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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
2 Kings 22, 2 Chron. 34
The Chronicler notes that Josiah began to seek the God of David when he was 16 – 8 years into his reign. I wonder what prompted this in him. He didn’t discover the book of God’s law until he was 26, so we know it wasn’t that. Perhaps he was under a Godly influence from the beginning but really started being responsible for his own decisions and taking God to heart as his own at 16. That’s kind of what teenagers do, so it makes some sense. I also wonder what prompted Josiah to cleanse the land of every religious thing not ordained by God. He started this at the age of 20, still 6 years before finding the law.
Whatever prompted these things in Josiah, it is clear that he already knew and was trying to do what was right before God even before he saw the book of the law. To me, that makes his response to that book even more impactful. Though he was already a God fearing man, Josiah tore his clothes when he heard the words of the law. The law did what it was intended to do. Paul said in his letter to the Romans, “the knowledge of sin comes through the law.” (Rom. 3:20b). So when Josiah heard it, he became acutely aware, not just of his own need, but of that of the entire land of Israel. And he was wise enough to know that the good things he had been doing throughout the land could never be enough.
2 Kings 23, 2 Chron. 35
Josiah knew from Huldah’s prophecy that there was nothing he or the people could do to stay God’s coming judgment. Yet he increased his efforts to cleanse the entire land of all idolatry and return the people back to God anyway. In fact, he put everything he had into serving God like no other king before or after him. He could have let up; said, “What’s the use”. But he didn’t. He gave his all because He knew that God is God and there is no other.