The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 421

good man. Among the tombe which Joeiah beheld was one with a monument before H. He asked whose it was, and was told it was the monument of the man of God who prophesied of these things which had been done to the altar. That monument had, perhaps, been built by the hands of the very men whose sios the prophet had denounced, so great oftentimes is human inconsistency (cf. Matt. xxiii. 2d-30). In any case, it stood there for centuries a silent witness against the iniquities that were perpetrated in its presence. Monuments to prophets, martyrs, saints, still crowd our bnrial and public places; we pay external honour to their memories; but what God will ask of us is-Do we imitate their spirit? As great men recede into the distance, it becomes easy to pay them reverence. These idolatrous Israelites no doubt magnified their descent from Abraham, and boasted of their great lawgiver Moses, at the very time that they were breaking bis commandments. When the prophets were among them, they sought to kill them; then they built monuments in their honour. 2. A solitJJ,ry witness/or troth justified by the event. This prophet in his day stood alone. Even among the dead he lay alone. 'l'he multitudes around him were not those who believed, but those who had disregarded his word. If ever man was in a minority, he was. Century after century rolled by, and still the word he had spoken remained unfulfilled. Did it not seem as if the oracle were about to fail? But Wisdom in the end is justified of her- children (Matt. xi. 19). The prophet's word came true at last, and it was seen and acknowledged of all that he was right. Thus is it with all God's true servants. We should not concern ourselves too much with man's gainsaying. We have but to bear our testimony and leave the issues with God. He will at length vindicate us, 3. Discrimination between good and bad. When Josiah learned whose the sepulchre was, he gave command that his bones should not be touched, nor yet the bones of the old prophet who was buried along with him (1 Kings xiii. 31). The righteous was discriminated from the sinners. So shall it be at the last day. No confusion will be made in the resurrection between good and bad. While the wicked come forth to the resurrection of judgment, the good shall come forth to the resurrection of life (John v. 29). A gracious Saviour watches over their dust. III. THE SLAUGHTER OF THE PRIESTS. 1. General demolition. The wave of destruc- tion spread from Bethel over aHthe other high places in the cities of Samaria. Josiah's procession through the land was the signal for the overthrow of every species of idolatry. "So did he," we are told, "in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even 11nto Naphtali, in their ruins round about" (2 Chron. xxxiv. 6). 2. Priests of the high places slain. In connection with this progress of Josiah through Israel is mentioned the fact that" he slew all the priests of the high places that were there upon the altars." Jfthis stern policy had been confined to Israel, it would have been difficult to exculpate Josiah from partialiLy in his carrying out of the provisions of the Law; but the worda in Chronicles imply that the like was, at least in some places, done in Judah also (2 Cbron. xxxiv. 5). In what he did he was no doubt strictly within the letter of the Law, which he and the people had sworn to obey, for that undeniably denounced death against idolaters (Deut. xiii., etc.). 'l'o equal his act, therefore, with Manasseh's shedding of innocent blood is to miss the essential fact of the situation. This was not innocent blood by the fundamental law of the constitution. It is probably with reference to this, as to other parts of his conduct., that Josiah gets special praise for the fidelity of his obedience to the Law of Moses (ver. 25). It does not follow that his conduct is such as Christians, living under a milder and better dispensation, should now imitate. It does not even follow that every individual act whi"ch Josiah did was beyond blame. His human judgment may have erred at times on the side of severity. 'fhe holiest movements are not free from occasional excesses; but we should judge the movement by the soul which actuates it, and not by its superficial excrescences. -J.O. Vers. 21-28.-The reform2tion completed, yet Israers sin not pardoned. We have in these verses- I. THE GREAT PASSOVER. 1. .A seal of the covenant. This great year of reformation began with a covenant, and ended with a Passover. 'l'he ceremonies of the occasion are fully described in 2 Chron. xxxv, The Passover in the Old Testament was in some respects very mnch what tbe Lord's Supper is in the New. It took the people back to the origi11  4i2 TRE SECOND BOOK OF 'l'HE IONGS. [on. xxm. 1-37,