Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of II Kings Chapter 22
Metaphysically Interpreting II Kings 22:1-2
22:1Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign; and he reigned thirty and one years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath. 22:2And he did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and walked in all the way of David his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left.
September 7, 1930: II Kings 22:1-3
What is the meaning of the name Josiah? The meaning of Josiah is “whom Jehovah supports.” We may say that Josiah signifies that phase of consciousness which connects itself with Spirit and tries to carry out the divine plan, to substitute Being for seeming.
Define the name Jedidah. Jedidah means “beloved; delightful one.” We may liken her to the feminine aspect of the love faculty in the individual, or to the soul established in the love of God. The soul, when it sets its love on God, brings forth Josiah (“whom Jehovah supports”), or the consciousness of the sustaining power of Spirit in all conduct that conforms to spiritual law.
Does a full comprehension of Truth spring into the mind suddenly? No. We may readily gain the first concept of the truth of our being, but Truth in its entirety does not spring into the mind suddenly. Josiah [was a] very young when he ascended [the] throne in Jerusalem, and he [attained] manhood after he had [been pro-]claimed king. We also may ascend the throne of Truth before we master the entire law.
What is the metaphysical meaning of Hilkiah, the priest? Hilkiah, the priest, means “my portion is Jehovah.” By complete consecration of this inner power, the intuitional faculty is able to perform its true function and to bring home to us the fact that our entire life is amenable to spiritual law.
Metaphysically Interpreting II Kings 22:3-20
22:3And it came to pass in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Jehovah, saying,22:4Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the money which is brought into the house of Jehovah, which the keepers of the threshold have gathered of the people: 22:5and let them deliver it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah; and let them give it to the workmen that are in the house of Jehovah, to repair the breaches of the house, 22:6unto the carpenters, and to the builders, and to the masons, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the house. 22:7Howbeit there was no reckoning made with them of the money that was delivered into their hand; for they dealt faithfully.
22:8And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. 22:9And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. 22:10And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
22:11And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes.22:12And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 22:13Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us.
22:14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they communed with her. 22:15And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me,22:16Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read. 22:17Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. 22:18But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard,22:19because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. 22:20Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.
December 4, 1898: II Kings 22:8-20
We have spoken of the kingdom of Judah as standing for the spiritual thought, the higher Spiritual. Any one of Judah's kings represents some definite state of mind dominant in the individual, who professes to be functioning on the Spiritual plane, whether or not he is true to the Spiritual. Thus Hezekiah was true, and therefore prosperous, while Manasseh was false to the Spiritual, and was carried captive to Babylon. But when he repented and turned to the Lord, he was again restored to his kingdom. So when one has attained to this Spiritual eminence, if, through departing from the Lord, he finds himself in bondage of affliction, he may, by changing his thought to obedience to Truth (repentance), be freed from bondage and restored to his Jerusalem of peace. All these varied experiences he may have, even though not understanding the law of the Lord by which thought is brought into expression.
22:8And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it. -- But there comes a time, when “the law is found in the house of the Lord” (in the Spiritual consciousness); according to which error thoughts will be just as faithfully and truly externalized as true thoughts by the same Law of the Lord.
22:9And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah. -- This law of expression may be discovered while you are attending to the matter of repairing your body-temple through the agency of thought in appropriating Wisdom (disbursing the silver). (See verses 4 to 8.)
22:10And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. 22:11And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. -- When you are made fully aware of the infallibility of the law (its terrors for evildoers, because all error thoughts must in time be out-pictured in body or environment), you may well “rend your clothes” in alarm at the prospect.
22:12And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying, 22:13Go ye, inquire of Jehovah for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of Jehovah that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us. -- You may well “inquire of the Lord” concerning this Law, for law is unmerciful and far reaching, reaching back to your earliest years of thought (“fathers.”) And while you have often found relief from present distress by repentance and obedience, yet you know that sometime you are liable to reap the bitter fruits of your past sowing, because you “did not hearken to the words of this book.”
22:14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asaiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the second quarter); and they communed with her. 22:15And she said unto them, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Tell ye the man that sent you unto me,22:16Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read. 22:17Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and it shall not be quenched. -- By appealing to the prophets you will find no escape from the ultimate penalty of law, which is physical death; because, if you have received spiritual illumination (of the kingdom of Judah), your sins of idolatry are sins against the Holy Ghost, which “hath never forgiveness”; it must sometime work its ultimate consequence, death. The “wrath kindled against this place shall not be quenched.” The law must work out its results, if wantonly you have sinned against Light.
22:18But unto the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of Jehovah, thus shall ye say to him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: As touching the words which thou hast heard,22:19because thy heart was tender, and thou didst humble thyself before Jehovah, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me; I also have heard thee, saith Jehovah. 22:20Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace, neither shall thine eyes see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again. -- The name of this king, Josiah, signifies, “God is my healer”, and through the gravest sins, sins against illumination, must ultimately bring their full penalty of death. Still through repentance and obedience to the Law of Truth, you may realize “God as your healer”, and prolong your days, and finally “be gathered to thy grave in peace.” But the Law of the Lord must ultimately work out its legitimate end. You may defer it, but you cannot escape it. If, however, you have not sinned against the illuminating Light of the Spirit, but have walked in obedience to Truth, you may then escape death through the regenerating power of Truth, because the same unfailing Law will bring into expression the eternal thoughts of Truth and Life, which you have committed to its keeping.
– UNITY magazine.
June 8, 1947: II Kings 22:10-11
What does the “book of the law” symbolize? It symbolizes the intuitive perception of the divine law of life.
Why was the book of the law read by Shaphan the scribe to King Josiah? Shaphan (“covered,” “hidden”) represents the consciousness of law that provides the inner rule of action, obedience to which leads to higher and better things by a process of mental and physical evolution. Josiah (“whom Jehovah supports”) represents loyalty to Truth in the consciousness that is seeking to make at-one-ment with God. In doing so it follows the inner rule of action leading to higher and better things.
How is the importance of his inner rule of action brought out in this lesson? In the statement that Shaphan, the scribe, read the book of the law twice. After receiving it from Hilkiah, the high priest, who had found it, Shaphan read it to himself. Next he read the book to Josiah, the king. Finally the king read it to the people.
What is the significance of the statement that “when the king had heard the words of the book of the law ... he rent his clothes”? The king expressed his despair at the failure of the Children of Israel to observe the law. When the will is reminded by the voice of conscience that the thoughts it controls or directs have not been in accord with Truth, the law of God, it is in despair, for it sees nothing ahead but failure.
Instead of despair what constructive action is indicated as desirable? A change of heart is indicated, rather than despair over past wrongdoing. “Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto Jehovah your God.”
[TruthUnity note: this lesson is found in the PDF for II Kings 23]
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-07-2014
