2 Chronicles 34:22-33--Huldah Prophesies Disaster

2 Chronicles 34:22-33
English Standard Version

Huldah Prophesies Disaster
22 So Hilkiah and those whom the king had sent went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tokhath, son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter) and spoke to her to that effect. 23 And she said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 24 Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring disaster upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the curses that are written in the book that was read before the king of Judah. 25 Because they have forsaken me and have made offerings to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands, therefore my wrath will be poured out on this place and will not be quenched. 26 But to the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, thus shall you say to him, Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Regarding the words that you have heard, 27 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard his words against this place and its inhabitants, and you have humbled yourself before me and have torn your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, declares the LORD. 28 Behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the disaster that I will bring upon this place and its inhabitants.’” And they brought back word to the king.

​29 Then the king sent and gathered together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 30 And the king went up to the house of the LORD, with all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the Levites, all the people both great and small. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD. 31 And the king stood in his place 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 his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book. 32 Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers. 33 And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.

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The king sent his men to inquire of the LORD what they should do once they had read the Law and realized they were being disobedient and rebellious as a people--deserving of wrath and the curses in the Law.  They know of a prophetess of the LORD, and they go to her to inquire as the king requested.  She tells them that certainly all the curses of the Law will come upon the people because they have forsaken the LORD, turned to other gods and worshiped them, and provoked the LORD's anger with their sinful conduct.  God promised He would pour His wrath out on all Judah and Jerusalem included, but He promised that because Josiah was not like the others that did these things but had humbled himself before the LORD, torn down the idols and encouraged all of God's people to worship the LORD alone, the LORD would do these things after Josiah had died and was buried among the other good kings.

Upon hearing these words, Josiah gathered all the leaders of the people (the elders) and had them all hear the words of the Book of the Law so that they could hear it for themselves, and the king made a covenant there before the LORD, the priests and the elders that he would follow the LORD and His commands all the days of his life.  He then made the priests and the elders and other people who were gathered there join in and renew the covenant with him.  All the "abominations" (instruments of the works of darkness--probably not just speaking of idols) were taken away from all of the land of Israel, and the people swore to follow the LORD with all their heart and soul and to obey all the commandments in His covenant.  Would their obedience last longer than the life of King Josiah or would their desire to keep the covenant die with him?  We'll have to keep reading to find out, but next time we'll see that Josian and the people once again celebrate the Passover, which they haven't done for quite some time.