As Judah’s time as an independent nation was drawing to a close, God raised up one last faithful king to try to preserve their divine blessing and protection. Young King Josiah had a heart for the Lord, and through his actions was able to undo many of the evil and idolatrous worship practices that Judah had established. At the end the day, though, his efforts to turn the hearts of people back to the Lord did not produce long-term repentance, nor did they prevent Judah’s eventual exile to Babylon. Even if we were king, there are great limitations on what we can control beyond our own behavior and actions, and even those are dependent upon the grace and mercy of God.
1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.
3 For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was still young, he began to seek the God of his father David; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem of the high places, the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images. 4 They broke down the altars of the Baals in his presence, and the incense altars which were above them he cut down; and the wooden images, the carved images, and the molded images he broke in pieces, and made dust of them and scattered it on the graves of those who had sacrificed to them. 2 Chronicles 34:1-4 (NKJV)
Aside from Jesus, none of us is perfect. We all fall short of following God’s will, even faithful King Josiah. Christ did live out His time on earth without sin as a faithful follower of His Father’s will, and we are blessed that He never deviated or changed course on His mission of salvation for us, we who have or will come to believe in Him. Other than Jesus, the rest of us have all fallen well short of perfection in our walk with God. (In this, I can certainly speak for myself).
Most of the kings of Israel and Judah did not choose to follow God’s ways or to lead their people in the direction God wanted them to go. King Josiah was different. He stuck to God’s plan from the beginning. This was a very good thing as he only lived to be thirty-nine years old, and thus was able to make the most of his limited time on earth for the maximum, eternal benefit of the many.
King Josiah made every effort to help Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, clean up their act and recover from the poor choices they had made. The Lord placed this desire on Josiah’s heart at a young age – by the time he was sixteen years old, he was sincerely seeking to learn about and follow after the will of God.
Many of us today are most open to spiritual matters in our teen years. Though many of us might walk away from God for a season in young adulthood, the seeds planted in our youth will often draw us right back to Him later in life.
The lures that pulled Judah away from the Lord are the same ones that tempt us away from Him today. Alcohol and drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, worshiping the creation rather than the Creator, devoting ourselves to the pursuit of material things, fame, or wealth – these are idols that will attempt to pull us further and further away from the purity and goodness of the Lord. Slowly but surely, we begin to choose personal gratification, moral short-cuts, or the pursuit of unhealthy pleasures over what we know to be God’s will, ways which will lead to blessings of faith, peace, serenity, and joy. Over time, we may even stifle our own consciences to the point that they do not even bother us anymore when we do wrong.
No one is immune from these temptations, as many who are believers today who once walked this dark path can attest. Similarly, no one is beyond the hope and redemption of Christ if we are willing to take a small step of faith towards Him. If we open the door of willingness just a crack, God will show us the way and help us to take the next small step of faith. Soon we find ourselves being rescued out of a pit of hopelessness and despair, and are well on our way to experiencing a joyful and satisfying life in Him. One cannot put a price on His blessings – they have been purchased by the loving sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, on our behalf.
Once we have found Him, how can we share this great blessing with others? Just like King Josiah, we are extremely limited in what we can “control” in others – in fact, we cannot control others at all! The basic tools we have available are prayer, being a living example, listening carefully, sharing scripture and our own experiences, and showing love, support, and kindness without enabling bad behavior. Beyond that, the behaviors of other people are totally in God’s, and their own, hands.
King Josiah did everything in his power to facilitate the salvation of his nation and to save them from the coming sting of defeat and exile. But at the end of the day, the ultimate results were not in his control. Oftentimes, we find ourselves in a similar position with those we love who are on the wrong path – our hearts plead to God for the very best results in their lives. We never give up in our prayers and in our efforts to live our own lives as a positive influence on them and others, just as King Josiah did.
Reflection
Who has God placed on your heart to pray for for a new direction in their lives?
Lord, we pray a special prayer for those we love who are not walking with You. Help us to do better in our own walks and use us as shining lights of hope to draw others to You and Your healing Spirit. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a beautiful, blessed day walking in the grace and forgiveness of a loving God today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 