We looked at the most evil King last week, Manasseh, who repented at the last minute and did what he could to restore the worship of God.
• But his attempt at making right what he has done wrong for so many years, was too little, too late, to make a lasting impact.
• Even his son Amon who succeeded him went back to idolatry.
• He was such a bad king that his officials conspired against him and assassinated him in his palace (21:24). He reigned only for two years.
His son Josiah succeeded him and amazingly, by God’s grace, Josiah became the last godly King in Judah. Let’s read 2 Kings 22:1-20.
Josiah did not follow his father Amon nor his grandfather Manasseh’s footsteps.
• 22:2 summed it up saying “he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and walked in all the ways of his father (forefather) David, not turning aside to the right or to the left.”
• In Judah’s history we have a few kings who did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but only 3 were compared to King David – King Asa, Hezekiah and Josiah.
Josiah was committed to doing what was right before God, even before he found the book of the Law, which happened in the 18th year of his reign (22:3).
• We read about the repair works to the Temple of the Lord here.
• Let’s read more about what Josiah did before the 18th year – 2 Chron 34:3-7.
While Josiah was just 16 years old (even the author says, still young), he began to seek the God of his father David.
• In his 12th year when he was 20, he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of all the foreign gods, removing the high places and altars.
• 34:5 says “He burned the bones of the priests on their altars, and so he purged Judah and Jerusalem.”
The amazing thing about Josiah is that he was prophesied many years ago.
• This young man was predicted by name, by an unknown prophet, right at the start of the Northern Kingdom, when Israel was divided into two.
• King Jeroboam led Israel astray when he made two golden calves and placed them at Bethel and Dan.
• In 1 Kings 13 he was making sacrifices at the altar when an unknown prophet appeared.
• 1 Kings 13:1-3 “By the word of the Lord a man of God came from Judah to Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make an offering. 2 By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’” 3That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.
• (King Jeroboam stretched out his hand and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shrivelled up, so that he could not pull it back. He asked the man of God to pray for him so that his hand could be restored.)
From Jeroboam then to now - that’s 300 years before Josiah arrived at the scene.
• Clearly God knows. This should assure us, for those who are still doubting if God is aware or in control of what’s happening in our lives.
• And God knows our names. God knew Josiah before he was born.
• And God knows the plan He has for us. That’s the God we worship today.
For Josiah, the task at hand wasn’t easy. Imagine after 57 years of massive idolatry (under Manasseh and Amon) that has touched all aspects of Judah’s life, when God was ignored and trampled upon, Josiah came in and was determined to make changes.
• In the darkness, God shines His light. God leads this young man to the book of the Law that reveals His will.
• Josiah chanced upon a startling discovery by the grace of God. He sought after God and God led him to His book (so to speak) and showed him His will.
The real issue, you realized, is not the lack of the revelation of God’s will. They have His Word of God even before they step into Canaan.
• They have the book of the Law with them. They have the servants of God, the prophets, who speaks the Word of God.
• They have the written Word as well as the spoken words of God.
So the real issue is with the heart of man. Do they want to listen? Do they have the heart to seek God and know Him?
• If they do, God will show Himself to them. Those who seek Him shall find Him.
• Deut 4:29 “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
----------------------------------
Josiah was overseeing the repairs and restoration works for the Temple of God.
• While working, the high priest Hilkiah found the book of the Law in the Temple.
• When secretary Shaphan updated the King of the progress of the temple works, he informed the King of this discovery.
• 2 Chron 34:14 says it’s “the book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses.” Shaphan read it to the King.
Josiah was so convicted by what he heard that he tore his robes in anguish.
• He said to his men (22:13) "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us."
• Josiah orders a five-man commission to seek a prophet and inquire of God.
• He has the written Word and now he seeks to hear from God. The prophetess Huldah affirmed the written Word.
Huldah’s prophesy makes TWO points – there’s TWO ‘this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says…’ one in verse 15, the other in verse 18.
(1) God will surely bring disaster on this place and its people, according to what was written, because Judah has forsaken the Lord and committed idolatry.
God’s wrath will not be averted.
(2) Yet God says with regards to Josiah, 22:19 “Because your heart was responsive and you humbled yourself before the Lord” and “because you tore your robes and wept in My presence”, 22:20 “you will be buried in peace” and not see this disaster. That’s God’s mercy for Josiah.
Judgment is sure, but judgment is delayed. God gives grace to the humble (James 4:6)
This is what stands out here. The Lord says he was receptive to His Word.
• He takes it seriously. He pays attention to the written Word (from the book) and then seeks affirmation from the spoken word (of a prophet).
• He was determined to understand God’s will. This serious desire to know God’s Word was impressive and rare actually, for his time.
• And also for our times too. Who pays attention to God’s Word, the book? Who cares?
Josiah cares. His heart was “responsive” NIV, “tender” KJV/NASV, “penitent” ESV.
• His heart was remarkably receptive. He tore his clothes and wept, after hearing what was read to him from the book of the Law.
• He confessed that they “have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.” (22:13)
God saw his heart and heard his prayer.
• This is true for everyone who seeks Him. God sees your heart and hears your prayer.
• God did not ignore him. God says, “I have heard you, declares the Lord.” (22:19b)
Josiah hears God, and God hears him. Josiah listens to what God says and God listens to what he has to say.
• God extends grace and grants Josiah peace in his lifetime.
• God will not alter the fact of judgement, but He will put off the time of His judgement.
Despite the fact that the judgement cannot be averted, Josiah continued to do what was right in the eyes of God.
• He purged the place and seek to restore the worship of God.
• 23:24-25 24Furthermore, Josiah got rid of the mediums and spiritists, the household gods, the idols and all the other detestable things seen in Judah and Jerusalem. This he did to fulfill the requirements of the law written in the book that Hilkiah the priest had discovered in the temple of the LORD. 25Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the LORD as he did - with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.
Can the same be said of us?
Let’s close with this song of response - GIVE US CLEAN HANDS.
Our prayer is that God gives us clean hands and pure hearts.
• Keep us humble and receptive to His Word.
• We turn our eyes from evil things and our feet from evil ways.
• We cast down all kinds of idols, seen and unseen, and seek the Lord with all our hearts and our souls.
Let’s take a minute, to pray and respond to God, in the light of His Word.
