2 Kings 22-23
When Josiah was presented with the previously “lost” and ignored Book of the Law, he threw himself into it wholeheartedly. As he did, he did not need anybody to tell him that the wrath of the LORD was coming. It was obvious to him from what he read in the Book. He responded instantly with humility, tearing his clothes and inquiring of the LORD. And once again, God accepted the sacrifice of a humbled heart. Because of Josiah’s humble response, God let him live his life in peace and not see the coming disaster.
So did Josiah rest on his laurels because his future was secured? He did not! Instead, he committed himself to “walk after the LORD and to keep His commandments and His testimonies and His statutes with all his heart and all his soul.” (2 Kings 23:3). And the amazing thing to me is that Josiah not only cleaned up all of Judah, but he thoroughly cleaned up the land of Israel as well.
One other thing I find interesting is that the Bible says of both Josiah and Hezekiah that there was no king like him before or after. To have been able to say this of both these righteous kings, there must have been a differentiation in how that statement held true. 2 Kings 18 notes that Hezekiah trusted God, held fast to Him, and did not depart from following Him. In contrast, 2 Kings 23 notes that Josiah turned to the LORD with all his heart, soul, and might. So it seems that Hezekiah spent his entire reign in a steadfast trust of and service to God, while Josiah, who was eight years old when his reign began, was completely set on fire for God 10 years in. Both are inspiring.
I am clearly not in a position of great influence like these two men. Still, I can strive to live my life for God, with steadfast trust and wholehearted commitment. And I can take courage because no matter how big or how often I mess up along the way, God reminds me over and over again that He accepts the sacrifices of a humble and broken heart.
Gal. 6
As the Gospel of Jesus spread to the Gentiles, a group of “believing” Jews started pushing the need for circumcision. Paul addressed the Galatian Christians in this book because this teaching was tripping many of them up. In this last chapter, I hear Paul telling those who had not succumbed to the lie how to deal with those who did.
As I interpret Paul’s words, we should seek to help the tripped up believers and not condemn them. Yes, we need to be careful not to fall into their temptation. But we also need to be careful not to fall into the temptation of thinking ourselves better than they are. When we “test our own work”, as Paul says in verse 4, we will see that we fall severely short of God’s standards ourselves. Truly we can boast in nothing but Christ. I pray that I will strive to gently help others when they stumble. And I pray they will do the same for me.