2Ki 22:4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the LORD, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people:

Hilkiah = “my portion is Jehovah”

2Ki 22:5 And let them deliver it into the hand of the doers of the work, that have the oversight of the house of the LORD: and let them give it to the doers of the work which [is] in the house of the LORD, to repair the breaches of the house,
2Ki 22:6 Unto carpenters, and builders, and masons, and to buy timber and hewn stone to repair the house.
 
2Ch 34:9  And when they came to Hilkiah the high priest, they delivered the money that was brought into the house of God, which the Levites that kept the doors had gathered of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem.
2Ch 34:10 And they put [it] in the hand of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the LORD, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the LORD, to repair and amend the house:
2Ch 34:11 Even to the artificers and builders gave they [it], to buy hewn stone, and timber for couplings, and to floor the houses which the kings of Judah had destroyed.
2Ch 34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them [were] Jahath and Obadiah, the Levites, of the sons of Merari; and Zechariah and Meshullam, of the sons of the Kohathites, to set [it] forward; and [other of] the Levites, all that could skill of instruments of musick.

Jahath = “He will snatch up”
1) a Merarite Levite in the reign of Josiah

Obadiah = “servant of Jehovah”
1) a Merarite Levite overseer of the work of restoring the temple in the time of king Josiah of Judah

Levite = see Levi “joined to”
1) the descendants of Levi, the 3rd son of Jacob by Leah
a) the tribe descended from Levi specially set aside by God for His service

Merari = “bitter”
1) the 3rd son of Levi and head of a Levitical family

Zechariah = “Jehovah remembers”
1) a Kohathite Levite in the reign of Josiah

Meshullam = “friend”
1) a Kohathite or family of Kohathite Levites in the reign of Josiah

Kohath = “assembly”
1) the 2nd of the 3 sons of Levi and progenitor of a family in the tribe of Levi

Kohath; Kohathites:
ko’-hath, ko’-hath-its (qehath, qohathi; Kaath): Second son of Levi, and ancestor of Moses and Aaron (Ge 46:11; Ex 6:16-20; Nu 3:17; 1Ch 6:1, etc.). The Kohathites formed one of the three divisions of the tribe of Levi; the other two being the Gershonites and the Merarites (Nu 3:17 ). The Kohathites consisted of four families, the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites (Nu 3:19,27, etc.). Their place in the wilderness was on the southern side of the tabernacle (Nu 3:29), and their number is given (from a month old) as 8,600 (Nu 3:28). Their special charge was “the ark, and the table, and the candlestick, and the altars, and the vessels of the sanctuary wherewith they minister, and the screen, and all the service thereof” (Nu 3:31; compare Nu 7:9). After the conquest 23 cities were assigned them by lot (Jos 21:4,5 ). In David’s time and after, Heman, a Kohathite, and his family had a prominent place in the service of the music of the sanctuary (1Ch 6:33 ff; 16:41 ff; 25:1 ); David likewise divided the Levites into courses (the Kohathites, 1Ch 23:12-20; 24:20-25). We read of the Kohathites in the reign of Jehoshaphat at Engedi (2Ch 20:19), and in connection with the cleansing of the temple under Hezekiah (2Ch 29:12,14).
Written by James Orr

Samuel was of this division.

2Ch 34:12 And the men did the work faithfully: and the overseers of them [were] “He will snatch up” a “servant of Jehovah”, “joined to”, the sons of “bitter[ness]“; and “Jehovah remembers” [a] “friend”, of the sons of the “assembly”, to set [it] forward; and [other of] the “joined to”, all that could skill of instruments of musick.

2Ch 34:13 Also [they were] over the bearers of burdens, and [were] overseers of all that wrought the work in any manner of service: and of the Levites [there were] scribes, and officers, and porters.

2Ki 22:7  Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand, because they dealt faithfully.

Josiah was in the midst of a purging process of the kingdom, because he realized that the kings before him had not followed the Lord.

2Ch 34:6  And [so did he] in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mattocks round about.
2Ch 34:7 And when he had broken down the altars and the groves, and had beaten the graven images into powder, and cut down all the idols throughout all the land of Israel, he returned to Jerusalem.

And he did this in Manasseh = “causing to forget,” Ephraim = “double ash-heap: I shall be doubly fruitful,” Simeon or Shimeon = “heard,” and even unto Naphtali = “wrestling,” with their “mattocks = sword, knife, tools for cutting stone” round about.

2Ch 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.

According to Josephus, who, for those who are unaware, was a reporter/recorder of the history of the Jews during biblical times; Josiah, who was operating under divine government since his twelfth year, had appointed the gentlemen listed above to oversee the repair of the temple of the Lord. These gentlemen had the following credentials.

Shaphan = rock badger, coney, the hyrax; which is a reference to an animal like a rabbit, badger, or even porcupine. The difference though, is that unlike the porcupine, this creature is defenseless, but according to scripture, is a creature of wisdom.

Pro 30:24 There be four [things which are] little upon the earth, but they [are] exceeding wise:
Pro 30:25 The ants [are] a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;
Pro 30:26 The conies [are but] a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks;
Pro 30:27 The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;
Pro 30:28 The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.

Psa 97:7  Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all [ye] gods

Deu 27:15  Cursed [be] the man that maketh [any] graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth [it] in [a] secret [place]. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen.

Why did Josiah do this? Well, I have to jump ahead in this book, because the reason is later given.

2Ch 34:17  And they have gathered together the money that was found in the house of the LORD, and have delivered it into the hand of the overseers, and to the hand of the workmen.
2Ch 34:18 Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
2Ch 34:19 And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.

I’ll get into this part later, but suffice it to say, he was pretty upset once he found out this information. What I like, however, is that once informed, he took immediate action. He made an informed decision. This is why I love this gift of writing that God has blessed me with, because I like to share information because I think people make better decisions once informed; and if I can share something that encourages better decisions, I’m happy.

2Ch 34:4 And they brake down the altars of Baalim in his presence; and the images, that [were] on high above them, he cut down; and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images, he brake in pieces, and made dust [of them], and strowed [it] upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
2Ch 34:5 And he burnt the bones of the priests upon their altars, and cleansed Judah and Jerusalem.

When he broke them into pieces and made dust of them, he was doing this out of reverence for what Moses had done when he found the Israelites worshiping the golden calf.

Exd 32:20  And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt [it] in the fire, and ground [it] to powder, and strawed [it] upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink [of it].

Now, I thought this was rather harsh, and I wondered if Moses had sort of gone off the deep end in his anger here, because we already know he had a problem controlling his anger and/or frustration to some degree, because of the rock incident which later kept him from seeing the promised land.

However, I stumbled across a reference to a grain offering for jealousy, which also explains to some degree why Josiah ground up those pieces. I’m not going to dwell on this, but just let you see this for yourselves. I will say that it caught me off guard.

Also, remember that those of us that are saved are the bride of Christ…the second wife, much like Ester was. Israel was the first, but she followed the indiscretion of Vashti, and was put away. So while you check out this passage, just bear this in mind concerning the whole jealousy thing.

Num 5:12  Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man’s wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
Num 5:13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and [there be] no witness against her, neither she be taken [with the manner];
Num 5:14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:
Num 5:15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it [is] an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
Num 5:16 And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
Num 5:17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put [it] into the water:
Num 5:18 And the priest shall set the woman before the LORD, and uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which [is] the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:19 And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness [with another] instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:
Num 5:20 But if thou hast gone aside [to another] instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:
Num 5:21 Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
Num 5:22 And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to swell, and [thy] thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.
Num 5:23 And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot [them] out with the bitter water:
Num 5:24 And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter.
Num 5:25 Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the offering before the LORD, and offer it upon the altar:
Num 5:26 And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, [even] the memorial thereof, and burn [it] upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
Num 5:27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, [that], if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
Num 5:28 And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
Num 5:29 This [is] the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside [to another] instead of her husband, and is defiled;
Num 5:30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.
Num 5:31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

What does this have to do with Josiah? He did the same grinding of the pieces into flour, because he knew that God is a jealous God, and that God was angry with Israel.

You see, his mindset was to follow the ways of David in his love and devotion to God, so he was cleansing the land. He had yet to see a prophesy that would really put the fear of God into him more than before.

2Ch 34:3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images.

Knowing that nothing that is written here is without a purpose, I’m trying to assess the difference between carved images and molten images. I’m thinking that the molten ones were created with a mold, and that the carved ones could be of wood or stone.

Graven (carved) Image:
Deu 27:15; Psa 97:7 (Heb. pesel), refers to the household gods of idolaters. “Every nation and city had its own gods…Yet every family had its separate household or tutelary god.”

But molten images is explained here in a definition of images. Images, as used here, are visible representations of supposedly supernatural or divine beings or powers. They may be

(1) themselves objects of worship,

(2) pictures, embodiments or dwelling-places (temple, ark, pillar, priests) of deities worshipped,

(3) empowered instruments (amulets, charms, etc.) of object or objects worshipped,

(4) pictures or symbols of deities reverenced though not worshipped.

These images may be shapeless blocks, or symmetrically carved figures, or objects of Nature, such as animals, sun, moon, stars, etc. These visible objects may sometimes be considered, especially by the uninstructed, as deities, while by others in the small community they are thought of as instruments or symbolizations of deity.

Even when they are thought of as deities, this does not exclude a sense and apprehension of a spiritual godhead, since visible corporeal beings may have invisible souls and spiritual attributes, and even the stars may be thought of as “seats of celestial spirits.”

An idol is usually considered as either the deity itself or his permanent tenement; a fetish is an object which has been given a magical or divine power, either because of its having been the temporary home of the deity, or because it has been formed or handled or otherwise spiritually influenced by such deity.

The idol is generally communal, the fetish private; the idol is protective, the fetish is usually not for the common good. (See Jevons, Idea of Cod in Early Religions, 1910.) Relics and symbolic figures do not become “images” in the objectionable sense until reverence changes to worship.

Until comparatively recent times, the Hebrews seem to have offered no religious objection to “artistic” images, as is proved not only from the description of Solomon’s temple, but also from the discoveries of the highly decorated temple of Yahweh at Syene dating from the 6th century BC, and from ruins of synagogues dating from the pre-Christian and early Christian periods (PEF, January, 1908; The Expositor, December, 1907; Expository Times, January and February, 1908). The Second Commandment was not an attack upon artists and sculptors but upon idolaters.

Decoration by means of graven figures was not in ancient times condemned, though, as Josephus shows, by the time of the Seleucids all plastic art was regarded with suspicion. The brazen serpent was probably destroyed in Hezekiah’s time because it had ceased to be an ancient artistic relic and had become an object of worship (see below).

So the destruction of the ark and altar and temple, which for so long a time had been the means of holy worship, became at last a prophetic hope (Isa 6:7; Jer 3:6; Am 5:25; Ho 6:6; compare Zec 14:20). While the temple is not naturally thought of as an “image,” it was as truly so as any Bethel. An idol was the temple in miniature—a dwelling-place of the god. When an image became the object of worship or a means by which a false god was worshipped, it became antagonistic to the First and Second Commandments respectively.