Click to read 2 Kings 23
Synopsis
King Josiah was committed to getting the nation right with God. He got the elders together and gather the people to renew the covenant before God. He was the perfect example of Godly leadership - one who brought his people back to God and to follow God's laws.
Josiah did not only offer lip service. Immediately after renewing the covenant, he acted. He directed a massive clean up of the nation. He removed all articles, evidences and places of pagan worship. He removed the wayward priests all across the country. He removed the high places and burned the Asherah pole and scattered its ashes onto the graves, declaring it dead! He did all that could be done to "defile" all the apparatus and traces of pagan worship in Judah.
That was not enough. Josiah reinstated Godly rites - he ordered the Passover celebration to be observed in Jerusalem. This was neglected for many hundreds of years.
Josiah recognized the sinfulness of Judah, led them to repentance and reconnection with God, eliminated all sinful practices and attacked the causes of sin. For all that were done by Josiah, he was remembered as Judah's most God-obedient king.
Major Verses
V3 - Josiah led his nation with a Godly example. As a result, the people pledged themselves to the Covenant with God.
What I learned
A good leader is one whose heart is after God. His followers will be influenced to be God-focused too. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to help us to be a God-focused leader to our spouse, children, siblings, parents, friends, colleagues, church mates etc.
V14 - 16 - Amongst the kings of Judah, only Hezekiah and Josiah took the ultimate action of cutting down the Asherah pole. Asherah was the sea goddess and the mistress of Baal and the chief goddess of the Canaanites. She glorified sex and war and was the corruption of the Jews for hundreds of years. Josiah was determined to completely eliminate this pagan influence and as such, did all needed to "defile" the Asherah pole.
What I learned
We need God's strength to help us take affirmative actions to remove all "idols" in our life. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us as we need spiritual strength to do that. Let us be like Josiah who had a heart to follow after God all the way.
V36 - 37 - Jehoiakim was placed as vassal king by the king of Egypt. He was an evil king and reversed what his father Josiah did for Judah. Instead, he followed the footsteps of his fore fathers. Despite being a God-loving king, Josiah did not raise his children to be as godly as he was. Perhaps he too busy with the need to govern Judah, or that he had delegated the education of his children to others (as kings would normally do). What ever it might have been, Josiah did not manage to set the direction right for his children.
What I learned
Parents have a tremendous responsibility to raise their children in the way that the Lord has instructed. We must not let our career, our business and even our service to church replace the quality time that we need to spend with teaching our children. We cannot delegate, let alone relegate, this responsibility to another person. We are responsible for our children.
Summary
Josiah was obedient to God. He went all out to restore the reverence due to God from the nation. For all that he did, he was recognized as one of the most obedient king of Judah. Unfortunately, he did not raise his children to follow after his godly path.
Up next ... next chapter deals with the evil ways of Jehoiakim and the two last kings of Judah. Coming on 1 Sep.
Good for people to know.
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