Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
An old word with a new meaning is showing up in conversation from time to time these days. The old word is “GOAT”. We all understand there is an animal with horns called a goat, but in recent years that word is often used as an acronym for the words: “Greatest Of All Time”. It is most often used in the world of sports and athletics but is now also being used for very unusual and spectacular events. Today, as we continue following the story of King Josiah and the cleansing work he led in Jerusalem and Judah about 2600 years ago, let’s look at an event that the Bible calls the “GOAT” of Passover Celebrations!
2 Chronicles 35 dedicates 19 verses to describe this remarkable week-long event. It followed the radical cleansing work which Josiah and the people had accomplished in Jerusalem, the Temple and even throughout the southern kingdom of Judah as described in 2 Kings 23:1-20. 2 Chronicles 35 begins with these words: “King Josiah celebrated the Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and the Passover lamb was slaughtered on the 14th day of the first month. Josiah appointed the priests to their duties and encouraged them in the service of the LORD’s temple…”
2 Kings 23:23 tells us this great event occurred in the 18th year of King Josiah’s reign; thus, he was 26 years old, and we can fix this event in the year 622bc, exactly 100 years AFTER the northern kingdom Israel had fallen to the conquering Assyrian army. Perhaps you remember God Himself had fixed the annual date for this remarkable Passover festival which celebrated God’s deliverance of the Hebrew slaves from Egyptian slavery. (Exodus 12)
As I’ve read through the 2 Chronicles 35 description of this ‘GOAT‘ of all Passover Celebrations in Jerusalem may I invite us to consider these highlights:
First, what Josiah did with the Ark of the Covenant. The record says: “Josiah said to the Levites who instructed all Israel and who had been consecrated to the LORD: ‘Put the sacred Ark in the Temple built by Solomon, son of David king of Israel. It is not to be carried about on your shoulders…” (2 Chron. 35:3) I conclude from this that under the previous wicked leadership of Josiah’s father Amon and grandfather Manasseh, the sacred Ark of the Covenant had been treated like a toy, or worse, it was defiled by carrying it around Jerusalem and maybe even out to other towns, without reverence and perhaps even made fun of, while wicked priests were worshiping man-made idols.
You’ll recall this Ark contained the 10 Commandment tablets Moses had brought down from Mount Sinai following his final encounter with God. (Deut. 10:1-5) God had made it clear this Ark of the Covenant was to remain in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Once before in Israel’s history the Ark had been taken out and brought to the battlefield and the Philistines had captured the Ark! (1 Samuel 4:3,4,10,11) Now Josiah is taking a very strong stand to be in alignment with God’s commands and return the Ark of the Covenant to the Most Holy Place of the Temple and King Josiah selected consecrated Levites to accomplish this sacred task.
Now let’s personalize what was happening here. Is it possible you and I or anyone we know has drifted into such a spiritual malaise that God’s Word is so disrespected it is flippantly mishandled or placed under your bed or on a shelf and forgotten? Has the wonderful miracle of prayer, actual conversation with Almighty God, become nothing more than mumbling a few memorized words before a meal or falling asleep at night? Has Worship of Holy, Majestic God become nothing more than entertainment or chaos or rigid rituals which mean nothing?
Now back to Josiah’s Passover celebration. I have a second observation: Josiah called the spiritual leaders, the Levites and Priests to accountability and commissioned them to fulfill their God given roles properly and with great reverence before God! Josiah gave them this simple yet profound charge: “Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel. Prepare yourselves…according to the instructions written by David king of Israel and his son Solomon.” (2 Chron. 35:3,4)
Do you notice Josiah’s focus on the word SERVE? Do you see the order of Service? First, God honoring spiritual leaders serve and are fully obedient to God. Then secondly, God honoring spiritual leaders SERVE the people God has entrusted to their care. Did you get that friends? SERVE!!
The role of spiritual leaders, as defined by God, is best seen in the relationship between a shepherd and the sheep of his flock. Of course, you remember David wrote about that in Psalm 23 and John gives us an important record of Jesus teaching about that in John 10.
But did you know God spoke a very condemning word to the failed spiritual leaders of Israel in Ezekiel 34? Listen to this: “The word of the LORD came to me [Ezekiel]: “Son of man, prophecy against the shepherds of Israel and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? …You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So, My sheep were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered, they became food for the wild animals’… Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: ‘I am against the shepherds, and I will hold them accountable for My flock. I will remove them from tending the flock…” (Ez. 34:1-10)
OH my, it should not be difficult for us to apply this harsh reality to ourselves as we look closely at our churches, our spiritual leaders, in any country of the world. What is God saying to you and me today about this, my friends?
The verses which follow in 2 Chronicles 34 describe how the Levites and Priests served the thousands of people who came for this great Passover festival in Jerusalem in response to King Josiah’s efforts to restore God honoring worship and living to Jerusalem and Judah following so many decades of debauchery and decadence.
And of course, a great worship festival needs music and 2 Chronicles 35:15 paints a wonderful picture for us: “The musicians [and choirs] …were in the places prescribed by King David, Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun the king’s seer.” Josiah made every effort to make sure this Passover was done right! It appears Josiah went all the way back to King David’s spiritual leadership team and how they structured great worship for festivals in Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 16) In fact the record says: “The entire service of the LORD was carried out for the celebration of the Passover…as King Josiah ordered…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…” (2 Chronicles 35:16-19)
Do you now see, my friends, why I called this the “GOAT” of all Passovers? The days of Samuel would have been around 1050bc, so that would be about 420 years between the Passover Celebrations of Samuel & this one of Josiah! In fact, 2 Kings 23:22 makes this statement: “Neither in the days of the judges who led Israel nor in the days of the kings of Israel or the kings of Judah had any such Passover been observed.” When was the last time you experienced such a powerful, wonderful worship experience with God, it moved you to tears or took your breath away?
May I invite us my friends to use our Biblical imagination and transport ourselves back 2600 years and simply walk around Jerusalem, among the throngs of people who had gathered for this “GOAT” Passover. Yes, of course, make your way up to the great Temple courts and be amazed at the music, the sacrifices, the worship and prayers, and of course stand amazed at the magnificent Temple itself, now cleaned and refurbished by King Josiah’s craftsmen.
Then look over to the east, the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane, and think about what will happen there 600 years later when Jesus comes riding over the hill on a donkey on what we know as Palm Sunday!
Spend some time right now thanking God for His Word, our Bible, which gives us the great story of God and His love, patience, grace and mercy for us, a floundering human race. And finally, thank Jesus Christ, for coming as the Living Passover Lamb and making new life possible for us and every person! Join the worship of Josiah’s greatest of all time (GOAT) Passover my friends, with this song. . .
Today’s Scripture: 2 Chronicles 35:1-19.
Choose below to read or listen.
 |  |
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
Archived back issues of “Walking with Jesus” and other resources are available by clicking here to open our ‘home page’ (or go to HOME at upper right of this page).
Share with friends. Subscribe below for daily “Walking with Jesus”.