2 Kings 23:4-25

Josiah’s Religious Reforms

4 The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 He deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens. 6 He brought out the image of Asherah from the house of the LORD, outside Jerusalem, to the Wadi Kidron, burned it at the Wadi Kidron, beat it to dust and threw the dust of it upon the graves of the common people. 7 He broke down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of the LORD, where the women did weaving for Asherah. 8 He brought all the priests out of the towns of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had made offerings, from Geba to Beer-sheba; he broke down the high places of the gates that were at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were on the left at the gate of the city. 9 The priests of the high places, however, did not come up to the altar of the LORD in Jerusalem, but ate unleavened bread among their kindred. 10 He defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, so that no one would make a son or a daughter pass through fire as an offering to Molech. 11 He removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the LORD, by the chamber of the eunuch Nathan-melech, which was in the precincts; then he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. 12 The altars on the roof of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars that Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the LORD, he pulled down from there and broke in pieces, and threw the rubble into the Wadi Kidron. 13 The king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Destruction, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Astarte the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 14 He broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the sacred poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

15 Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin-he pulled down that altar along with the high place. He burned the high place, crushing it to dust; he also burned the sacred pole. 16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed, when Jeroboam stood by the altar at the festival; he turned and looked up at the tomb of the man of God who had predicted these things. 17 Then he said, "What is that monument that I see?" The people of the city told him, "It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel." 18 He said, "Let him rest; let no one move his bones." So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria. 19 Moreover, Josiah removed all the shrines of the high places that were in the towns of Samaria, which kings of Israel had made, provoking the LORD to anger; he did to them just as he had done at Bethel. 20 He slaughtered on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there, and burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

Josiah’s Passover Observance

21 The king commanded all the people, "Keep the passover to the LORD your God as prescribed in this book of the covenant." 22 No such passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, even during all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah; 23 but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem.

24 Moreover Josiah put away the mediums, wizards, teraphim, idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah had found in the house of the LORD. 25 Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him. (2 Kings 23:4-25, NRSV; cf. 2 Chr 35.1-19)

In this reading we find King Josiah taking the lead in thorough religious reforms. The book of the law has been found in the temple by Hilkiah the priest (2 Kgs. 22:8) and read to the king (v. 10), which cause him immediate concern, for he tears his clothes (v. 11; cf. comments two days ago, Tues., Oct. 9). The prophecy of Huldah confirms Josiah’s fears (vv. 15-17), though there is some personal comfort for Josiah (vv. 19-20; cf. yesterday’s comments, Oct. 10). Josiah’s first reforming action is the renewal of the national covenant with the LORD the God of Israel (2 Kgs. 23:1-3; cf. 2 Chron. 34-29-32), which brings us to today’s reading.

Josiah’s first order of business is to rid the temple itself of idols. “The king commanded the high priest Hilkiah, the priests of the second order, and the guardians of the threshold, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel” (2 Kgs. 23:4). In particular, he banishes and destroyed “the image of Asherah” that was in “the house of the LORD,” taking it “outside [of] Jerusalem, to the Wadi Kidron,” burning it and beating it to dust, which he throws “upon the graves of the common people” (v. 6). In a related action, Josiah “deposed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to make offerings in the high places at the cities of Judah and around Jerusalem; those also who made offerings to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the constellations, and all the host of the heavens” (v. 5). Determined to rid the land of all the idolatrous abominations, Josiah, according to 2 Kings, removes male temple prostitutes and women weavers for Asherah (v. 7), and priests of the high places in the towns of Judah and their high places [which he defiled] (v. 8). He took steps to prevent child sacrifice (v. 10), removed the horses that had been “dedicated to sun,” and “burned the chariots of the sun with fire” (v. 11), destroyed the altars of Ahaz and Manasseh (v. 12), defiled various high places built by Solomon, thus rendering them useless before destroying them (v. 13).

In reporting these reforms of Josiah, 2 Kings gives special attention to “the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin” (v. 15a), the issue that is mentioned repeatedly in 1 and 2 Kings in the evaluation of wicked kings of Israel. As he did for other “high places, Josiah “pulled down that altar along with the high place. He burned the high place, crushing it to dust; he also burned the sacred pole” (v. 15b). At this point, we are reminded of the unnamed “man of God” who predicted this event. While Jeroboam was standing by the altar he made at Bethel, this man of God says, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you and human bones shall be burned on you” (1 Kgs. 13:2). The editors of 1 and 2 Kings tell us that Josiah “saw the tombs there on the mount; and he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar, and defiled it, according to the word of the LORD that the man of God proclaimed” (2 Kgs. 23:16a), then, upon turning and seeing the tomb of this unnamed man of God (v. 16b), he inquires, and learns from the people of the city that, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done against the altar at Bethel” (v. 17). Josiah honors this prophet’s tomb, saying, “Let him rest; let no one move his bones” (v. 18a). But he repeats his action “in the towns of Samaria” (v. 19), slaughtering “ on the altars all the priests of the high places who were there,” and burning “human bones on them” (v. 20).

Although brief, the narrator’s report of Josiah’s passover contributes to his superlative evaluation of him. “The king commanded all the people, ‘Keep the passover to the LORD your God as prescribed in this book of the covenant.’ No such passover had been kept since the days of the judges who judged Israel, even during all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah; but in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this passover was kept to the LORD in Jerusalem” (23 Kgs. 23:21-23). According to Iain W. Provan, “In celebrating the passover according to the stipulations of Deuteronomy (Deut. 16:1-8, noting esp. v. 6), Josiah not only outstrips Hezekiah in faithfulness to God, but even David himself, for a Passover like this had not been observed since the days of the judges who judged Israel (cf. Josh. 5:10-12)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., on 2 Kgs. 23:21-22).

For the editors of 1 and 2 Kings, the idolatry of Israel and Judah was a serious problem–the failure in fact, that brought on them the disasters, the fall of Samaria to the Assyrians (722/721 B.C.), and the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians (587/586 B.C.). For the Chronicler, the task at hand was rebuilding after the return from exile. He of course takes note of the national apostasy, and of reformers like Hezekiah and Josiah whose reforms run counter to the general trend. But the idolatry is not his all pervasive concern. The reforms of Josiah that are spelled out in this reading in detail, for example (2 Kgs. 23:4-20), are condensed into a brief report by the Chronicler, and put at the beginning of his version of the story of Josiah (2 Chron. 34:3-7). At the point in the story where 2 Kings details the reforms (2 Kgs. 23:4-20), in response to the reading of the law (22:10, cf. vv. 11-20; cf. also 2 Chron. 34:18 and vv. 22-28), and the renewal of the covenant (2 Kgs. 23:1-3; cf. 2 Chron. 34:29-32), the Chronicler briefly summarizes: “Josiah took away all the abominations from the territory that belonged to the people of Israel, and made all who were in Israel worship the LORD their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the LORD the God of their ancestors” (2 Chron. 34:33; cf. 2 Kgs. 23:24-25). Then the Chronicler describes the great passover in extensive detail (2 Chron. 35:1-19), as compared to the brief report in 2 Kings (2 Kgs. 23:21-23).

As today’s reading draws to a close, 2 Kings summarizes Josiah’s reforms again: “Moreover Josiah put away the mediums, wizards, teraphim, idols, and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, so that he established the words of the law that were written in the book that the priest Hilkiah had found in the house of the LORD” (2 Kgs. 23:24; cf. 2 Chron. 34;33). The editors’ evaluation of him could hardly be more extravagant: “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; nor did any like him arise after him” (2 Kgs. 23:25).

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

The Gifts of the Spirit

12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit choose. (1 Corinthians 12:1-11, NRSV; cf. Romans 12:4-8; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; Ephesians 4:11-13; Isaiah 11:2)

On March 29, 2006 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year Two), comments were used from the Wednesday (March 24) portion of an email sent Monday, March 22, 2005, for the week of March 21, 2005. These are combined with some editing here with comments from October 6, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year One).

The subject of the Gifts of the Spirit is anticipated in Isaiah’s description of the character of the Messianic King (Isa. 11:2), and appears in various New Testament contexts, including those listed above. Some lists (1 Cor. 12:1-11; Rom. 12:4-8) refer to the gifts as such, while others refer to the functions of the people who exercise the gifts, such as church leaders or persons with special callings (1 Cor. 12:28-31; Eph. 4:11-13; cf. Rom. 12:4-8). The lists are exemplary and representative, not comprehensive and complete, as if the Spirit would not give other gifts or use other forms of church leadership. In 1 Corinthians 12, the emphasis is on the unity and harmony of various gifted persons working together. A similar concern underlies Romans 12, with the advice about gifts included in an appeal for commitment (“living sacrifices”) and genuine love. The passage in Ephesians 4 lists gifts for ministry, but put’s them in a context of “equip[ping] the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:12).

In the opening of Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he says he is thankful “that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift” (1 Cor. 1:7). Perhaps with some irony, Paul mentioned there a matter of some interest in Corinth, to which he now (in chap. 12) directs some corrective advice. It’s hard to understand who among the Corinthian believers would actually say “Let Jesus be cursed!” and think that by so doing he or she was “speaking by the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 12:3). Some have suggested that Paul “is remembering what he himself said about Jesus before his conversion” (Ben Witherington III, citing J. M. Bassler, Conflict & Community in Corinth, p. 256 on 1 Cor. 12:1-31). Witherington notes some pagan usage of the term anathema (used in 1 Cor. 12:3, translated “Let . . . be cursed” NRSV) in connection with pagan votive offerings. “It seems unlikely,” says Witherington, “that anyone was saying “cursed be Jesus” or “Jesus is cursed” in the Christian assembly, but one could imagine an ecstatic doing so in a pagan setting. Apparently some of Paul’s audience thought ecstatic speech was proof of inspiration by the Holy Spirit” (pp. 256-257). “The point,” says Witherington “is not that one cannot possibly say ‘Jesus is Lord’ without the Holy Spirit, but that one cannot confess Jesus as Lord without the prompting of the Holy Spirit in the human heart” (p. 257).

Paul emphasizes the “varieties of gifts,” which are from “the same Spirit” (v. 4), his “way of countering an overemphasis on one gift (tongues), or possibly two (tongues and prophecy)” (Witherington, p. 257). His list of spiritual gifts (or gifts of the spirit) in 1 Cor. 12:8-11 may be compared with Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:28 (+ 29-30); and Eph. 4:11-13. Each list speaks of “gifts,” but the first two lists focus on the gifts themselves, and the latter two lists (late in 1 Cor. 12, and in Eph.) speak of the offices or positions of those who exercise spiritual gifts. We should be grateful for the wealth and variety of what these gifts and offices contribute to the total life of the church, recognizing that none of these lists is definitive or restrictive–in other words, there are other spiritual gifts. (See for example the “gifts of the Spirit” to be possessed and exercised by the Messianic King, Isa. 11:2). This week some of us are grateful for the gift of “presiding over a theological seminary.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-11, NRSV)

Matthew 9:18-26

Healing a Hemorrhaging Woman; Raising a Dying Daughter

18 While he was saying these things to them, suddenly a leader of the synagogue came in and knelt before him, saying, "My daughter has just died; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live." 19 And Jesus got up and followed him, with his disciples. 20 Then suddenly a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind him and touched the fringe of his cloak, 21 for she said to herself, "If I only touch his cloak, I will be made well." 22 Jesus turned, and seeing her he said, "Take heart, daughter; your faith has made you well." And instantly the woman was made well. 23 When Jesus came to the leader's house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, 24 he said, "Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." And they laughed at him. 25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. (Matthew 9:18-26, NRSV; cf. Mk 5.21-43; Lk 8.40-56)

For comments on this story within a story from Mark’s perspective, see the comments on Mark 5:21-43 from January 22, 2007 (Monday in the week of the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), when some comments were repeated from earlier dates. For comments on Luke’s perspective, see the comments on Luke 8:40-56 from October 17, 2006 (Tuesday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 12, Year Two).

The following comments combine comments from October 6, 2005 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to October 5, Year One), and from June 3, 2006 (Saturday in the week of the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year Two).

Matthew 9:18-26. Jesus restores life to the daughter of "a leader of the synagogue" (Mt. 9:18), called Jairus in the parallel accounts (Mk. 5:21-43; Lk. 8:40-56), and on the way to his home, Jesus heals "a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years" (Mt. 9:20). These are the seventh and eighth of a group of ten miracles presented in chapters 8 and 9. Five of these accounts include reference to faith (8:10, 26; 9:2, 22, 29). Several accounts point out the amazement of the disciples (8:27) or the crowds (8:34; 9:8, 26, 31, 33). But perhaps the most amazing account is the raising to life of the synagogue leader's daughter, who was thought to be dead, which reminds us of Ezekiel's dry bones which the Lord's breath brings to life.

Mark and Luke name the ruler, “Jairus” (Mk 5:21; Lk. 8:40), and both provide considerably more detail. It appears that Matthew has abbreviated Mark’s version while retaining the essential details: the ruler’s (Jairus’) plea for help, the hemorrhaging woman’s touching Jesus’ cloak while he was on the way to Jairus’ house, the indications of mourning for the dead daughter, and the miracle of her being raised up by Jesus. Matthew presents a cluster of miracles: these two, the healing of two blind men (Mt. 9:27-31; cf. Mk. 10:46-52; Lk. 18:35-43), and the healing of the mute demoniac (Mt. 9:32-34; cf. 12:22-24; Mk. 3:22; Lk. 11:14-15; Jn. 7:20;10:20; 8:48, 52). These are part of a section of events (Mt. 8, 9) which follow the Sermon on the Mount, and illustrate Jesus power and authority. His words to the hemorrhaging woman may comfort us all in times of need: “Take heart, daughter [or son], your faith has made you well” (Mt. 9:22). The phrase, “has made you well,” translates the perfect tense of the verb sōzō, “rescue, save,” and similar language in other healing miracles suggests that these miracles were used as illustrations in the early Christian preaching of salvation. The healings, of course, were genuine physical healings, but more than that, with “holistic” spiritual dimensions.

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net