This post is written by my godly word loving wisdom filled wife... I am blessed
Perspectives from Josiah's life:
2 kings 22:2 "He did what was pleasing in the Lord's sight and followed the example of his ancestor david. He did not turn away from doing what was right."
So...here we have a godly young leader who wanted to get judah back on the right track. What was he to do? He had no bible training to lean on. His father (amon) and grandfather (manasseh) for sure had not given him any kind of model to follow. He grew up in what i would call a spiritually messed up and confused and biblically illiterate culture, but yet deep within his heart there was a longing to know God.
After finding and reading the Word of God, he longed for righteousness in his own life and in judah.
Remember, judah had gone through half a century of rebelling against the Lord and His Law. So, God's law wasn't going to go over to well with the people. God's Law condemned most all things manasseh, amon, and the people had been doing. Priests during manasseh's reign had probably ignored the scripture for fear of their lives. If the priest would have preached from God's word they would've had to say there is one living God. That would've led to trouble just as it leads to trouble today. So, the high priest had probably locked it away in the temple somewhere and just gave short encouraging talks to the people (what they wanted to hear 2 tim. 4:3...they will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.") Now 50 years later this new generation of God's people didn't know God's Word and had no idea what righteousness was.
That's what's going on today- people don't want preachers that talk about righteousness. Lot's of people today look for pastors who tell a few stories, a few jokes, and then give a "5 steps to a healthy marriage" or "6 steps to a successful life" or 5 steps to a happy family" etc etc etc.. kind of sermon You don't need the Bible to do that. BUT, if a church does this, then in a generation they'll have young people like josiah growing up, who long to know God, but don't know where to find Him, because they're sure not finding Him at church. That's where Josiah was-until age 26- longing to know God but not knowing where to find Him.
Then...... the Bible was read to him and "...when the king heard what was written in the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes in despair."
(2 kings 22:11)
He took the Bible seriously. When the commandments were read to him he said, "we are not doing this". (vs.13). How could God's people have gotten so far away from what God required? Without God's Word, people have no standards for telling right from wrong. So, they just operated on "what does this generation of people want?" and that changed with every generation. During the time of Manasseh, it was sometimes right to put your children in the fire.
Righteousness is shown to us in God's Word.
Josiah heard the Word of God, took it seriously, and then said, "this is how i'm going to live!" (vs.23:3). He did more than read the Bible. He put it into practice and began with his own life. He lived it out loud. He listened to the Scriptures and wondered what it would be like if he and God's people lived in complete obedience to God's Word. So, he got all the people together from the least to the greatest at the temple. Then the king read the whole book of Deuteronomy to the people and then he stood by the pillar of the temple and made a personal and public committment to obey the Lord. (23:2-3). Then he had the rest of the people make the same commitment. (2 Chron. 34:32).
Then Josiah went through the country trying to reform the whole land. He completely destroyed every altar, Asherah pole, and every kind of idolatry in the land. He destroyed all of Solomon's altars (that had been there for 300 years (no other kings would get rid of them). Then he went to the North (Israel) and destroyed all the altars. There had been other kings who had said "Let's worship God", buy none of them (in the North or South) had ever had the courage to destroy all the other pagan altars in the country.
God honored Josiah's leadership (22:18-20) and held back His judgement on the nation during Josiah's lifetime.
But there wasn't much change in the hearts of the people during Josiah's reign. Most of the change came from Josiah himself. He personally destroyed the altas and got rid of the pagan priests. He MADE everyone renew their committment to God. (2 Chron.34:33). But as soon as Josiah died, the people went back to their old ways.
Why?
"....Judah had never sincerely returned to me. She has only pretended to be sorry." (Jeremiah 3:10).
A good leader can change laws of the land, but he can't change the hearts of the people. It's not hard for us as Christians to act like we're EXPECTED to act with other christians, but as soon as we're with a different crowd or culture, we'll act like them.
Righteousness MUST come from the heart!
Ezekial 36:26-27
"I will give you a new heart and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you and MOVE you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws."
God would change the people's hearts so they would WANT what God commanded. They would hunger and thirst for righteousness!
When we come to Him, He puts a desire for righteousness in us. He gives us more than His law, He gives us Himself! That's His promise of the new covenant.
A hunger and thirst for righteousness is one of God's greatest blessings. It will fill and satisfy us, not leave us empty and frustrated (like when we go after worldly things).
God's purpose for us is not to always be keeping His laws on the outside, but to have a deep inner desire for righteousness. This is the Holy Spirit's work. He changes our hearts and gives us a hunger and thirst for righteousness and makes us ABLE to live a life pleasing to God.
