Metaphysical meaning of Josiah (mbd)
Josiah, jo-si'-ah (Heb.)--whom Jehovah heals; Jehovah cures; whom Jehovah supports; Jah is a prop; fire of Jehovah.
a A good king of Judah. His mother was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath (II Kings 22). b A son of Zephaniah (Zech. 6:10).
Meta. Josiah (whom Jehovah supports) signifies that in consciousness which connects itself with Spirit and tries to carry out the divine plan, to substitute being for seeming. The significance of the fact that Josiah began his reign very young is that, in order to bring the whole man into harmony with Truth and demonstrate perfection, one must begin to act on and be loyal to one's first impressions and concepts of Truth.
When Josiah began to reign Israel had been taught to worship false gods. Man turns away from the one true God because the ruling faculties of mind have been allowed to set up sense laws; to give themselves over to sense consciousness, lascivious imaginations, physical sensations, and so forth. This causes the mind to cling to man-made creeds or organizations, or to spiritual leaders. As a result man loses sight of the one true God.
Jesus taught that God is Spirit. He denied the worship of personality when He said: "Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven" (Matt. 23:8, 9).
After man has denied personality, ignorance, and false worship he affirms his allegiance to Spirit, sets up true worship in the consciousness, affirms his spiritual power, life, and substance, and so builds anew his body temple.
The purging of Judah and Jerusalem (II Chron. 34:1-13) signifies a systematic denial of errors of thought and practice that have become habitual in both the objective and the subjective consciousness. After purging the mind of error, by denial, we should see to it that we put the builders to work upon "the temple." These builders are affirmations.
Josiah was king of Judah when the "book of the law" was found (II Chron. 34:14-28). Josiah here represents loyalty to Truth in man's consciousness, which is seeking to make at-one-ment with God. The "book of the law" is the Mosaic law, or the order of action proclaimed by the Lord (man's higher self) for the purification of the natural man. This purification enables him to receive Truth as proclaimed by Jesus Christ.
The "book of the law" was in "the house of Jehovah." This means that in the center of man's consciousness the law of the Lord is written, and that, as man begins to set his house in order higher rules and standards of action are revealed. This revelation comes through the avenue of the subjective memory (Shaphan the scribe), which receives through the religious tendencies (Hilkiah) the impression of the higher standards of life as man consecrates himself to God and begins to use the energies of his mind and body (money in the house of Jehovah) in the restoration of his body temple.
The faculty that is brought to bear on this revelation of subconscious activities in order that man may rightly interpret and use the increased powers is the intuitive perception of the subjective consciousness; this faculty works through the love nature, illumining the thoughts and making man tender-hearted and nonresistant. This state of mind enables man to go through the transforming processes without hard experiences.
This transforming work is carried to completion through regeneration. We enter into the regeneration by letting the purifying fire of Spirit sweep through the body consciousness as we awake to Truth, and by then identifying ourselves with the Jesus Christ consciousness of strength, power, purity, life, and love.
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Preceding Entry: Joshua
Following Entry: Josiphiah
