June 24, 2002
LifeWay Family Bible Series for July 7
What words will make up your spiritual epitaph?
___2 Kings 22:1-2, 11-13, 18-20; 23:21-25
___By Barbara Kent
___University Baptist Church, Fort Worth
___Should God expect his people do what is right? Some of the time? Most of the time? All of the time? Are there any circumstances in which it would be OK for God's people to not do what is right? If so, what are those circumstances?
___This brief glimpse into the life of Josiah, king of Judah, can help us understand that God expects his people to do right.
___Josiah: Right in the eyes of the Lord
___Scripture simply says Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (v. 1). He became king of Judah whenhe was 8 years old and reigned for 31 years. His father was Amon, son of Manasseh (21:17, 26). Both his father and his grandfather found no favor in the eyes of the Lord because of their evil ways. His mother's name was Jedidah, which means "beloved" and is the feminine form of Solomon's first name. Her family and hometown are noted. We do not know if his mother was responsible for Josiah's character, but we do know he did not follow in the ways of his father (v. 2).
___Indeed, Josiah has been likened to Hezekiah in his piety and compared favorably to the standard of royal piety in David. The phrase used about Josiah was he "did not stray to the right or the left" (v. 2).
___The word of God brings repentance
___During a refurbishment of the temple, Hilkiah, the high priest, found a lost Book of the Law and gave it to Shapan, the secretary to the king. Shapan brought the book to Josiah and read it to him (v. 11). Josiah's heart was moved to repentance. He tore his robes in anguish (v. 11). He sent a delegation to inquire of the Lord on behalf of himself and for all Judah. He recognized they had fallen far short of God's expectations (v. 13).
___The delegation--made up of Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achor and Shapan--sought out the prophet Huldah who lived in Jerusalem (v. 14). She spoke forthrightly with strong words, saying the Lord's message was that he would bring disaster on Judah because they had forsaken him, burned incense to other gods, and provoked him to anger by all the idols they had made (vv. 16-17).
___She had a further message for Josiah the king. Because he had responded to the words of the law, humbled himself before the Lord and demonstrated genuine repentance, Josiah would not live to see the destruction of Judah (vv. 18-20). He would be spared from seeing the disaster. The men reported Huldah's message to the king.
___Josiah moves to renew the covenant
___When Josiah received Huldah's word, he moved quickly to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. He called all the people together in the temple and read to them the words of the book that Hilkiah had found. He renewed the covenant with the Lord in the hearing of the people (v. 3), and the people pledged themselves to keep the covenant as well (v. 4).
___Josiah then ordered the removal from the temple of all articles of worship of false gods and pagan practices (v. 4). His reforms included the removal of false priests (v. 5). He continued with his reforms throughout the entire country, banishing worship of false gods and practices of pagan worship wherever he found them (vv. 6-14). Josiah's reforms reached even to Bethel (v. 15). After his sweeping cleansing of the country, he returned to Jerusalem (v. 20).___
___Reinstating the Passover celebration
___Josiah commanded the observance of the Passover be reinstated (v. 21). Judah had not celebrated the Passover since the days of the judges. It was unthinkable to him that this should continue, and so in the 18th year of his reign, the Passover was once again celebrated in Jerusalem (v. 23).
___A tribute to Josiah
___The writer of 2 Kings gives a brief summary of the reforms Josiah implemented (v. 24). He then gives a one-sentence tribute to this remarkable king who was determined to do what was right in the sight of the Lord. The writer said that before him there was no king like him, no one who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and might. There was no one who did all required in the law of Moses.
___He concluded by saying that never again did any like him arise (v. 25). Josiah was so young when he became king of Judah, but his actions belied his youth and demonstrated the courage and conviction of one who, when he learned of the failure of his people to keep the covenant, sought to do right in the sight of God.
___A word to us
___The challenge to us from this account of the life of Josiah is simply this--as we know what the Lord expects of us, we are responsible for doing it. God expects his people to do what is right. If our relationship to him is as it should be, then doing what is right should be the only thing we can do.
___Question for discussion
___
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