Josiah and his family were the last kings of the city of God, Jerusalem. The Davidic dynasty had stretched across the centuries but came to an end when the city and its temple were destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.
During the days of Josiah a scroll was discovered in the temple. When Josiah heard the words of the scroll—likely Deuteronomy—he responded by initiating a great revival. The discovery of the scroll was five years into the long ministry of Jeremiah the prophet.
During the days of Jehoiakim Jeremiah wrote a scroll which Baruch his scribe read in the temple. Some of the leaders took the scroll to Jehoiakim who had it read to him in his winter quarters.
Read the two stories mentioned above (2 Kings 22:8-13; 23:1-27; Jeremiah 36). What are the differences between the responses of Josiah and his son, Jehoiakim (see esp. 2 Kgs 22:10-13; Jer 36:20-26)? How do Josiah and Jehoiakim typify the way God’s people are expected to respond to the instruction of the Lord?
What else do we learn about the significance of the written word of God from these two narratives?
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