Of all ancient Judah, Josiah is my favorite king. He grew up among abominable idolatry and began to reign at eight years of age. His work was to reform the kingdom he inherited from his wicked father.
You can read his story beginning in 2 Kings, chapter 22, and 2 Chronicles, chapter 34. His efforts to return his kingdom to the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob began out of his own best judgment, in consultation with scribes, priests, prophets, prophetesses, and other leaders.
He struggled for years, only gradually beginning to purge the people of the idolatry that had taken hold of them and stifled their spiritual progress.
His reign took a monumental turn when, during the renovation of the temple in Jerusalem, a copy of the book of the law was found hidden there.
A scribe read the book to Josiah, and Josiah rent his clothes in mourning. He was terrified that judgments would come down upon his people by their wickedness and their neglect of the patterns of righteous worship God had revealed to Moses.
After so long wandering in his own desert, as it were, of personal darkness regarding God's revealed word, Josiah now had the truth, written down and available for all in plainness.
He gathered all the elders of Judah, and all citizens of Jerusalem to the temple and read the whole book to them. He then made a covenant with the Lord, renewing his commitment to obey the word of the Lord as it had been made known unto him. He invited all to stand to the covenant and join him in his renewed quest for righteousness.
Then, using his kingly authority, he forcefully put down all the idolatry in the land, and returned the people to focus on the Jerusalem temple as the center place of their worship.
He celebrated a great Passover and guided his people to again focus on Jehovah as their source of strength and deliverance.
Josiah was killed in battle in 609 BC. He was carried back to Jerusalem to be buried in the sacred land he loved.
Here's a video summary of his life, from the perspective of a scribe:
What a great king, who used his authority in righteousness to benefit his people! How we need leaders like Josiah, willing to do what the Lord wants!
This story has had a great influence on me, in my own life.
Josiah has had a tremendous impact on the history of the Book of Mormon, perhaps not yet fully explored by many gospel students.
I want to introduce only a few aspects here, and trust that you will join me in seeking your own understanding as you study the scriptures.
Nephi says there were many prophets warning the people in the days of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This was a time of unfortunate relapse away from the reforms wrought earlier by Josiah. Lehi was one of the prophets testifying against the wickedness that had returned to Jerusalem and all the people of Judah. (1 Nephi 1: 4)
Nephi tells us that Lehi dwelt at Jerusalem all his days. Lehi was at the meeting in the temple where Josiah made the covenant and read the words of the book to all the people! (2 Kings 23: 1-3; 2 Chronicles 34: 29-32)
Think of this meeting and compare it with the conference held at an ancient American temple by the great King Benjamin. This story begins with the Book of Mosiah.
After refreshing your mind with Josiah's story, pay attention to King Benjamin! How carefully he teaches his sons the importance of written scriptures! How he uses his dying days to give his last teachings, the most important things he has on his mind, knowing he is about to go the way of all the earth! How he causes his people to enter a covenant to serve God with all their hearts!
Do you see it? I see it.
Josiah may not be the first to have gathered a people and put them under covenant to live righteously, but he's certainly not the last. And because of his direct connection with Lehi, the great patriarch of the Nephites and Lamanites, his legacy extends long into the future ahead of him. There is a definite pattern.
A relatively minor incidental reference adds to my understanding of the influence of King Josiah on the people of the Book of Mormon. It was not until Lehi and his family had traveled away from Jerusalem for the space of three days that they built their own altar and offered sacrifice. (1 Nephi 2: 6-7)
Why does the timing of Lehi's altar matter? Josiah's reforms included a return to the tradition that a three days' journey should precede sacrifices, seen in the story of the Exodus (See Exodus 3: 18; 5: 3; 8: 27). It appears that Josiah either restored or established a law that only those outside of a three days' journey from Jerusalem could offer sacrifices on their own. I believe this was part of the effort to prevent idolatry from creeping in through unauthorized worship apart from the priests in the temple at Jerusalem. We saw earlier the destructive influence wrought by having too many satellite temples, far away from the centralized worship carried out by the people in Jerusalem itself. Lehi's obedience to this practice shows Josiah's influence upon his understanding of right worship, and the limits placed upon his exercise of priesthood. (See Deuteronomy 12)
Other incidents from the story lend further light. Laman and Lemuel complain many times against Nephi and Lehi. One thing they say is very interesting in this discussion regarding Josiah. They say that they know those living at Jerusalem are righteous, according to their renewed understanding of God's law as taught by prophets and priests, because of the reforms that happened in the time of Josiah, and which had made plain the law of Moses following times of uncertainty. (1 Nephi 17: 22)
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The Book of the Law
Thinking about the tremendous influence Josiah and his particular copy of the scriptures had on the Book of Mormon people and all who read that Book leads me to a few fascinating questions, logically applied by considering what is known, reaching out into what is not yet known.
First, what is known:
Lehi dwelt at Jerusalem all his days. (1 Nephi 1: 4)
Lehi and his family left Jerusalem in 600 BC. (2 Nephi 19: 8)
Josiah died in 609 BC, around the age of 39. (2 Kings 22: 1; 2 Chronicles 34: 1)
Lehi already had several children as of 600 BC, including Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi. (1 Nephi 2) This means he could not have been a child during the reign of Josiah.
Laman, Lemuel, Sam and Nephi were grown up enough to go and ask Laban for the plates of brass (or bronze). Nephi was old enough to be similarly sized as Laban, so that his clothes fit Nephi. In addition, Nephi was able to deceive Laban's servant Zoram by appearing to be Laban and imitating his voice. This tells us Nephi had passed puberty. Though he tells us he was "exceedingly young," Nephi was "large in stature," and physically capable of tackling and restraining Zoram, a grown man. (1 Nephi 2-4)
The entire journey from Jerusalem to the land of Bountiful, on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula took eight years, during which the sons of Lehi, as well as Zoram, married and had children. (1 Nephi 17: 4-5) It should be abundantly clear that Nephi and his brethren did not grow up from infancy in the time between leaving Jerusalem and arriving in Bountiful.
Jeremiah lamented for Josiah when he died. (2 Chronicles 35: 25) Jeremiah knew Josiah. Lehi and his family knew Jeremiah, since Lehi and Jeremiah were contemporary prophets, warning Jerusalem and Judah against the coming destructions. (1 Nephi 7: 14)
Thus, Lehi was an adult living in or near Jerusalem during the time of King Josiah. He was at Josiah's great meeting in the temple and took an active part in establishing righteousness in Jerusalem as part of the restoration worked out under Josiah.
Now, moving away from such concrete proof, let's think about Laban and his book. This line of thinking necessarily involves considering some circumstantial evidence, which invites some suppositions. Taken together, what we know and what we may responsibly suppose therefrom can lead to informed conjecture, which adds to our appreciation for the strength and depth of the bonds between the Book of Mormon and the Old Testament.
Artist's Impression of The Plates of Laban
If a copy of the scriptures had been available during the time of Josiah prior to the discovery of the temple copy, he would have known it or at least inquired about it. Then, any in possession of a copy would have surrendered it during the time when Josiah was struggling with his reforms in the absence of any actual copy of the written word. I cannot imagine Josiah not actively seeking out a copy of the scriptures before the great discovery by the construction workers in the temple.
As of 600-592 BC, Laban, a powerful military leader in command of at least 50 soldiers, had a copy of the scriptures in his possession. Laban would have logically been loyal to Josiah, assuming he was already in a position of authority during Josiah's reign. (1 Nephi 3: 31)
I believe Laban was not in possession of the plates of brass (bronze) prior to the discovery of the temple copy, otherwise he would have offered them at the command of the king. Laban, being a military commander, could have begun keeping his book after the temple discovery, since he was in charge of a treasury, kept locked away from intruders. Using his military might to guard them "under lock and key" makes sense, as perhaps Laban had been commanded to keep them in such a fortified location during and after Josiah's time. This would testify to their great importance, not only as a religious text, but also as a national treasure connected with Josiah, who, at least one writer extolls as being the greatest king in the history of Judah. (2 Kings 23: 25)
Review all that is written regarding the care exercised by the writers and caretakers of the Nephite records. Especially consider the final acts of King Benjamin, including his teachings to his sons regarding the necessity of written records. Think of the people of Zarahemla, who contrasted with the Nephites in that they didn't keep written records as the lessons learned during the reign of Josiah had taught them. This was a centrally significant theme for those who wrote the Book of Mormon. (Jacob 4; Omni 1: 14-17, Alma 37)
Now, the big question. What if the plates of Laban are the actual copy of the book of the law found in the temple by Hilkiah the priest?
Benjamin tells us they were written in the language of the Egyptians, apparently something of a lingua franca in the kingdom of Judah around 600 BC. (Mosiah 1: 4; 1 Nephi 1: 2)
The point could be made that if the plates of Laban were that actual temple copy of the scriptures, they would have been written in ancient Hebrew, not Egyptian, since the book would have been an old relic to those temple builders. This idea nudges me towards believing Laban's book of plates was created in Josiah's time as a response to the people's desire that a permanent copy be kept and preserved, handed down among faithful guardians to ensure God's covenant people never again returned to a state of scriptural dearth. A negligible bit of circumstantial evidence, though, leaves a tantalizing tingle in my mind: never once is the book found in the temple referred to as a "roll" or "scroll," but always as a "book," leaving open the possibility that the temple copy was in the format of a set of leaves. Being made from metal also lends credibility to the idea that they were hidden in the temple to preserve them for future generations, as a more durable alternative to parchment.
The plates contained the genealogy of Laban, kept by his fathers. Lehi, also being a descendant of Joseph, benefitted greatly by their inclusion of his family history as well. He studied them intently. (1 Nephi 5)
Nephi says they contained the five books of Moses, and the writings of prophets from the time of Adam and Eve, all the way down to the reign of Zedekiah, and the prophetic ministry of Jeremiah. I wonder if the books of Moses were added to Laban's family record following the time of Josiah, or perhaps Laban's family, recognizing the importance of the temple copy and its destined preservation, chose to add their genealogy to it, to ensure its survival.
Because of their inclusion of the five books of Moses, which were so desperately needed by Josiah in his time, I believe, at the minimum, one thing. Laban's copy of the scriptures, known to us as the plates of brass, were created at some point in response to the desire to maintain a durable set of the scriptures, made of metal, to last through time. Their last update was in the days of Zedekiah, but I wonder about their origin and history. I still delight in the exciting intimation that they could possibly be the set of scriptures found in the temple.
I mourn for the loss of 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript, translated out of the book of Lehi. I expect those pages to contain wonderful illuminating insights into the early days of Lehi, and his development as a prophet, including the great meeting with Josiah in the temple, and connected events. I have great hope for our scriptural future. The day will come when the fulness of the brass plates are translated and revealed to the world (1 Nephi 5: 17-18; Alma 37: 4), as well as the Book of Lehi, the sealed portion of Moroni's plates temporarily entrusted to Joseph Smith for translation, the twenty-four gold plates kept by the Jaredites, the entirety of the Nephite library from which Mormon and Moroni drew sources for the Book of Mormon, and so many other records of other peoples, kept though hidden or lost over time, as well as those recorded only in the memories of those who experienced the long-forgotten events. May we strive to be worthy and ready for these mighty records to come forth in the due time of the Lord.
At any rate, I hope you join me in greater appreciation for the richness of the relationships among the various books of scripture we have been given by our merciful God.
I consider Josiah to be the father of the Book of Mormon. I am grateful for his righteous leadership and lasting impact, manifest clearly to me through Lehi and his children, including all who read and love the Book of Mormon.
Among the covenants Lehi made with the Lord is the promise that those who keep the commandments of God will prosper in the land. Those who do not obey God's commandments are cut off from His presence. This covenant is mentioned no fewer than 25 times in the Book of Mormon as we have it today. I have proven this promise to be true, by my own experience.
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All this is quite enjoyable for me to consider. These kinds of studies add to my love of the scriptures. Despite these fascinating questions, there is an overarching idea that is the sure way for us to solidly build our faith and follow after righteousness by walking in the ways of God.
Here is the message I wish you'd remember most clearly:
The Book of Mormon is the word of the Lord unto us. Read it. Study it. Ponder its teachings. Apply its principles. Compare it with the Holy Bible. Pray to God and ask if it is His word.
Abiding by its precepts will lead you closer to God than will those of any other book.
What I know and believe is very important to me, and I can talk for hours on what the scriptures mean to me. More important, though, is what they mean to God, and what they mean to you. You can only find this for yourself by studying for yourself, with Him as your guide.
You can do it. You can find penetrating insights, enlightening your mind and uplifting your spirit. You will learn great things. The scriptures teach me in two ways. Some things are explicitly expressed by the words on the page. Others are given by the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, which may add to what appears in the writings, or may teach something unrelated to what is on the page, because of my expression of faith shown by choosing to read. The doctrines, principles and applications contained in God's word will tell you all things that you should do. (2 Nephi 32: 3-5)
I love the prophets and the scriptures.
"Search them diligently. Feast upon the words of Christ. Learn the doctrine. Master the principles that are found therein. Few other ways will result in greater inspiration."
-Ezra Taft Benson
Begin today.
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Music Video - One Voice, by Dustin Gledhill:
See also:
Living by Scriptural Guidance, by Russell M. Nelson
The Power of Scripture, by Richard G. Scott
The Blessing of Scripture, by D. Todd Christofferson