Tag Archives: 2 Kings 22-25

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2023 Bible Study — Josiah’s Reforms Show Us That Each Generation Must Choose

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

Josiah is probably my favorite of the kings of Judah.  He was eight years old when he was put on the throne after his father was assassinated by some of his officials.  Josiah’s father and grandfather had done great evil as king, but Josiah “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David,…”  When those he had set to renovating the temple found and brought to him the Book of the Law, he tore his clothes and sent an inquiry to a prophetess as to what he should do.  Josiah recognized that the people of Judah, including himself, had violated the covenant which God had made with them.  God responded that disaster would surely come, but not in Josiah’s lifetime.  Josiah then dedicated himself to eradicating the evil in the land.  Josiah’s reforms were extensive, and they extended throughout all of Israel, not just the part we know as Judah.  It is here where the writer lists the various forms of idolatry which Josiah eliminated from the land that we can a true picture of the extent of the evil committed by his predecessors.  Perhaps the biggest lesson we learn from Josiah is that no sooner had he died then the people reverted to the idolatry and sin which had preceded his reign.  That should remind us that each generation must choose for themselves if they will do good or evil.

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

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2022 Bible Study — Even If It Is Too Late For The Nation,, We Can Still Inspire People To Serve God

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

Josiah may be my favorite king of Judah.  He used the power of his office to turn the people of Israel away from idol worship and evil practices and towards God.  He did this not for political power or for wealth, but because it was the right thing to do.  Josiah shows us that just because someone has evil parents, does not mean they will be evil (to be fair, perhaps Josiah’s mother was a good woman and contributed to his dedication to God).  Josiah’s father had been an evil king, perhaps the worst of the kings over any of Israel and Judah.  However, this passage also shows us that having a righteous ruler is not enough to save a people.  While evil rulers led the people to sin, and good rulers led them to serve God, the people still need to choose for themselves who they will serve.  As soon as Josiah had died he was succeeded by his sons and grandsons, none of whom followed in his footsteps.  Josiah knew that his actions would not be enough, but he still did the best that he could and strove to lead people to God.  Let us strive to do likewise.  It is never too late for people to turn to God, even if it is too late for the nation to do so.  I am not saying that it is too late for any nation today to turn to God, but even if it is, we should still make the effort to get people to turn to Him.

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

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2021 Bible Study King Josiah Calls His People To Obey God

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

I have always admired King Josiah’s faith.  When he heard what was written in the Book of the Law and realized how badly the people of Israel had failed to follow God’s commands his first response was to tear his clothes in grief and send messengers to inquire of God what he should do.  Then, after learning that nothing he could do would turn aside God’s judgement against Judah, he called the people to rededicate themselves to worshiping God.  He followed that up by systematically destroying the idols, and places of idol worship, throughout both the Kingdom of Judah and the lands which had been part of the Kingdom of Israel.  Finally, he called the people of Israel to celebrate the Passover in full accordance with God’s commands.  The writer tells us that this celebration was unlike any previous Passover celebration in the Land of Israel.  Throughout his life, King Josiah strove to bring the people back to God.  Unfortunately, it was not enough and as soon as he died the people returned to their idolatry.

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

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2020 Bible Study Serving God For The Joy Of Serving God

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

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

At the beginning of the account of King Josiah we are told that he did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of David.  Then at the end, we are told that there was never another king like Josiah who had turned to the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and strength.  What I like most about Josiah was his dedication to following the Lord even though it was too late to turn aside the coming disaster.  His efforts to wipe out idolatry and to get his people to obey God was done purely for the purpose of worshiping and serving God, not for any other benefit.  Let us strive to serve God in the same way: for the joy of serving God, not for personal gain (or any other sort of gain other than that joy).

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2019 Bible Study — Josiah Leads a Revival

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

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

Josiah took the throne at eight years old when his father was assassinated. Despite the fact that his father and grandfather were evil men, Josiah was a godly king. We do not know who inspired Josiah in his love for God, but the record here is clear. As soon as he was old enough to begin taking action as king without requiring the approval of his advisers/regents Josiah ordered the repair and cleansing of the Temple. As soon as the priests began clearing the Temple they found a copy of the Law of Moses, which they brought to Josiah. Josiah was horrified to learn how badly the people had been violating their covenant with God. His response was to seek God’s guidance on what they should do. The message from God was that the curses for breaking God’s covenant with the people could not be avoided, but because Josiah had humbled himself and sought to do God’s will God would delay them until after his death.

Upon hearing this message King josiah could have limited himself to worshiping God and doing God’s will himself, leaving the people to continue in their sin. However, he did not do this. Instead, he led a revival among his people. He called a convocation of the people and renewed their covenant with God. He launched a crusade to cleanse the land of idolatry, and not just the land of Judah, but all of the land which God had given the people of Israel. King Josiah systematically destroyed all of the idolatrous shrines throughout the land. He even got people to destroy their own personal shrines and household gods and to give up their “harmless” consultations with psychics and mediums. The writer tells us that King Josiah called the people to celebrate the Passover in a way which had not been done since before there were kings in Israel. The reforms King Josiah implemented could not have been executed purely as a top down reformation. He must have had the support of the people in order to accomplish all of this. Josiah’s enthusiasm for God was contagious and the people followed his lead. Unfortunately, he did not pass his love for God on to his sons or grandson. If we are enthusiastic about our love of God, others will follow us. But, lasting change will only happen if people do more than just follow a charismatic leader. They need to enter into a relationship with God themselves.

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2018 Bible Study

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

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

    We tend to think of Hezekiah as being the most godly of the kings of Judah after David, but Josiah appears to have led the people of Judah to their highest level of faithfulness to God’s law. Upon discovering the Book of the Law during Temple renovations, King Josiah immediately recognized how badly the people of Israel had broken God’s Covenant with them. He lamented their failure to be faithful and sought God’s guidance. Despite receiving word that it was too late to avoid the coming disaster, Josiah led religious reform throughout the land, including in areas previously controlled by the Northern Tribes. Unlike his predecessors, including Hezekiah, he destroyed all of the pagan shrines throughout the land, including shrines built by King Solomon. He even celebrated the Passover for the first time since the founding of the Kingdom. Unfortunately, Josiah’s heirs did not share his dedication to serving God.

Daily Bible Study

May 07, 2017 Bible Study — Doing What Is Right, Even When It Does Not Change Anything

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

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

    Hezekiah is the king we most often look to when we discuss an example of a righteous king other than David, but I think that Josiah is an even better example. When Josiah reached his majority he ordered the Temple be restored. While cleaning the store rooms of the Temple, Hilkiah the high priest found a copy of the Book of the Law. When Josiah heard what was written in the Book of the Law his reaction was to ask all of his advisers to seek God’s guidance in what they should do. Josiah was horrified by how badly he and the people of Judah had failed to follow God’s commands. God’s response to Josiah’s humble repentance was that, while it was too late to avert the coming disaster, the promised disaster would not come until after Josiah was dead and buried.

    When Josiah received word that the disaster could not be averted he did not throw up his hands and do nothing. Instead, he recognized that doing God’s will was a benefit in and of itself. He dedicated himself to following all of God’s laws and commands. Further, he led the people to do the same. He even went further than any king who preceded him. Not only did he remove all of the things which had been used to worship idols from the Temple, he destroyed all of the pagan shrines throughout the entire land, including what was once the Northern Kingdom. Beyond that, he desecrated the areas around Jerusalem where previous generations had offered children to idols so that those places could never again be used for that purpose. He did this in the most practical way possible, he used it as a trash dump. Josiah dedicated himself to God with all of his heart, his soul, and his strength. He did all of this knowing that God was going to bring disaster upon Judah anyway. Josiah did what was right even though he knew it would not change anything in the long run. I strive to follow his example.

Daily Bible Study

May 7, 2016 Bible Study — Doing What Is Right, Even When It Is Too Late

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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

    Josiah was the last good king of Judah. I would like to know what inspired Josiah to his lifelong dedication to the Lord. As soon as he was old enough to rule without a regent he commanded that the Temple be repaired. When the workers doing the repair work, or perhaps the priests doing the clean up in advance of the repair work, discovered a copy of the Book of the Law they brought it to the king. Josiah immediately recognized that the people of Israel had not been faithful in following God and had brought His judgement down upon themselves. Josiah did not attempt to convince God to reverse His judgement. Further, when Josiah received word that the disaster would come in due time, he still enthusiastically did what was right. Josiah went beyond what previous kings who served God had done. He removed the articles used to worship idols from the Temple. He tore down the pagan shrines, not only in the Kingdom of Judah, but also in the territory which had been the Kingdom of Israel. Josiah did what was right, even though it was too late to stop the coming disaster.