“And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord.” — 2 Chronicles 35:2

In the original Hebrew, the word translated encouraged in today’s focus verse means “strengthened, helped, repaired, or fortified.” Have you ever been encouraged by the words of another individual? Perhaps a friend or acquaintance said exactly what you needed to hear at a time when you were going through a hard place. 

That happened to me shortly after I became a Christian. One day, completely unexpectedly, the thought came into my mind, Is there really a God? That shocked me! I was not saved during my teenage years and during that time, I had tried to convince myself that there wasn’t a God. I figured if I could just believe He did not exist, then what I heard at church would not matter. I could go my own way and not worry about someday standing condemned before God. But after God had answered my prayer of repentance and saved me, when a thought like that suddenly came to mind, it bothered me. 

I suspect my family sensed that I was going through a struggle. One night my aunt and uncle were visiting, and my uncle decided to drive back to their house to get something. He asked if I wanted to go along for the ride and I agreed, thinking he probably wanted to encourage me. I was right, even though I had never told anyone that I was wondering what to do with troubling thoughts, especially one that seemed so strange for a Christian. As we were driving toward his house, my uncle said, “You know, even as Christians, sometimes unexpected thoughts will come into our minds. Perhaps even thoughts like, Is there a God?” I just sat there, astonished. Then I thought, OK, I’m going to make it. This is not unusual—other people have gone through the same thing. What an encouragement his words were to me! Decades later, I still look back and recall how they helped settle my confusion. 

In our text today, the climax of King Josiah’s reformation in Judah was his plan to celebrate the Passover at the house of God in Jerusalem. Josiah wanted this observance to align to the requirements of the Law of Moses, and to be administered by the priests and Levites in the manner established by David and Solomon. Since he realized that such a celebration would require extensive planning and effort, he encouraged the priests and other Levites—he strengthened or fortified them—to make the necessary preparations. 

God wants His people to be encouraged all along the way in serving Him. He wants each of His followers to be uplifted and renewed in purpose. Like Josiah, we can have a role in making that happen. By our words and examples, we can inspire those we associate with to feel enthusiastic, appreciated, and energized in their service for God.

When people leave your presence, are they spiritually encouraged? Are they renewed in their purpose to serve God faithfully, giving Him the best of their time and efforts? Our prayer should be, “Lord, help me to uplift others in the Gospel. Help me to be an example of how to be encouraged in the Lord.” 

We want to be excited about what God has done and look forward to the things He is yet to do. We have every reason to be encouraged and everything to look forward to, because the promises of God will carry us through this life and into eternity. Let’s do our best to inspire others to feel the same way!

BACKGROUND

The account of the reign of King Josiah ends in this chapter with a focus on the celebration of the Passover (verses 1-19) and a summary of the death of Josiah (verses 20-27). 

The last Passover of any magnitude had taken place in the days of Hezekiah (see 2 Chronicles 30:1-3) and clearly, King Josiah understood it would take an enormous amount of preparation to properly conduct this Passover after so many years had elapsed. Verse 2 indicates that Josiah “set the priests in their charges [duties], and encouraged them to the service of the house of the Lord.” The priests needed to be both “set” (appointed) and “encouraged” to accomplish the needed work. 

The statement in verse 3 that the Ark of the Covenant “shall not be a burden upon your shoulders” indicates that this symbol of God’s presence was not in its proper place in the Temple and needed to be returned. No explanation is given for its absence; it may have been taken away by righteous priests for its protection during the reign of one of Judah’s wicked kings, or it may have been temporarily taken elsewhere for safekeeping while work was being done on the Temple. 

The details given in verses 4-6 regarding preparations for the Passover reveal that Josiah wanted to ensure everything was done according to the directions given by David and “according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Moses.” 

Verse 7 states that King Josiah gave the people thirty thousand lambs and young goats and three thousand cattle for the Passover sacrifices. The fact that the king was willing to bear this expense personally reveals how determined he was to have a proper Passover celebration. Verses 8-9 indicate his good example inspired the princes of the land to give generously as well. The statement in verse 10, “So the service was prepared,” means that everything had been done as God required. 

Verses 11-19 describe the preparation of the animal sacrifices and the celebration of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which was a seven-day celebration that began the day following Passover. Both events commemorated the nation’s dramatic exodus from Egypt and reminded the people of God’s mighty deliverance. 

The battle with Pharoah Necho of Egypt described in verses 20-27 of this chapter took place in 609 B.C. Three years earlier, forces of the growing Babylonian Empire had overthrown the Assyrian capital of Nineveh, and Necho had allied himself with the remaining Assyrians in an effort to forestall Babylon’s further expansion. Necho’s armies marched through Judah on their way to Charchemish, where they intended to join the Assyrians. Verse 21 indicates that at God’s direction, Necho sent a message to Josiah, urging him not to interfere. (Necho was a pagan king, not a prophet, but in this instance, God used him as a mouthpiece.) However, Josiah failed to heed that counsel. He went into battle thinking he could avoid being a target and escape death by disguising himself, but he was shot by archers and died. 

The concluding verses of this chapter indicate that there was great mourning for Josiah in all of Judah. Among the mourners was the prophet Jeremiah (verse 25). Verses 26-27 provide a concluding summary of the reign of good King Josiah.

AMPLIFIED OUTLINE

III. The history of the kings of Judah
     P. The reign of Josiah
          2. The reformation during his reign
               f. The celebration of the Passover (35:1-19)
                   (1) The gathering of the animals (35:1-9)
                   (2) The preparation of the animals (35:10-15)
                   (3) The celebration of the feasts (35:16-19)
          3. The death of Josiah (35:20-27)

A CLOSER LOOK

1. According to verse 1, when was the Passover celebration held?
2. Why do you think Josiah commanded the Levites in verses 4 and 6 to “prepare yourselves,” and to “sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren”?
3. What are some steps we can take to prepare ourselves to offer spiritual encouragement to others?

CONCLUSION

With God’s help, we can be encouraged in the Lord, and encourage others as well.