“Moreover, Josiah put away the mediums and the necromancers and the household gods and the idols and all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might establish the words of the law that were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the LORD. Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. Still the LORD did not turn from the burning of His great wrath, by which His anger was kindled against Judah, because of all the provocations with which Manasseh had provoked Him. And the LORD said, ‘I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have removed Israel, and I will cast off this city that I have chosen, Jerusalem, and the house of which I said, My name shall be there.'” 2 Kings 23:24-27
Devotional Thought For The Day
This account of Josiah is an amazing little oasis in the midst of dreary descriptions of the wretchedness and evil of the children of Israel, often led by decadent and idolatrous kings. Even Solomon is mentioned in this chapter as establishing worship places for “Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, and for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.” [2 Kings 23:13] These were some of the most violent, blood-thirsty, and immoral “gods” of the ancient world. Josiah was young when he began this “reformation” work, only 18 years old. He was influenced primarily by the discovery of the Holy Scriptures in the temple, by having the Word of God read to him. Once he understood the good that God had commanded, and comparatively, the wretched wickedness of the idolatry that permeated the land, he set about wholeheartedly to eradicate these horrid offenses against God and to redirect all hearts back to the LORD, the only True and Living God.
The life of Josiah ended tragically, when he was yet a fairly young king and went out to battle against an Egyptian force [2 Kings 23:28-30]. This seems inconsonant to us, that the first king to fully submit himself to the Scriptures, the Word of God, should not be blessed to bring about a long, prosperous, godly, and successful era for the kingdom of Judah. However, the die was already cast by God’s Word – that Judah and Jerusalem would be wiped out because of the great abundance of idolatry and wickedness practiced there. Perhaps it was merciful that Josiah died young. He might have turned back to the ways of Solomon, or succumbed to the conniving of those who continued to hate God and desire idolatry. Still, we mourn his death and look forward to meeting Josiah in heaven, and we also struggle with the judgments of God against the ungodly which at times also fall upon the godly.
No doubt the wicked kings who followed Josiah, and many of the common people, were deluded into thinking that the reason for Josiah’s early demise was his campaign to obliterate all idolatry. They immediately re-instituted the former idolatries – and their reigns were even shorter than Josiah’s, and their end more miserable. This is the nature of the blindness of unbelief and rebellion against God, which continues to this day. Regardless of the tragic end of Josiah, this Word of God continues to direct us to cling tenaciously and faithfully to the written Word of God, both in regard to faith and trust in God’s great love, the redemption that is ours in Christ Jesus, and also in regard to the conduct of our lives – that we should love as He has loved us. We should do this regardless of what others around us are doing, and regardless of the fate of our nation. We should do this even if we cannot “reform” the people around us, and even if we are destined to suffer the punishment of God that must surely fall on unbelief, immorality, and violent evil. We do not judge God, or the wisdom of keeping His Word, on the basis of what happens to us in this life – we know that we have eternal life as His gracious gift to us in Christ Jesus, and therefore we know the goodness of adhering to His Word.
Wicked unbelievers will always come to the wrong conclusions about God, about what is good, about their own successes, and about what befalls the children of God. We will suffer the same blindness if we allow anything but the written Word of God, Holy Scripture, the Bible, to govern our faith and discernment. As with Josiah, faithfulness to God’s Word is far more noble and important than long life or earthly success. The times we live in, like Josiah’s time, are filled with godlessness, immorality, violence, and idolatry. This makes discerning the ways of God much easier; it also means that it is likely that Christian life will be tough. So we understand these things, and judge on the basis of God’s Word, and not experience or common sense, looking forward to the fulfillment of God’s promises and the glorious life which is to come for all who put their faith in Christ.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, You suffered horribly and unjustly in the midst of a decadent and unfaithful generation, as did Your prophets and apostles. Grant us strength of faith and wisdom to follow You, to continue in Your Word, and to allow nothing to dissuade us. Grant us understanding, so that we hold to Your Word and take in all of Your promises, and never come to wicked conclusions which capitulate to evil. Enable us to stand firm even when Your judgment upon the wicked touches us. Preserve us from those who seek our harm. Amen.