2 Kings 23:28-30--Josiah's Death in Battle

2 Kings 23:28-30
English Standard Version
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Josiah's Death in Battle
28 Now the rest of the acts of Josiah and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? 29 In his days Pharaoh Neco king of Egypt went up to the king of Assyria to the river Euphrates. King Josiah went to meet him, and Pharaoh Neco killed him at Megiddo, as soon as he saw him. 30 And his servants carried him dead in a chariot from Megiddo and brought him to Jerusalem and buried him in his own tomb. And the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, and anointed him, and made him king in his father's place.

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We'll have to look to the Book of Chronicles for more information on the life and deeds of Josiah.  Today's passage is covered as well in 2 Chronicles 35:20-27.  The LORD was apparently sending Pharaoh Necro, king of Egypt, to make war with and judge the king of Assyria.  Pharaoh Necro came through Israel to do so since Assyria bordered Israel, and Pharaoh set up his camp within the borders of Israel.  This is why Josiah went to make war with Pharaoh, as it appeared that Pharaoh was there to invade Israel and make war with them.

Even though Pharaoh Necro sent envoys to Josiah to tell him that he was not there to make war with him or with Israel, that his war was with Assyria and that the LORD had commanded him to go to battle with Assyria to punish them, Josiah still would not back down from going to war with Egypt.  He disguised himself so that he could fight among the rank and file and not be recognized as the king.

Like other kings that we have read about before, it was the shot of an archer that hit him and badly wounded him so that he had to tell the men with him to take him away from the battle.  They took him out of the chariot he had been fighting in and put him in his second chariot and carried him to Jerusalem, but he died on the way and they buried him in his tomb in Jerusalem among the tombs of the other kings of Judah.

Jeremiah the prophet wrote laments for the people as they mourned the death of King Josiah and the whole nation mourned for him and they established a rule that all of Israel should sing these lamentations for King Josiah regularly to remember him, for he was the best earthly king that they ever had and ever would have until the days when Messiah would take His place as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The people gathered together and anointed Josiah's son Jehoahaz as king of Judah in place of his father Josiah.  As you can guess from something I already said, he would not be like his father and instead of being like his father who died trying to fight the Egyptians, Jehoahaz would make himself and all Judah servants of the Egyptians, thinking that only Egypt could save them from the enemies around them.  He would even let the king of Egypt change his name to give him a new identity.  We'll read about this and study it next time, but it will be just as the prophet spoke to Josiah that the LORD would not exile His people during the days of Josiah, but would wait until after he died.  Everything is in motion now for the Exile to begin.