4/5 2 Kings 23 - Reforming Revival!

When the Lord gets a hold of a person’s life, He often brings in sweeping change. Today, we’ll see the kind of change the Lord brought to Judah through King Josiah’s leadership. This chapter will shock us and show us just how far the people had fallen from the Lord. 

DISCUSSION AND STUDY QUESTIONS:

1.    Today we’re continuing to look at the life of Josiah. What did we learn yesterday in our study of 2 Kings 22 regarding Josiah’s age when he became king? How do you think his age affected his view of himself, the Lord and his willingness to break with the evil examples of his forefathers?
2.    When Josiah heard about God’s Word how did he respond in 2 Kings 22:11? Here in our chapter today, what meeting does he call in 2 Kings 23:1-2? Who was at this meeting? Why do you think Josiah wanted these people to hear God’s Word? 
3.    How is God’s Word described in verse 2? How does this term relate to their ancestor’s obligation to obey it? 
4.    In verse 3, what specific promises did Josiah make about God’s Word? How did the people respond to his example? Why do you think this revival has such an instantaneous impact on the people? 
5.    In verse 4, what did the priests remove from the Temple? What does the presence of these items in the Temple of the Lord indicate about how the people had intermingled true worship with false worship? Do people do things like this today? What does that look like? 
6.    According to verse 5, who appointed the idolatrous priests? What does this tell us about the spiritual purity of Judah’s government? 
7.    As we continue to be shocked about the spiritual decay of Judah, in verse 7, whose houses were removed from the Temple of the Lord? Why would they have even been there? Likewise, who was the woman weaving hangings for? What does this say about their devotion to the Lord? 
8.    What evil practice is ended in verse 10 (note, this is also the same practice also mentioned in verse 13)? How do you think Judah had gotten to a place where something like this was allowed in their land?
9.    Where (in terms of location) does Josiah’s reforms take him in verse 19? Who controlled this region? How did this show tremendous faith and zeal for the Lord? 
10.    What sacred holiday is restated in verses 21-23? Why is this holiday vital to the Jewish understanding of their relationship to the Lord? 
11.    Although Josiah had a faithful reign as king, what was God’s view of Judah in verse 26? 
12.    How does Josiah die in verse 29? What happens to Judah after his death? How does this chaos reflect judgment from the Lord? 
13.    Look at the reforms that are listed throughout this chapter. Who are they attributed to? What does this tell us about the heart condition of everyone else? 
14.    We began this chapter looking at the meeting that Josiah called with all the people to return to their covenant with the Lord. Given how far they had fallen from the Lord (hence the need for such reforms), do you think the people were sincere in these changes? 
15.    What spiritual principles can we learn about the seriousness of God’s warnings and our need to pay attention to them? What has He warned about the world in our day? Do you think people are listening? Why or why not? 

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