The problem most have with these passages is trying to see the linkage to today’s proliferation of false, demonic teaching in the name of God. All too often most will agree with a problem in the church, but fail to see any problem in their church.
There is a quote most often attributed to Mark Twain, “It is easier to fool/(deceive) someone, than to convince them that they are fooled/(deceived). We can all condemn false teachers, but can we see them when they are right in front of our eyes? Based on these passages, apparently not.
2 Kings 23:9-20 But the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of Jehovah in Jerusalem, but they ate of the unleavened bread among their brothers.
“And he,” the list is very extensive and hard to fathom. To what extent did Josiah go to truly rid the land of all the idols, false priests, and places of heinous worship?
And he defiled Topheth, in the valley of the sons of Hinnom, so that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech.
And he took away the horses which the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of Jehovah, by the room of Nathan-melech the eunuch, which was in the suburbs.
And he burned the chariots of the sun with fire. And the altars which were on the top of the upper room of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made, and the two courts of the house of Jehovah, the king beat them down, and broke them down from there.
And he threw the dust of them into the torrent Kidron. And the high places which were before Jerusalem on the right hand of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon the king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the sons of Ammon, the king defiled.
Solomon built these “high” places to appease the idolatrous practices of all of his hundreds of wives and concubines. Why did the wisest man to ever live, fall prey to these passions, lusts, and pagan women? Was he ignorant of the danger or did he just think he was above the Law of God?
And he broke the images in pieces, and cut down the Asherahs, and filled their places with the bones of men.
And also the altar which was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down, and burned the high place; he stamped it to powder, and burned the Asherah.
And as Josiah turned, he spied the tombs which were there in the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs, and burned them on the altar and defiled it, according to the Word of Jehovah which the man of God had proclaimed, who spoke these words.
And he said, What monument is that which I see? And the men of the city told him, It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.
And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. And they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came out of Samaria.
Of all the tombs, just one was saved? God repeatedly sent prophets who were ignored, condemned, and killed. The false prophets of this time are like the false teachers of our time. They cannot defend their beliefs so they need to silence all dissent. This is done everyday in today’s “political correct” culture. Everyone’s speech and space is protected except any that disagrees with their fragile, demonic beliefs.
And also all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke Jehovah to anger, Josiah took away, and did to them according to all the acts which he had done in Bethel.
Interesting that Josiah went outside the territory of Judah to destroy the places in Samaria, which was at one time the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
And he killed all the priests of the high places which were there on the altars, and burned men's bones on them, and returned to Jerusalem.
This is the supreme act of total abhorence to burn bones on an altar.
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 "If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, concerning which he spoke to you, saying, 'Let us go after other gods (whom you have not known) and let us serve them,' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you to find out if you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
"You shall follow the LORD your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
"But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has counseled rebellion against the LORD your God who brought you from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, to seduce you from the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from among you.
False teachers today are under the same judgment from God, but not under any authority that actually can put them to death. Physical death cannot be compared to God’s eternal wrath and judgment against false teachers and all that follow them.
Have you truly purged all the evil out of your life?