Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Kings 22-25.

I taught a Sunday School class on Sunday and the teacher’s material stated that King David was uniquely righteous among the kings of Israel and Judah.  Today’s passage contradicts that statement.  The passage tells us that Josiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of David.  When Josiah was brought the Book of the Law, he heard what was in it and immediately sent an emissary to inquire of God.  In response to God’s message that His anger would not be turned aside, but that it would be delayed for Josiah’s lifetime, Josiah increased his efforts to be faithful to God.  When we read the list of things which Josiah did to cleanse the land we realize how far the Israelites fell short of keeping God’s covenant.  Even Josiah had fallen short of doing what was right up until this point.  It was the eighteenth year of Josiah’s rein when the Book of the Law was brought to him, and it was after that that he began to cleanse the land.  The passage tells us that when Josiah began cleansing the land he destroyed the quarters of male shrine prostitutes which were in the temple.  That tells us that for eighteen years of Josiah’s rein there were male shrine prostitutes in the temple.  I am not condemning Josiah for that, since, as I read this passage, he did not know that it was wrong until the Book of the Law was read to him.  Josiah was not the first king of Judah to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but none of those before him had desecrated the idolatrous shrines which King Solomon had built.  I think that is worth noting.  We think of King Solomon as the man who built the temple of the Lord, but that was not the only temple he built.  However, I want to focus on King Josiah.  Even after God had told him that nothing he would do would cause God to withhold His judgement against Judah, Josiah dedicated himself, and called on the people of Judah to dedicate themselves, to serving God faithfully.  Josiah did not serve God for reward, he served God because it was the right thing to do.  We should do likewise.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.