King Josiah

I was reading last night in 2 Kings the story of King Josiah. His story is refreshing after you have read through the book of 2 Kings and read of all the kings who were disobedient to God. Reading the story of Josiah is an example of what happens when we are no longer ignorant. While repairing the Lord's temple the book of the law is found. The way this is discussed leads me to believe it had been missing. Were generations of kings and citizens disobedient simply because they no longer read the law?

The court secretary tells the king the book has been found and reads the book to the king. Upon hearing the words read, the king is so distraught he tears his clothes in agony. He wants to find out what to do to repent for his ancestors not obeying the word of God. I love what happens in response to the heart change inside of Josiah. This is long, but important to see all that was done.

"And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel.5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.6 And he brought out the wooden image from the house of the Lord, to the Brook Kidron outside Jerusalem, burned it at the Brook Kidron and ground it to ashes, and threw its ashes on the graves of the common people.7 Then he tore down the ritual booths of the perverted persons that were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the wooden image.8 And he brought all the priests from the cities of Judah, and defiled the high places where the priests had burned incense, from Geba to Beersheba; also he broke down the high places at the gates which were at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which were to the left of the city gate.9 Nevertheless the priests of the high places did not come up to the altar of the Lord in Jerusalem, but they ate unleavened bread among their brethren.10 And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter pass through the fire to Molech.11 Then he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun, at the entrance to the house of the Lord, by the chamber of Nathan-Melech, the officer who was in the court; and he burned the chariots of the sun with fire.12 The altars that were on the roof, the upper chamber of Ahaz, which the kings of Judah had made, and the altars which Manasseh had made in the two courts of the house of the Lord, the king broke down and pulverized there, and threw their dust into the Brook Kidron.13 Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.14 And he broke in pieces the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images, and filled their places with the bones of men.15 Moreover the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, both that altar and the high place he broke down; and he burned the high place and crushed it to powder, and burned the wooden image.16 As Josiah turned, he saw the tombs that were there on the mountain. And he sent and took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar, and defiled it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God proclaimed, who proclaimed these words.17 Then he said, What gravestone is this that I see? So the men of the city told him, It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things which you have done against the altar of Bethel.18 And he said, Let him alone; let no one move his bones. So they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.19 Now Josiah also took away all the shrines of the high places that were in the cities of Samaria, which the kings of Israel had made to provoke the Lord to anger; and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.20 He executed all the priests of the high places who were there, on the altars, and burned mens bones on them; and he returned to Jerusalem.21 Then the king commanded all the people, saying, Keep the Passover to the Lord your God, as it is written in this Book of the Covenant.22 Such a Passover surely had never been held since the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah.23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah this Passover was held before the Lord in Jerusalem.24 Moreover Josiah put away those who consulted mediums and spiritists, the household gods and idols, all the abominations that were seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem, that he might perform the words of the law which were written in the book that Hilkiah the priest found in the house of the Lord.25 Now before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses; nor after him did any arise like him." 2 Kings 23:4-25

When I read this I see a picture of many who encounter Jesus today and there is a complete change in everything in their life. When we have a genuine with God, the evil that exists becomes offensive to us. We rid our homes of those things that are offensive to God. Our ears can no longer hear the things we used to be comfortable with hearing. Our eyes can no longer look on the things we used to with ease. The idols we have built in our lives begin to crumble. It is not because we have been TOLD to do these things, but because our love and reverence for God is greater than anything this world has to offer us.

Are there things in your life that need to be torn down and destroyed? I pray for God to reveal to you the idols you have built in your life. There are possibly things in your home that need to be thrown out and destroyed. Just as there were people removed from the temple there may be people and relationships you need to remove from your life. I pray for a true God encounter for you this weekend so these things will be revealed.