Sabbath school lesson 8, 4th quarter of 2015

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Adapted from : www.fustero.es Lesson 8 for November 21, 2015

THE REIGNS OF MANASSEH AND AMON“But they paid no attention, and Manasseh seduced them to do more

evil than the nations whom the Lord had destroyed before the children of Israel.” (2 Kings 21:9)

“And he [Amon] did not humble himself before the Lord, as his father Manasseh had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more.” (2 Chronicles 33:23)

“Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers, and prayed to Him; and He received his entreaty, heard his supplication, and brought him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.” (2 Chronicles 33:12-13)

Since King Hezekiah died, Judah began to plunge into destruction.

1. Manasseh spread the most abominable sins including the ritual killing of his own children.

2. Manasseh repented, but the people had already known “the depths of Satan.” (Rev. 2:24)

3. Amon repealed the reforms of Manasseh with his acts. He brought the apostasy back.

E.G.W. (Prophets and Kings, cp. 32, pg. 381-383)

“But the people of the land executed all those who had conspired against King Amon. Then the people of the land

made his son Josiah king in his place.”(2 Chronicles 33:25)

Amon sowed violence and harvested violence. Those who killed him also harvested violence.The people’s reaction to the murder of the king was not any kind of “people’s democracy”, but a terrible lynching.They crowned a 8-year-old boy as a “puppet monarch” so they could perpetuate evil.Many wondered why God didn’t stop all that evil. The prophet Habakkuk was the audible voice of that group.God had already touched Josiah’s young heart.

TRANSITION

THE REIGN OF JOSIAH“For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.” (2 Chronicles 34:3)

Josiah sought God when he was 16. He began a movement of revival and reformation in Judah when he was 20.Six years after that, he focused his efforts on restoring the temple—the heart of Judah’s devotion to God.The reform had had an effect. For example, the people who repaired the temple became very honest: “there need be no accounting made with them of the money delivered into their hand, because they deal faithfully.” (2 Kings 22:7)

“Then Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, ‘Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.’ And Shaphan read it before the king. Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes.” (2 Kings 22:10-11)

A true reform is more than superficial changes like smashing idols, renovating the temple or other external changes. More deep and lasting changes must come, and the Bible must always be the foundation. When Josiah found “the

book of the law” (the Pentateuch or part of it) at the temple, he was profoundly touched.He understood the final consequences of their sins.He sent some people to visit the prophetess Huldah and ask God how to avoid the destruction of Judah (2 Kings 22:13-20).

THE BOOK OF THE LAW

“Then the king stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord, to follow 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 this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people took a stand for the covenant.” (2 Kings 23:3)

God said that Judah was going to be inevitably destroyed, so was there any point on going on with revival

and reformation?That’s was Josiah asked. Huldah’s answer is still valid today; humanity is condemned, but each one of us can accept salvation in an individual way.Therefore, Josiah decided to help as many people in his kingdom as possible to accept salvation.

JOSIAH’S REFORMS (I)

Which were the reforms that Josiah carried out

(2 Kings 23:4-24)?

“Now 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 after him did any arise like him.” (2 Kings 23:25)

He took the idolatrous articles out of the temple.He removed the idolatrous priests from the high places.

He took the Asherah image out of the temple.He tore down the ritual booths in the temple.

He defiled the high places and broke down the altars at the city gates.He defiled Tophet, so no one could sacrifice his own son to Molech.He removed the carts and horses made to worship the Sun.

He broke down the pagan altars in the temple.He broke down the statues and images of Asherah.

He destroyed the golden calf at Bethel.He killed the pagan priests.He celebrated the Passover.

JOSIAH’S REFORMS (II)

SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2. Ellen G. White notes on 2 Kings 23:2