of remembrance and divine deliverance. The festival served as a perpetual, tangible reminder of God's mighty acts of salvation, particularly the Exodus, which fundamentally defined Israel's identity and their call to holiness. Finally, the verse champions authentic worship, contrasting the prescribed, biblically-rooted practices with the unauthorized, idolatrous, and syncretistic forms of worship that had become prevalent. True worship, as powerfully demonstrated by Josiah, is always in accordance with God's explicit and authoritative instructions.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This term refers to the annual festival commemorating the tenth and final plague in Egypt, where the angel of death "passed over" the homes of the Israelites marked with the blood of a lamb, sparing their firstborn (as detailed in Exodus 12). Its observance was a perpetual statute, a foundational act of remembrance for Israel's deliverance from slavery and the establishment of their covenant relationship with God. Josiah's command to "Keep the passover" was not merely a ritualistic act but a profound re-engagement with the core narrative of God's redemptive power and Israel's identity as His chosen people, emphasizing exemption and divine protection.
This word signifies a solemn, binding agreement or treaty, often initiated by a suzerain (superior party) with a vassal (inferior party). In this context, "the book of this covenant" refers to the Mosaic Law, which established the terms of God's relationship with Israel. It was a conditional compact, promising blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience. Josiah's emphasis on observing the Passover "as it is written in the book of this covenant" highlights the binding nature of God's divine stipulations and the necessity of precise adherence to His revealed will for the nation's well-being, signifying a confederacy or league with God.
Derived from a primitive root meaning "to grave" or "to write," this term emphasizes the authoritative and prescriptive nature of the instructions. The phrase "as it is written" underscores that the command for the Passover's observance was not a new invention or a human tradition, but a direct, inscribed divine mandate found within the sacred text. This highlights the absolute supremacy of God's recorded Word as the ultimate guide for faith and practice, validating Josiah's reforms as divinely sanctioned rather than merely human initiatives.
Verse Breakdown
"And the king commanded all the people"
This initial clause establishes Josiah's authoritative leadership and his decisive commitment to implementing the rediscovered Law across the entire nation of Judah. As the reigning monarch, he bore the profound responsibility for the spiritual well-being of his people, and this command demonstrates his active and resolute role in leading them back to God. It was not a mere suggestion but a royal decree, reflecting the gravity of the national spiritual crisis and the urgent necessity of comprehensive reform.
"saying, Keep the passover unto the LORD your God"
This is the direct, imperative command, specifying the central act of national reformation. The Passover was to be observed "unto the LORD your God," explicitly underscoring that its ultimate purpose was for God's glory and in recognition of His unique, covenantal relationship with Israel. This phrase serves to distinguish it sharply from any syncretistic or idolatrous practices that had infiltrated Judah, re-centering worship on the one true God. The command to "keep" (Hebrew, 'âsâh'), meaning to do, make, or observe, implies a full, meticulous, and proper execution of all the festival's requirements.
"as [it is] written in the book of this covenant"
This crucial concluding clause provides the divine mandate and the precise standard for the Passover's observance. It signifies that the basis for their worship was not tradition, human innovation, or syncretism, but the explicit, authoritative instructions found in God's revealed Word. This phrase highlights the absolute supremacy of Scripture as the sole guide for faith and practice, and it unequivocally validates Josiah's reforms as divinely sanctioned rather than merely human initiatives, ensuring their legitimacy and necessity.
Literary Devices
The verse effectively employs Covenant Language, particularly through the phrase "book of this covenant," which immediately evokes the foundational relationship between God and Israel established at Sinai. This language reinforces the theological framework of the Deuteronomistic history, where obedience to the covenant brings blessing and disobedience brings judgment. There is also a strong sense of Authoritative Command, as Josiah, the king, issues a direct and unequivocal order to "Keep the passover." This command is then grounded in Scriptural Authority, indicated by "as [it is] written," establishing the rediscovered book as the ultimate source of truth and the standard for all national religious practice. This juxtaposition of royal command and divine instruction underscores the legitimacy and necessity of the reforms, highlighting the king's role as an enforcer of divine will.
Theological and Thematic Connections
The command to observe the Passover in 2 Kings 23:21 stands as a powerful testament to the enduring importance of God's revealed Word and the perpetual call to covenant faithfulness. It illustrates that true spiritual revival is not merely an emotional experience but a deliberate, obedient return to the divine standards articulated in Scripture. Josiah's actions highlight the cyclical nature of Israel's relationship with God—marked by periods of apostasy followed by calls to repentance and renewal, often catalyzed by the rediscovery of God's Law. This verse reminds us that God's covenant promises and requirements remain steadfast, calling His people in every generation to remember His past acts of deliverance and to live in faithful response to His ongoing grace and truth.
Reflection and Application
Josiah's command to keep the Passover, rooted in the rediscovered "book of this covenant," offers profound and enduring lessons for contemporary believers and communities. It serves as a powerful reminder that genuine spiritual vitality, personal transformation, and corporate reformation are inextricably linked to the rediscovery, reverence, and rigorous application of God's inspired Word. Just as the people of Judah had strayed due to neglect of Scripture, so too can individuals and churches drift from foundational truths and authentic worship when the Bible is marginalized or treated as secondary. This narrative challenges us to honestly ask whether our personal practices, our core beliefs, and our communal worship are truly "as it is written" in God's authoritative Word, or if they have been subtly diluted by cultural trends, personal preferences, or inherited traditions lacking biblical warrant. It calls us to cultivate a deep hunger for God's truth, allowing it to penetrate our hearts, expose sin, prompt genuine repentance, and guide us into authentic worship and unwavering obedience. Furthermore, it highlights the transformative power of leadership—whether in the home, church, or broader society—that courageously prioritizes God's commands and boldly calls others to follow.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What was the "book of this covenant" that was rediscovered?
While the text does not specify the exact scroll, scholarly consensus strongly suggests it was likely a significant portion of the book of Deuteronomy, or perhaps a larger section of the Pentateuch. The specific commands, blessings, and warnings found within Deuteronomy align closely with the comprehensive reforms Josiah subsequently enacted, particularly the emphatic call for exclusive worship of the LORD and the complete eradication of idolatry. The term "book of this covenant" (Hebrew: sepher habberith hazzeh) underscores its nature as a foundational legal and theological document outlining the binding terms of God's covenant with Israel.
Why was the Passover celebration so significant for Josiah's reforms?
The Passover was profoundly significant because it was the foundational festival commemorating God's miraculous deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:1-28). Observing it "as it is written" was a powerful, public act of national identity reaffirmation and covenant renewal. It symbolized a deliberate return to the very roots of their relationship with God, acknowledging His mighty acts of salvation and their unique status as His redeemed people. After decades of widespread idolatry, spiritual decline, and forgetting their sacred history, meticulously keeping the Passover was a profound public declaration of repentance and a recommitment to the LORD as their only God, re-establishing the covenant at the heart of their national life.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
Josiah's command to keep the Passover "as it is written in the book of this covenant" finds its ultimate and glorious fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Passover itself, with its sacrificed lamb whose blood averted judgment, was a profound and divinely ordained foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!. Just as the blood of the Passover lamb secured deliverance from physical death for Israel, so the shed blood of Christ secures eternal deliverance from spiritual death and the judgment of sin for all who believe. Indeed, Christ is our Passover lamb, sacrificed for us. Furthermore, the "book of this covenant" in the Old Testament pointed forward to the new and better covenant established through Christ's blood (Hebrews 9:15), a covenant not merely written on stone tablets but supernaturally inscribed on the hearts and minds of believers by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 31:31-34). While Josiah's reforms brought a temporary and localized return to the Law, Christ's perfect obedience and atoning work fulfilled the Law's righteous demands and inaugurated an era of grace and truth (John 1:17), inviting all people into a personal, Spirit-empowered relationship with God, no longer bound by the shadows of the old covenant but living in the radiant light of the true Passover.