Josiah purged the temple of every hint of false worship to honor the LORD’s exclusive holiness.
“Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.” (v.4)
In this passage, King Josiah, who ruled Judah from 640 to 609 BC, commands Hilkiah the high priest and the other priests to remove every idolatrous article from the temple of the LORD. These items had been dedicated to the false gods Baal and Asherah, as well as what is described as the host of heaven, which likely refers to astral deities. Josiah is determined to abolish all vestiges of idolatry in obedience to the recently rediscovered Book of the Law, prompting this cleansing of the temple. Hilkiah, an influential spiritual figure of that time, leads the priests in performing the task, demonstrating how important faithful leadership was to the success of reform.
The text states that Josiah and his priests took these vessels and burned them in the fields of the Kidron, a valley to the east of Jerusalem that had become a site for disposing of offensive materials and conducting ceremonial purifications. After completely destroying the objects, Josiah had their ashes carried to Bethel, which lay north of Jerusalem and had once been a major center of false worship in the northern kingdom. By scattering the remnants of pagan structures there, the king drove home his commitment to purging idolatry not just in Jerusalem, but throughout the land. Josiah’s actions reflect a broader principle carried on into the New Testament: Jesus also cleansed the temple, chasing out those who defiled it (John 2:14-16).
Josiah’s unwavering campaign against idolatry reminds us that reverence for the true God demands the removal of whatever competes with Him.
Set to dark mode
2 Kings 23:4 meaning
“Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest and the priests of the second order and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the vessels that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of the Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.” (v.4)
In this passage, King Josiah, who ruled Judah from 640 to 609 BC, commands Hilkiah the high priest and the other priests to remove every idolatrous article from the temple of the LORD. These items had been dedicated to the false gods Baal and Asherah, as well as what is described as the host of heaven, which likely refers to astral deities. Josiah is determined to abolish all vestiges of idolatry in obedience to the recently rediscovered Book of the Law, prompting this cleansing of the temple. Hilkiah, an influential spiritual figure of that time, leads the priests in performing the task, demonstrating how important faithful leadership was to the success of reform.
The text states that Josiah and his priests took these vessels and burned them in the fields of the Kidron, a valley to the east of Jerusalem that had become a site for disposing of offensive materials and conducting ceremonial purifications. After completely destroying the objects, Josiah had their ashes carried to Bethel, which lay north of Jerusalem and had once been a major center of false worship in the northern kingdom. By scattering the remnants of pagan structures there, the king drove home his commitment to purging idolatry not just in Jerusalem, but throughout the land. Josiah’s actions reflect a broader principle carried on into the New Testament: Jesus also cleansed the temple, chasing out those who defiled it (John 2:14-16).
Josiah’s unwavering campaign against idolatry reminds us that reverence for the true God demands the removal of whatever competes with Him.