We’re now beginning to see the dominos fall in Judah. But this isn’t random. It’s God’s hand of judgment. With Josiah “buried…in his own tomb…the people of the land took Jehoahaz the son of Josiah, anointed him, and made him king” (2 Ki 23:30). At age 23, Jehoahaz should have known better, but “he did […]
Beware the mid-life crisis, thinking you can handle yourself by now. That’s when the devil gets you! Young Josiah was relentless in seeking to obey the Book found in the house of the Lord. Thankfully, it wasn’t all negative, dealing with past sins. The nation celebrated with him in keeping the Passover. But following that, […]
Josiah’s purging went all the way back to Solomon; his Passover the best since before the judges! There was nothing superficial about Josiah’s work. He had destroyed Solomon’s shrines to his wives’ pagan gods. Now he turned his attention to the counterfeit worship set up by Jeroboam at Bethel (ironically meaning “the house of God”). […]
Ruskin said that God graciously bears with many things in our hearts, but not second place. Hearing the two-pronged news, Josiah was not the least dissuaded from clearing the land of idolatry. Judgment may come, but he would do his part in driving back the spiritual darkness across the land. So first, “The king went […]
A waitress observes a Christian in the restaurant as having the “face of an angel”. Of course, it was Someone else she saw… […]
Imagine if astronauts had found a manuscript on the moon, or on Mars. But a book from heaven? It had been 250 years since the temple had been repaired—in the days of Jehoash (2 Ki 12:4-5). Horrible desecration had been committed on the Lord’s house, much of it by Josiah’s father and grandfather. At age […]
In those times when your life resembles a ride through a pinball machine, here’s a truth that will remind you Who is really in control. […]
Josiah’s name means “whom Jehovah heals.” Was this to be a life-long reminder of his godly great-grandfather? After the 55-year reign of Manasseh, “his son Amon reigned in his place” (2 Ki 21:18). Following his father’s evil ways, “he forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the […]
Read More… from July 12, 2024 — A Bad King Begets A Good Son
The human heart is so mercurial, the nation can go from best to worst in one generation! If we’re going to catch the irony, we need a good memory. Joseph’s firstborn son in Egypt he named Manasseh. Why? Because he helped Joseph forget! Forget all the trouble he had been through…and his father’s house—a cure […]
Read More… from July 11, 2024 — Forgetting His Father’s House