2 Chronicles 35:1-19 ~ The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 35:1-19

Josiah celebrated the Passover to the Lord in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 He appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the Lord’s temple. 3 He said to the Levites, who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the Lord: “Put the sacred ark in the temple that Solomon son of David king of Israel built. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders. Now serve the Lord your God and his people Israel.

 4 Prepare yourselves by families in your divisions, according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and by his son Solomon.

5 “Stand in the holy place with a group of Levites for each subdivision of the families of your fellow Israelites, the lay people. 6 Slaughter the Passover lambs, consecrate yourselves and prepare the lambs for your fellow Israelites, doing what the Lord commanded through Moses.”

7 Josiah provided for all the lay people who were there a total of thirty thousand lambs and goats for the Passover offerings, and also three thousand cattle—all from the king’s own possessions.

8 His officials also contributed voluntarily to the people and the priests and Levites.
Hilkiah, Zechariah and Jehiel, the officials in charge of God’s temple, gave the priests twenty-six hundred Passover offerings and three hundred cattle.

 9 Also Konaniah along with Shemaiah and Nethanel, his brothers, and Hashabiah, Jeiel and Jozabad, the leaders of the Levites, provided five thousand Passover offerings and five hundred head of cattle for the Levites.

10 The service was arranged and the priests stood in their places with the Levites in their divisions as the king had ordered.

11 The Passover lambs were slaughtered, and the priests splashed against the altar the blood handed to them, while the Levites skinned the animals. 12 They set aside the burnt offerings to give them to the subdivisions of the families of the people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the cattle. 13 They roasted the Passover animals over the fire as prescribed, and boiled the holy offerings in pots, caldrons and pans and served them quickly to all the people. 1

4 After this, they made preparations for themselves and for the priests, because the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fat portions until nightfall. So the Levites made preparations for themselves and for the Aaronic priests.

15 The musicians, the descendants of Asaph, were in the places prescribed by David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer. The gatekeepers at each gate did not need to leave their posts, because their fellow Levites made the preparations for them.

16 So at that time the entire service of the Lord was carried out for the celebration of the Passover and the offering of burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord, as King Josiah had ordered.

17 The Israelites who were present celebrated the Passover at that time and observed the Festival of Unleavened Bread for seven days.

18 The Passover had not been observed like this in Israel since the days of the prophet Samuel; and none of the kings of Israel had ever celebrated such a Passover as did Josiah, with the priests, the Levites and all Judah and Israel who were there with the people of Jerusalem. 19 This Passover was celebrated in the eighteenth year of Josiah’s reign.

This Chapter is Astonishing.
This is THE BIBLE and the Scriptures are recording that the Word of God got so lost -
Love with me the accuracy of Scriptures to say they were lost.
 Josiah accidentally found there were indeed Scriptures - when he just kindly decided to clean up the sad and shabby gold plated Temple of God in Jerusalem.

Lo - and - BEHOLD - the Scripture was so fascinating to Josiah and the people of the Temple they had to scour around to find someone with some gleaming of prophetic power. And equally Astounding - this was a woman married to some man.

Josiah - gets completely and totally taken with the Glory, Power, Honor, Majesty, Love and History of God and His Word. Unknowing that Josiah is actually a prediction of God in this lost Scripture. God is just as taken about Josiah as Josiah, who, falls in love with God.

There is not one complete photo of the Chisholm trail - were fewer cattle, about 2,500, were driven and 100 pairs of boots a month were used.

Imagine going to a Party where 3,000 cattle are killed for that party. This is huge.

We would all hold our breathe to see how well Josiah would finish!

God is the same ~ yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Josiah forgets the WORD OF GOD IS LIVING AND ACTIVE.

God has predicted Josiah is the last peace for Judah - GOD IS THRILLED WITH JUDAH AND JOSIAH.

Josiah thinks he is just one of the many people on the planet and he'd like some more glory. Josiah hides to combat the Peaceful Pharaoh of Egypt - and - wham - it's over.

Josiah goes Home to God - but treating God's Word with contempt for easy grace and war and self and glamour and self glory - Just Did Not Impress -

…
…His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Might God,
…The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace Isaiah 9:6

…Behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Revelation 5:5

..and the Bright & Morning Star Revelation 22:16


..and our hands have handled, of the Word of Life 1 John 1:1


...whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke 1:78


…Before Abraham, I Am. John 8:58


…are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Peter 2:25


…I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6


..a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Revelation 19:16

…I am the Light of the World. John 8:12

…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world… John 1:9

…I am Alpha & Omega the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come

The Almighty Revelation 1:8

What could we compare this to? Notre Dame Cathedral.

An atheistic belief was established in France in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church. It became a doctrine of the official government policy in 1792 when the First French Republic was declared and was called the Cult of Reason. The declared goal of the cult was the perfection of mankind solely through the human capacity of reason. Being an atheist cult, worship was given to the abstract ideal of Reason, as opposed to God.

Forced removal of all crosses and statues from graveyards. All church owned land was confiscated and return to the Republic. All church crosses and bells were destroyed. He instituted new festivities that would replace Christian ones. Priests would no longer swear oath to the Catholic Church, instead, they would swear oath to the new faith. Those who refused would face deportation, imprisonment or death. Death would sometimes come at the hands of angry mobs who oppose the Church. In summary, the Cult of Reason caused the wholesale de-christianization of France and occurred in a period of less than two years.

The statues of the biblical kings of Judah (erroneously thought to be French kings - OM - 2 Chronicles 34 ) were beheaded. Many heads were found in 1977 during an excavation nearby. Even the Church bells were ruined. Furniture was burned in the center of the Church. With this decree, the Notre Dame Cathedral, which became a warehouse for the storage of food. 

We've Always Had Separation of Church and State!

Om, no. Not exactly like today.

In its early days, the Capitol building was not strictly used for governmental functions. On Sundays, church services were regularly held there - a practice continued until 50 years ago. According to the U.S. Library of Congress exhibit Religion and the Founding of the American Republic: "It is no exaggeration to say that on Sundays in Washington during the administrations of 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, (1801–1809) and of 4th President, James Madison, (1809–1817) the state became a church. Within a year of his inauguration, Jefferson began attending church services in the chamber of the House of Representatives. Madison followed Jefferson's example, although unlike Jefferson, who rode on horseback to church in the Capitol, Madison came in a coach and four. Worship services in the House were acceptable to Jefferson because they were nondiscriminatory and voluntary. Preachers of every Protestant denomination appeared. (Roman Catholic priests began officiating in 1826.)

A Presbyterian Church was housed in the Congress every Sunday until 50 years ago.

So would Josiah die in the New Testament? God purely does not see death as we do. When our days have ended in His Book of Life - we go Home. A doctor I work with, a Christian Doctor, says part of the Book of Life is coded in our DNA. Makes sense to me.

God is not cruel to call us Home. We are all going in the same direction. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess Jesus is the Lord.

We have a choice every day to be encouragers in the Faith of God to those people Father God has placed in our lives. Jesus is defined as love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

We are a Nation raised to Love the Goodness God Has Blessed this Land With. We can get very quiet, very angry, very confrontational or very afraid. Instead we can be Encouragers of Father God. Honoring one another.

Jesus tells us He is Living Water - an analogy we can all love in the summer months. Jesus rolls in as a satisfyer, a vision of Goodness - Water. Jesus refreshes. Jesus roars in. Jesus rolls in. Jesus nourishes. No matter if the land is thirsty, cracked, barren, if everything is wilted. Jesus is going to seek, seep, satiate, satisfy, renew, restore. Jesus is going to give the gift of LIFE.

Jesus is - God's Word. And in Giving God HIS Word living to others - we are bringing Living Water.

Father God, help us to hunger and thirst for Your Goodness. Let Your righteousness cover us. We ask your Mercy to fall upon us and bless us. We ask for Your Face to Shine upon us.

Help our words to make Your Way known in our lives. Establish Your Health among all Nations.

Father God, Let our praise be for Thee. Help all hearts remember Your Goodness with Gratitude. Jesus provides gladness, songs of joy, righteousness, We pray for Thee to govern the nations upon this earth.

Father God let Your provisions increase, God, You are Our Own God. We pray your blessing upon us, the ones we love, our Church Family, friends, neighbors, State and Nation. Help our Light Shine in You and to the World.

We give You great thanks for the rain and if You would continue this blessine we would say Amen In Jesus. Your Will be done.

 ♔ Lord Jesus Saves †