וַיִּקְרָ֤א עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ בִּדְבַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מִזְבֵּ֣חַ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הִנֵּֽה־בֵ֞ן נוֹלָ֤ד לְבֵית־דָּוִד֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ שְׁמ֔וֹ וְזָבַ֣ח עָלֶ֗יךָ אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֤י הַבָּמוֹת֙ הַמַּקְטִרִ֣ים עָלֶ֔יךָ וְעַצְמ֥וֹת אָדָ֖ם יִשְׂרְפ֥וּ עָלֶֽיךָ׃
And he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said: ‘O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD: Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that offer upon thee, and men’s bones shall they burn upon thee.’
Words of Peace and Truth
However, there is a time for every purpose under heaven. Unseen by man, our blessed Creator established the heavens and the earth with His superior wisdom, He arranged the cycles of the universe, times for good and times for bad. He determined the generations from the outset, seeing the future of all things. In some generations, hidden knowledge is revealed by wise men, yielding wisdom in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as the discovery of America, the invention of the printing press and gun powder, eyeglasses, etc. Similarly, He determined the leaders of each generation, enthroning kings to be the instruments of his artistry, enacting his laws and plans. The prophet Isaiah lived 300 years before the destruction of the Temple by the Babylonians and prophesied, naming its conqueror, saying: “Thus said the Lord to Cyrus his anointed one.” (Isaiah 45:1) Similarly, a man of God said to Jeroboam two hundred years prior to the event, “A son shall born to the House of David, Josiah by name.” (I Kings 13:2).