2 Kings 22, 23 and 2 Chronicles 33,34 tell us the story of Good Kind Josiah. He began his reign at 8 years old - which is amazing beyond amazing. (Of course, there are some TWO year olds who are reigning in their famliy kingdoms….but I digress…)
At the request of the people (2 Chronicles 33:25), Josiah replaced his evil father as king. He reigned for 31 years, following the Lord faithfully and was beloved by his people. Lots we can learn from his story. Here are a few of my takeaways:
Josiah did not let a bad parent be his excuse to be a failure himself. Even at a young age, he displays personal responsibility and good judgment 2 Kings(22:1-3). That is an entire lesson in and off itself. Just sayin
Scripture does not spell this out for us but I wondered as I read about Josiah’s grandfather, Manesseh, if his life was impacted by King Manesseh’s humility and repentance (2 Chronicles 33:13). Surely that was known to young Josiah and I have to believe it influenced him for good. Something for those of us who are grandmothers to think about….
Even though Manesseh did repent and follow the Lord, even ordering the nation to serve the Lord God of Israel, his son failed to follow that example. Instead, he reverted to the priorities his father had pre-repentance. Although I know Manesseh is not held accountable for the choices hie son Amon made, it is still painfully sobering to think about that and to read the reality of 2 Chronicles 33:22. Anybody else see your kids make mistakes and feel they originated with your own flaws? Just me?
2 Chronicles 34:3-13 recounts the courage and good acts of young Josiah but I found it very exciting to read about parallel events in Jeremiah. The “weeping prophet” was the son of Hilkiah (prominent in 14-21 of the same chapter) and the first chapter of the book of Jeremiah explains that he received words from the Lord during the early part of Josiah’s reign. It is encouraging to know that God moves in the hearts of leaders - often unexpectedly- to listen to His Word. We should take heart at this and not give up on speaking the truth in our nation.
I find 2 Chronicles 34:14-31 jaw-dropping amazing. First, the priest “found the book of the law of the Lord, given by Moses.” God’s Word had apparently been hidden all this time! Perhaps that is the explanation for the continued cycles of evil done by previous kings - the Word of God was not even visible in their reigns! And I have to ask this question - why were the priests of those days not looking for it??????????
Next - note the response of Josiah to God’s Word - 2 Kings 22:11-13. Not only does he refuse to defend himself (“ But I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong”), he also accepts the wrath of the Lord as deserved and his heart is to seek Him (v. 13)
I also find great encouragement from verses 14-20 - God used a woman to speak truth to the king! Not sure what exactly her husband’s job as “keeper of the wardrobe “ was but it is not likely that she was royalty (although that job might have had some cool perks if you got to keep the hand-me-downs….)
As we wrap up 2021, I hope we will each take some time to reflect on the priority God’s Word has in our lives. May it not be lost to us, as it was to the pre-Josiah kings. And may we respond with humility, repentance, and obedience to what He shows us.
Happy New Year, dear friends!