2Ki 22:14 | KingComments | STEP | Josiah did what every soul does who in truth is convinced of his sins and therefore fears for judgment. Someone who really discovers that he is a sinner will turn to God to ask Him what to do. Every person who is touched by the Word of God and sees what he is in the eye of God, has that question. The Word brings us into the arms of God. Whoever lives through the Word also knows the value and especially the practice of prayer. Josiah wanted to know from the LORD if there was still hope. He sought that hope with Him Who also has to bring judgment. There was no moderation at all with Josiah. He brought his need to the LORD by acknowledging that he and the people had earned judgment. He left it with the LORD how He would answer. Josiah sent reliable men to Hulda. It is not clear why he sent them to a woman, the prophetess Huldah, and not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah, who acted as prophets in his days. Possibly they were still too young and unknown. He knew the prophetess Huldah. The fact that he went to a prophetess at least marks the time of decay, as in the time of Deborah’s performance, when decay was also great ( ). The name of her husband was explicitly mentioned by also giving the name of his father and grandfather. Hulda’s profession, that he was keeper of the wardrobe, i.e. of the priestly clothes is also mentioned. He took care of the priests’ garments. In the spiritual sense this means that he supervised the behavior of the believers, whether they are in accordance with their confession. Huldah knew God’s thoughts regarding God’s people’s life practices. A prophet or prophetess speaks utterances of God with a view to current situations. Such a person can apply the Word to it. Josiah also experienced this through the message she had for him. Huldah needed to speak about Josiah on behalf of the LORD as “the man” and not as “the king”. For the LORD, all the dignity Josiah had as king was not as important as it was about His judgment. Huldah is told by the LORD what He wanted to say to Josiah and what she had to pass on. It started with a repetition of what Josiah had heard read aloud and what had brought him to dejection. For the third time we hear the announcement of God’s punishment of His people. What Hulda said is nothing but repeating what God’s Word said. Then a word for Josiah personally followed. That personal word was addressed to him as “the king of Judah”. It was a word of encouragement. The reason for this was his humiliation which the LORD had noted. The LORD saw this humbling in his heart and He had also observed the outer characteristics of the tearing of his clothes and tears. We read of Josiah’s father Amon, that he did not humble himself before the LORD ( ). His father Manasseh had humbled himself, but was forced to do so because of his own sins. Josiah did not humble himself because of his own sins, but because of a common guilt. He humbled himself over the sins of the people and of his fathers. He made himself one with them. The encouragement was that the LORD would gather him to his fathers and to his grave in peace. He would see nothing of the calamity that the LORD was going to bring on Jerusalem. The men he sent to Huldah reported to him on what the LORD had told Huldah. We see the effect in the next chapter.

‏ 2 Kings 22:14

The Word of the LORD

Josiah did what every soul does who in truth is convinced of his sins and therefore fears for judgment. Someone who really discovers that he is a sinner will turn to God to ask Him what to do. Every person who is touched by the Word of God and sees what he is in the eye of God, has that question. The Word brings us into the arms of God.

Whoever lives through the Word also knows the value and especially the practice of prayer. Josiah wanted to know from the LORD if there was still hope. He sought that hope with Him Who also has to bring judgment. There was no moderation at all with Josiah. He brought his need to the LORD by acknowledging that he and the people had earned judgment. He left it with the LORD how He would answer.

Josiah sent reliable men to Hulda. It is not clear why he sent them to a woman, the prophetess Huldah, and not to Jeremiah or Zephaniah, who acted as prophets in his days. Possibly they were still too young and unknown. He knew the prophetess Huldah. The fact that he went to a prophetess at least marks the time of decay, as in the time of Deborah’s performance, when decay was also great (Jdg 4:1-9).

The name of her husband was explicitly mentioned by also giving the name of his father and grandfather. Hulda’s profession, that he was keeper of the wardrobe, i.e. of the priestly clothes is also mentioned. He took care of the priests’ garments. In the spiritual sense this means that he supervised the behavior of the believers, whether they are in accordance with their confession.

Huldah knew God’s thoughts regarding God’s people’s life practices. A prophet or prophetess speaks utterances of God with a view to current situations. Such a person can apply the Word to it. Josiah also experienced this through the message she had for him.

Huldah needed to speak about Josiah on behalf of the LORD as “the man” and not as “the king”. For the LORD, all the dignity Josiah had as king was not as important as it was about His judgment. Huldah is told by the LORD what He wanted to say to Josiah and what she had to pass on. It started with a repetition of what Josiah had heard read aloud and what had brought him to dejection. For the third time we hear the announcement of God’s punishment of His people. What Hulda said is nothing but repeating what God’s Word said.

Then a word for Josiah personally followed. That personal word was addressed to him as “the king of Judah”. It was a word of encouragement. The reason for this was his humiliation which the LORD had noted. The LORD saw this humbling in his heart and He had also observed the outer characteristics of the tearing of his clothes and tears.

We read of Josiah’s father Amon, that he did not humble himself before the LORD (2Chr 33:21-23). His father Manasseh had humbled himself, but was forced to do so because of his own sins. Josiah did not humble himself because of his own sins, but because of a common guilt. He humbled himself over the sins of the people and of his fathers. He made himself one with them.

The encouragement was that the LORD would gather him to his fathers and to his grave in peace. He would see nothing of the calamity that the LORD was going to bring on Jerusalem.

The men he sent to Huldah reported to him on what the LORD had told Huldah. We see the effect in the next chapter.