Play on words

Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-one years. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right. 2 Chronicles 34:1-2 (NLT)

 Let nothing stop us!

Idolatry: The worship of a physical object as a god. Immoderate attachment or devotion to something. (Merriam-Webster)

Baal Hadad: the god of creation, weather, thunder and lightning, brought rain and harvest, who fought against the great leviathan/serpent, He fought MOT, the god of death…and he died and rose again to bring life to the land.

Appeasement: a sacrifice had to be made to merit forgiveness and blessing

Jeremiah 19:5 They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing! (NLT)

 We will sacrifice our children on the altar of selfish ambition, comfort and simplicity.

Our nation leads the world in child pornography and sexual slavery/exploitation.

Asherah: the goddess of fertility and sacred trees

The people of old believed Asherah was God’s wife. The wife of El (AKA the wetnurse of the gods) she produced the “seventy sons” or gods of the heavens

During the reign of Josiah, women were found in the temple hanging fabrics upon Asherahs IN THE TEMPLE!

Bāmōt (Hebrew: בָּמוֹת, singular bāmāh בָּמָה) were “high places”—elevated sites where people worshiped, offered sacrifices, and performed religious rituals in the ancient Near East.

For Israel has forsaken me and turned this valley into a place of wickedness. The people burn incense to foreign gods—idols never before acknowledged by this generation, by their ancestors, or by the kings of Judah. And they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children. Jeremiah 19:4 (NLT)

Asherah had many names over the centuries: Elat, Astarte, Ishtar, Ashdod, Ashratu, Hattusha, Aphrodite…A STAR!

Chaucer, Dean Swinford points out in his book Through the Daemon’s Gate, was recalling Ovid’s notion of metamorphosis—the idea that humans could be transformed, in this case, into the shiny stuff of constellations. Chaucer’s words also carried architectural implications that would likely have been apparent to his audiences: “Fixing with stars,” Swinford points out, “implies the creation of a mosaic-like decoration of the interior of a cathedral.” The building was an intentional mimicry of the sky, and an unintentional anticipation of Hollywood’s own kind of firmament: It presented stars as a constellation of gleaming lights, always above.

We find ourselves worshipping idols: education, success, shopping, status, politics, fame, fortune…anything and everything along with God

The idolatrous lifestyle promotes everything, and anything as equal to or more important than my faith: Sexuality, TV, Phone, Gaming, Friends, Family, Money…Demonstrated by inconsistent lives of faith and devotion to God

During the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David. Then in the twelfth year he began to purify Judah and Jerusalem, destroying all the pagan shrines, the Asherah poles, and the carved idols and cast images. He ordered that the altars of Baal be demolished and that the incense altars which stood above them be broken down. He also made sure that the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images were smashed and scattered over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. He burned the bones of the pagan priests on their own altars, and so he purified Judah and Jerusalem.

He did the same thing in the towns of Manasseh, Ephraim, and Simeon, even as far as Naphtali, and in the regions all around them. He destroyed the pagan altars and the Asherah poles, and he crushed the idols into dust. He cut down all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Finally, he returned to Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:3-7 (NLT)

1. Seek God Above/Before Everything

1. Remove Your Distractions and Sinful Temptations

In the eighteenth year of his reign, after he had purified the land and the Temple, Josiah appointed Shaphan son of Azaliah, Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem, and Joah son of Joahaz, the royal historian, to repair the Temple of the Lord his God. They gave Hilkiah the high priest the money that had been collected by the Levites who served as gatekeepers at the Temple of God. The gifts were brought by people from Manasseh, Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, as well as from all Judah, Benjamin, and the people of Jerusalem.

He entrusted the money to the men assigned to supervise the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. Then they paid the workers who did the repairs and renovation of the Temple. They hired carpenters and builders, who purchased finished stone for the walls and timber for the rafters and beams. They restored what earlier kings of Judah had allowed to fall into ruin.

The workers served faithfully under the leadership of Jahath and Obadiah, Levites of the Merarite clan, and Zechariah and Meshullam, Levites of the Kohathite clan. Other Levites, all of whom were skilled musicians, were put in charge of the laborers of the various trades. Still others assisted as secretaries, officials, and gatekeepers. 2 Chronicles 34:8-13 (NLT)

1. Commit Yourself to the House of God

While they were bringing out the money collected at the Lord’s Temple, Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that was written by Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the court secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the Lord’s Temple!” Then Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan.

Shaphan took the scroll to the king and reported, “Your officials are doing everything they were assigned to do. The money that was collected at the Temple of the Lord has been turned over to the supervisors and workmen.” Shaphan also told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a scroll.” So Shaphan read it to the king.

When the king heard what was written in the Law, he tore his clothes in despair. 2 Chronicles 34:14-19 (NLT)

1. Commit Yourself to the Word of God 

Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. And the king went up to the Temple of the Lord with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, along with the priests and the Levites—all the people from the greatest to the least. There the king read to them the entire Book of the Covenant that had been found in the Lord’s Temple. The king took his place of authority beside the pillar and renewed the covenant in the Lord’s presence. He pledged to obey the Lord by keeping all his commands, laws, and decrees with all his heart and soul. He promised to obey all the terms of the covenant that were written in the scroll. And he required everyone in Jerusalem and the people of Benjamin to make a similar pledge. The people of Jerusalem did so, renewing their covenant with God, the God of their ancestors.

So Josiah removed all detestable idols from the entire land of Israel and required everyone to worship the Lord their God. And throughout the rest of his lifetime, they did not turn away from the Lord, the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 34:29-33 (NLT)

1. I will have no other gods beside the One True God.
2. I will not make idols of anything or anyone.
3. I will not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
4. I will observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. I will honor my father and my mother.
6. I will not commit murder in my heart, mind, or actions.
7. I will not commit adultery.
8. I will not steal.
9. I will not lie about or against my neighbor.
10. I will not covet (sinfully desire) things.