2 Kings 22 / 2
Chronicles 34-35
His
name means “the fire of the Lord” or “Jehovah supports”
Four-fifths of them were deficient in
brains and morals, a combination of wickedness and folly, with nothing of the
king about them but the name. But here
and there you come upon a man amidst all of these royal puppets. It is like finding a jewel in a heap of sham
trinkets. Josiah breaks a long,
monotonous series of absolutely worthless monarchs. Before and behind him are moral waste and
darkness. He stands out as a figure
worth looking at and loving. Josiah’s
good reign was like a burst of brilliant
sunset, before the final darkness comes on.
– Herbert Lockyer
Josiah
devoted himself to pleasing God and reinstituting Israel’s observance of the
Mosaic Law. That a wicked king like Amon
could have such a godly son is a tribute to the grace of God.
JOSIAH’S STORY
1. Josiah receives at a young age godly
shaping, training, and instruction from godly advisors (2 Chron. 34:1-2).
·
They
resisted his father’s idolatrous influence.
·
Josiah
becomes king at age 8 upon his father’s death.
·
Young
Josiah was subjected to violence and a civil war.
·
Josiah
had a godly mother named Jedidah. No
doubt she labored to influence him for the Lord, and her labor had its sweet
reward.
2. Josiah
begins to seek the Lord for himself as a
young adult (2 Chron. 34:3).
·
He
began to seek the Lord at age sixteen (2 Chron. 34:3).
·
Josiah
turned from the ways of his father and grandfather and took his nobler and
remote ancestor David as his model.
·
In life’s fair
morning, Josiah set his heart to seek the Lord.
- Lockyer
3. Josiah cleanses the land of idolatrous
objects at age twenty (2 Chron. 34:3-7).
·
Out
went all forms of idolatry. He swept
away the groves full of abominations.
·
He
personally supervised the destruction of the altars of Baal, the incense
altars, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images.
·
Would that the
fervent zeal and righteous enthusiasm of this earnest, passionate man might
characterize more young men today!
·
The
New Testament refers to Josiah as Josias (Mt. 1:10).
4. Josiah leads in a major reform and
renewal of worship (2 Chron. 34:8-33; 35:1-19).
a) Josiah orders the Temple repaired
under the direction of the high priest Hilkiah at
age 26 (2 Chron.
34:8-13).
·
This
consecrated young man saw that it was of no use destroying idols unless he had
something better to replace them. Thus,
when his destroying fever had spent its force, Josiah began to rebuild and
repair the house of the Lord.
b)
Josiah makes the Word of God central in their lives and land (2 Chron.
34:14-33).
·
In
the process, they discover the Book of the Law.
In turning over the rubbish of
the Temple, they came across a buried
and forgotten copy of the Law.
·
When
it was read to Josiah, he was horrified to learn how far they had departed from
the law of God. This discovery provided
a new momentum for the reformation that was already in progress.
·
The
Book of the Law was probably the first five books of the OT. Josiah would have displayed grief in reaction
to statements in Deuteronomy concerning the role and responsibility of the king
as covenant leader of the people
(Dt. 17:18-20).
c)
Josiah celebrates the Passover (2 Chron. 35:1-19).
·
He
provides opportunity and resources for the renewed worship of Jehovah.
6. Josiah dies after a battle with Egypt
in Megiddo in 609 B.C. (2 Chron. 35:20-27).
·
Pharaoh
Necho II marched to assist Assyria in her fight with Babylon for world
supremacy.
·
Josiah
saw Necho’s campaign as a threat to Judah’s security.
·
Josiah
was seriously wounded in battle and returned to Jerusalem where he died.
·
His
death is followed by widespread lamenting.
Josiah was loved by his people.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS FROM JOSIAH’S
LIFE
1. Never underestimate the value of
investing in the spiritual-moral-and mental shaping of children. Pour into them!
2. A bad past does not necessarily limit
you or your family to a bad future.
Re-dig the old wells!
3. The worship of God in our lives can
become neglected and cluttered. Prepare
yourself to worship God.
·
Are there idols that need to be relentlessly torn
down?
·
How are our weekly habits of worship with God’s
people?
·
Does God’s Word need to be rediscovered in our life
and family?
·
Are you preparing yourself and your family to
regularly encounter God?
·
What kind of offerings are you giving to the Lord?
“Prepare yourselves by families.” – 2 Chronicles
35:4
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