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.