Unit 6, Lesson 8

Josiah

I.Define Commitment1. To pledge or obligate yourself to a person or cause.

A. With your partner, look for objects in this room that represent commitment and record them in the space below. How do the objects represent commitment?

B. What symbols represent our commitment to God? What should correspond with these symbols so that people know what they really mean?

II. The Oil Lamp

1. Represented Judah’s commitment to the Lord and its

claim to be the people of God.2. What would the lamp symbolize regarding David’s

Family? 1. That his line would never die out (the

UNCONDITIONAL Davidic Covenant.3. What covenant had the people of Judah, under King

Manasseh, been ignoring? 1. The CONDITIONAL Sinai Covenant that required

obedience as a prerequisite to blessing. 4. Manasseh was Judah’s worst King, like Ahab was to

Israel.

III. Basic Requirements of the Sinai Covenant

A. Worship the creator, not the creation.B. Trust in God for fruitfulness. Don’t participate in pagan

fertility rituals.C. Treat each other with justice and righteousness.D. Read together Isaiah 1:2-4, 15-17, 24-26

IV. Assyria’s Weakness

A. Assyria threw it’s weight around like a big bully. It

controlled its vassals through techniques such as skinning people alive.

B. Assyria’s empire was so vast that controlling it was very difficult. Rebellions from Egypt and Babylon weakened the empire.A. Babylon’s rebellion in 652 BC took 4 years to stamp out.B. Barbarian tribes from swooped down from the north and

settled in what is now northwestern Iran.C. The Medes and Persians threatened from regions near

the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea.D. Then Babylon rebelled again.

V. A New King

A. By the time Josiah became King in 640 BC,

Assyria did not have much control over Judah. i. His reforms were so complete that he destroyed an altar at Bethel that has existed since Jeroboam’s time.

VI. Dramatic Interpretations

• With your partner or group, read the assigned scripture and come up with a brief dramatic presentation of the scripture for the class. After each presentation, you should record a summary of the scripture.

• Josiah as a Young King—2 Chronicles 34:1-7• The Restoration of the Temple—2 Chronicles 34:8-13• Finding the Book of the Law—2 Chronicles 34:14-18;

Deuteronomy 4:15-20; 15:7-8, 10-11• Josiah’s First Response to the reading of the Law—2

Chronicles 34:19-21; Deuteronomy 15-24• The Word of the Lord to the Prophetess—2 Chronicles

34:22-28• Josiah’s Second Response to the Reading of the Law

—2 Chronicles 34:29-33• Josiah’s Third Response to the Reading of the Law—2

Chronicles 35:1-7, 15; Psalm 28• Josiah’s Death—2 Chronicles 35:20-25