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Category: Group Study
Thread: Significant Battles and their Impact on God’s Plan
Post Topic: The Boy King Takes On the Pharaoh
Post in Thread: #5
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Scripture: 2 Chronicles 35:20-27
Note: This post is slightly longer than most Burning Bush group studies. To keep it at 15-20 minutes, only pick one discussion question in each section.
Key Verses:
2 Chronicles 35:22
Josiah, however, would not turn away from him, but disguised himself to engage him in battle. He would not listen to what Necho had said at God’s command but went to fight him on the plain of Megiddo.
Backstory
King Josiah descended from a line of evil kings who set up pagan idols and rituals throughout the land of Judah. After a violent revolt against his wicked father Amnon, Josiah was installed as a boy king at the age of 8.
2 Chronicles 34:2 tells us that Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, following the ways of his ancestor David. He cleaned up the temple and re-dedicated it to the Lord. A time of peace an prosperity followed for the kingdom of Judah. Chapters 34 and 35 describe the details of his reforms.
Meanwhile, the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen to the mighty Assyrian empire. By the time of Josiah, however, the Assyrian empire was under attack by the rising Babylonian kingdom. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, had captured Nineveh and pushed the Assyrians westward. The Egyptians, led by Pharaoh Necho, were former enemies of the Assyrians, but saw the Babylonians as a greater threat, and decided to rush to the Assyrians aid.
Standing between Egypt and the conflict between Assyria and Babylonia – the land of Judah and Israel.
Observations
Context
Pharaoh Necho is marching through Israel toward Carchemish (modern-day Turkey/Syria). He has no quarrel with the nation of Judah. His objective is to proceed north to help the Assyrians hold off the Babylonians.
Megiddo Valley. Somewhere out there, Josiah took an arrow.
The Warning
When Josiah’s inexperienced forces marched out to meet the Egyptians, Pharaoh Necho couldn’t understand it. He sent a message to Josiah that he didn’t want to attack Josiah’s forces. Necho claimed that God had told him to march north to oppose the Babylonians. Necho warned Josiah not to defy God’s will.
The Battle
- Josiah was so determined to stand his ground, that he disguised himself, and took the field alongside his men.
- He met Necho’s forces on the plain of Megiddo, which is actually a distance north from Jerusalem and at the outer edges of the kingdom of Judah.
- Josiah was badly wounded by Egyptian archers. His men took him back to Jerusalem on a chariot, where the godly king died.
- Clearly, Egypt won this encounter. The Bible doesn’t say much else about the encounter. But history books (and the book of Jerimiah) do show that the Egyptians were eventually defeated at Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar. Perhaps the delay that Josiah provided made all the difference.
Discussion
- Josiah had made all these wonderful reforms and his nation was now following the one true God. Necho made it clear he didn’t want a conflict. Why do you suppose Josiah insisted on opposing him? There’s a number of possible answers.
- What would be some of the strategic pros and cons of opposing Necho? See the map below, and consider the current political landscape:
- The Egyptians bordered Judah to the south and had a long history with the Israelites.
- Long before Josiah’s reign in Judah, the Assyrians had defeated the northern tribes of Israel, scattering them forever. The Assyrians efforts to overthrow Judah, however, had failed at the hands of Judah’s King Hezekiah.
- The Babylonian empire was rising, and threatening to become a major military force. They had aligned with the Medes to take on the Assyrians.
- Josiah had expanded Judah’s kingdom northward, retaking some Assyrian provinces like Samaria and Megiddo.
- Carchemish was the last bastion for Assyria.
- Necho claimed to be speaking for God. Should Josiah have believed this pagan leader? How would he have known?
Interpretation
Setting
The plains of Megiddo sit in a strategic, fertile valley. It is part of a land bridge between Egypt and Mesopotamia.
Author
Unknown.
Takeaways
- 2 Chronicles 35:22 confirms that Necho’s message was indeed from God.
- Josiah was known for his devotion to God. But in this case, he was clearly defying God’s will, and he paid the ultimate price for it.
Discussion
What would you have done in Josiah’s situation? How would you have felt about the Egyptians marching through your land to aid the hated Assyrians? Remember how much Jonah hated the Ninevites?
Correlation
- 2 Kings 23:29 – confirms the story of the death of Josiah at the hands of Necho.
- Proverbs 24:6 – Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers.
- Discussion question: Was this Josiah’s primary failure? The failure to surround himself with the right advisors, and/or the failure to listen to them? Or was it simply pride and hate that led him onto the battlefield?
- Advanced discussion question: Can you think of another king who failed to listen to wise counsel and suffered the consequences?
Application
Generic Applications
- We don’t know Josiah’s motivations for opposing Necho and not seeking/listening to God’s instructions. It could have been hatred for Assyria, pride (nobody’s marching through our land!), or just failure to listen to God.
- Regardless of the reason, even the most godly of us can fall out of the will of God.
Group Discussion
Which of Josiah’s possible reasons for falling out of God’s are most likely to ensnare us?
- Hatred/disdain
- Pride
- Failure to listen to the voice of God
How can we guard against falling into a similar trap?
Personalize it
Let’s surround ourselves with the right advisors, so that we can find wise counsel at the most important moments.
Group Discussion
- Unless you’re in the military reading this, we probably aren’t talking life and death, but – do you have wise counsel that you can turn to before making important decisions? Can the members of this group commit to being available for each other when needed?
- Is there someone else, outside this group, like a pastor or teacher, who would be a wise counsel for a critical life-decision?
Historical Significance
After the Assyrians were defeated by the Babylonians at Nineveh, they retreated to Haran and re-established their capital there. The Babylonians didn’t stop, and soon Haran fell. The last stronghold was the fortified city of Carchemish, and the Egyptians were determined to maintain the balance of power.
Necho arrived too late, however, and Carchemish fell to the Babylonians and the Medes. It is widely speculated that the conflict with Josiah’s forces made the difference by slowing down their progress. Would the results have changed if the Egyptians had arrived in Carchemish earlier? We’ll never know.
Following Josiah’s death, the kingdom of Judah soon fell under wicked kings and turned away from God. Meanwhile, the Babylonians rose to great power under Nebuchadnezzar, eventually overthrowing Judah and taking the best and brightest (like Daniel) into exile in Babylon.
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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