Bible Study Notes 10/14/2025
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(Much gratitude is given to Dr. Carol Kaminski for her Old Testament Survey course at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the study materials that accompany and inform this teaching.)
The Book of the Law is Found
In the 8th year (622 BC) of Josiah’s reign, more religious reforms take place (2 Kgs. 22-23).
Josiah instructs Shaphan, the scribe, to go to Hilkiah, the high priest, so that he might count the money stored in the temple and provide payment to those who were working on its repairs.
- While retrieving money from the temple, Hilkiah finds the book of the law of God.
- The king was supposed to be reading the book of the law all the days of his life – READ Deut. 17:14-20.
- BUT it had apparently been lost.
- Neglecting the word of God always produces disastrous results.
- Shaphan takes it to Josiah and reads it to the king.
Josiah hears the word of God and is greatly convicted about the sin of the nation.
- He tears his garments and commands Hilkiah, the high priest, and other leaders, to inquire of the LORD concerning the words that were read to Him.
- Josiah now understands that “great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written” (2 Kgs. 22:13).
Josiah rightly asks a prophet to provide the counsel of the LORD to his present moment, so Hilkiah and other leaders inquire of Huldah, the prophetess, concerning what is written in the law.
- She interprets the law to the religious leaders, saying, “Thus says the LORD.” READ 2 Chr. 34:24-25.
- Huldah explains that God’s judgment against Judah and Jerusalem will not come about during the days of Josiah, because the king has humbled himself before God.
- Hilkiah and the other religious leaders report to King Josiah the word of the LORD made known to them by Huldah the prophetess, upon which Josiah gathers all the people of Judah and reads from the book of the covenant that has been found, then leads God’s people into a time of covenant renewal: READ 2 Chr. 34:31-32.
This leads to a commitment by the king and the people to keep the covenant stipulations and to perform all the words written in the law, which leads to many religious reforms in addition to those that took place a few years earlier in 628 BC.
- Josiah increases his efforts to eradicate idol worship in Judah (2 Kgs. 23:4-25; 2 Chr. 34:31-33).
- Josiah burns vessels that had been used in idol worship;
- does away with the idolatrous priests who had been burning incense at the high places;
- breaks down houses belonging to male cult prostitutes;
- puts an end to child sacrifice,
- does away with the horses that had been devoted to the sun at the entrance of the temple;
- destroys the roof-top altar that Ahaz and Manasseh had made for foreign gods;
- eliminated the altars that King Solomon made for all the gods he worshiped, including the altars he build for pagan gods (e.g., Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Milcom);
- travels north and destroys the altar in Bethel that Jeroboam had build three hundred years earlier along with the high place that had caused Israel to sin;
- slaughters the idolatrous priests who were left in Samaria, and burns their bones on their altars according to an earlier prophecy (1 Kgs. 13:2);
- returns to Jerusalem and establishes the Passover festival;
- removes the mediums, spiritists, and all the abominations that were in the land in order to establish the words of the law written in the book of the covenant (2 Kgs. 23).
During Josiah’s reign, the Mosaic covenant is renewed and there is great rejoicing.
Renewal of the covenant will bring about a temporary return to God, but it will not change the inner condition of the human heart, for Judah will shortly return to idols – something more than the Mosaic covenant is needed, and Jeremiah will soon announce a NEW covenant.
Even through these reforms, God’s wrath against Judah and Jerusalem is coming, for the sins of Judah have already reached a limit: READ 2 Kgs. 23:26-27.
God sends the prophet Jeremiah to Judah in 627 BC, just one year before the religious reforms had begun under Josiah, so Jeremiah begins his ministry while Josiah is on the throne.
- Josiah’s reforms will be short-lived – Jeremiah provides Judah with God’s repeated warnings over the next 23 years (Jer. 25:3-11).
- The judgment to come will not happen during Josiah’s reign because he humbled himself before God.
While all this is going on in Jerusalem, other events are taking place beyond Judah’s borders:
- Egypt and Assyria have joined forces against the Babylonians, and in 609 BC, Pharaoh Neco is on his way to Haran to help out the Assyrians.
- He is met by Josiah, who is hoping to stop the Egyptian advance.
Pharaoh Neco warns Josiah to leave, telling him that he is not at war with him, but Josiah does not leave the battle scene even though these words of Neco are “from the mouth of God” (2 Chr. 35:22).
- Instead, Josiah disguises himself and proceeds to fight at Megiddo, where he is shot with an arrow (2 Chr. 35:20-24).
- Josiah dies shortly thereafter, and the people mourn for him.
After Josiah’s death in 609 BC, the downfall of Judah is imminent, as his death marks the beginning of the end of the southern kingdom.
Keep in mind that Zephaniah and Nahum are prophets that minister during the time of Josiah.
The Prophet Zephaniah
Ministered between 640-609 BC
Zephaniah is a 7th C BC prophet who reigns during the time of Josiah (Zeph. 1:1).
He begins his message by announcing God’s judgment against the entire earth in language similar to the flood (Zeph. 1:3-4), although his message is for Judah – he proclaims: READ Zeph 1:4-6.
Zephaniah describes God’s judgment as the “day of the LORD” (Zeph. 1:7, 14) – this will be a day of darkness and gloom, a day of judgment against Judah, and one that is “near and hastening fast” (Zeph. 1:14).
This is how he describes the “day of the LORD”: READ Zeph. 1:15-17.
- It is common for the prophets to describe a future judgment of God as the “day of the LORD” (Joel 1:15; 2:1-2, 11; 3:14; Amos 5:18-20).
- Zephaniah continues with his indictment against Jerusalem: “Woe to her who is rebellious and defiled, the oppressing city! She listens to no voice; she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the LORD; she does not draw near to her God” (Zeph. 3:1-2).
- Zephaniah strongly criticizes Jerusalem’s leadership when proclaiming that “her officials within her are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave nothing till the morning. Her prophets are fickle, treacherous men; her priests profane what is holy; they do violence to the law” (Zeph. 3:3-4).
- In the midst of rampant idolatry and covenant unfaithfulness, Zephaniah proclaims that “the LORD within her is righteous” (Zeph. 3:5).
- Yahweh is the righteous and sovereign King of glory who will do justice, which includes bringing right judgment against Jerusalem and the nations, especially against those nations who have delighted in the demise of God’s people and have exalted themselves in pride (Zeph. 2).
In the midst of this message of judgment, Yahweh still urges his people to “wait for Me” (Zeph. 3:8).
- God’s judgment will not bring an end to His plan of redemption, but it will turn out to be a necessary, purifying aspect of it.
- Zephaniah understands what the ultimate outcome in the future restoration of God’s people will be after the judgment: READ Zeph. 3:14-15.
Z. announces that “on that day” the LORD will save his people and that the LORD will rejoice over them with gladness.
- The judgment of exile will be resolved by the return of God’s presence.
- He will save his people and rejoice over them; He will sing over them with loud singing; He will gather to himself the lame and scattered, turning their shame into praise (Zeph. 3:14-20).
- The King of Israel, the LORD, is in their midst – We must hold in our minds this EXPECTATION as we later visit the gospel narratives of the Messiah.
Remember: Zephaniah = The Day of the LORD is nigh.
The Prophet Nahum
Nahum is a 7th C BC prophet.
God calls Nahum at this time to announce his judgment against the Assyrian city of Nineveh (where Jonah had proclaimed God’s word over 100 years earlier).
- Nineveh was destroyed in 612 BC by the Babylonians, so we can place Nahum’s prophecy before this date.
- He also mentions the fall of Thebes (Nah. 3:8-10), which occurs 663 BC, so we can assume he is prophesying after this date.
Nahum begins with a description of Yahweh, which is deeply rooted in Exodus imagery (esp. Ex. 34:6-7 and the Sinai theophany [God’s visible manifestation to humankind] of Exodus 19-20). READ Nah 1:2-3, 6-7.
Yahweh’s prophets bring judgment not just to Israel, but also to the surrounding nations.
- Nahum describes Nineveh as a city “full of lies and plunder” (Nah. 3:1), and a prostitute, “graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms” (Nah. 3:4).
The prophet announces that God is against the city (Nah. 3:5) – the Assyrians had attacked the southern kingdom during the days of Hezekiah, and at that time, they tried to take Jerusalem.
- The Assyrian messengers mocked God, but Nahum announces that the time has now come for God to take vengeance on his adversaries, making Judah free from Assyria.
- Nahum means “comfort” and now gives this comfort to Judah.
- READ Nah. 2:15 - (cf. Isa 52:7; Luke 2:10; Acts 10:36; Rom. 10:15)
God’s people are saved and their enemies are judged.