2 Kings 23 & 2 Chronicles 35 - Giving God our ALL

LINK: 2 Kings 23 & 2 Chronicles 35

BACKGROUND

Josiah moved quickly by gathering ALL the elders, priests, prophets (probably including Jeremiah and Zephaniah), and people to read ALL the words of the Book. It may have been the whole Book of the Law which included the first five books of the Bible (also called the Pentateuch with Penta meaning "five"), or it may have just been the sections promising to bless if God's people obeyed and discipline if God's people disobeyed (Deuteronomy 27:15-28). The effect of reading God's Word was wonderful. Josiah pledged himself to follow the LORD faithfully with ALL of his heart and ALL of his soul. Then the people followed suit.

His pledge was not just words but was followed up by action. He removed ALL the things connected to the worship of false gods that his ancestors had brought into Judah and Jerusalem. What a mess they had made, and what a tremendous amount of work to clear it all out, but Josiah followed through. In the midst of all of this, he did not disturb the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13:2-3 who had predicted Josiah's future actions, and the old prophet from Bethel who was buried next to him (1 Kings 13:31-32). The "Hill of Corruption/Destruction" mentioned in 2 Kings 23:13 is the southern hill of the famous Mount of Olives.

Josiah not only abolished idolatry but also reestablished the Passover feast commemorating God's redemption of His people from their bondage in Egypt. It is described in more detail in 2 Chronicles 35:1-19. An explanation of the Passover can also be found in our previous study of Leviticus 23 & 24 here.

This has been such a positive chapter, but it ends on a sobering note. Josiah reigned righteously for 31 years (640-609 B.C.), but he was killed by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt in the battle of Megiddo (It is explained more fully in 2 Chronicles 35:20-27).

Three out of four of Josiah's sons ruled after him. His son, Jehoahaz (Shallum) did not follow Josiah's ways but did "evil in the eyes of the LORD" and was taken prisoner to Egypt by Pharaoh Neco after only reigning for three months. Neco then placed Jehoahaz's older brother, Eliakim (changed to Jehoiakim), on the throne. Sadly, Jehoiakim also did "evil in the eyes of the LORD" and reigned as the "puppet king" of Neco 609-598 B.C.).

Even though Josiah followed the Lord in wholehearted obedience, "the LORD did not turn away from the heat of His fierce anger, which burned against Judah because of ALL that Manasseh had done to provoke him to anger" (2 Kings 23:26). 2 Kings will conclude with the fulfillment of the Lord's intention to "remove Judah" (23:27) from His presence just like he had removed Israel in 722 B.C.

2 Chronicles 35:25 says that "Jeremiah composed laments for Josiah."  This is the same Jeremiah we will read after Zephaniah. These laments are not the same thing as the Book of Lamentations. We have no record of the laments of Josiah. 

Although Kings Jehoahaz and Jehoiakim are introduced at the end of 2 Kings 23, I will do a quick rundown of all the final kings of Judah in my next history post after the prophet Zephaniah. 

REFLECTION

I love reading about the life of Josiah after so many compromising kings. He heard the Word and he responded in humble obedience to it with action and not just "intellectual assent." This is true faith. He was willing to go against the culture of his day and apply the Word of God to it despite popular opinion. To use a word tossed around quite a bit lately, he was an ancient-day maverick!

APPLICATION

What challenges me about Josiah is that he applied the Word to his life rather than just looking at it and thought it was a very "nice" book to read:

Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life! —even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action. (James 1:23-25 - The Message)

We can do that too. It has been a long time since I shared a Bible study tool with you, but here is something I wrote many years ago about applying the Word of God:

APPLICATION - DO IT!

You know that Nike advertisement: Just do it! Application is the whole point of Bible Study. It is putting God's Word into practice - recognizing the voice of the Lord and responding accordingly. 

"I considered my ways, and I turned my feet to Your testimonies. 

I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments." 

(Psalm 119:59-60)

"The benefit of Bible Study is not derived from the method, 

the technique, or diligent effort to decipher the text. 

The benefit is obeying the voice of the Lord, 

receiving what He says and putting it into practice" 

(Search the Scriptures, The Navigators, 1974, out of print).

A good acronym for approaching application is S.P.E.C.K. 

Put on your "specks" and "see" how the Scriptures you have been studying can apply to your life!

S.P.E.C.K. stands for:

S -- Is there a SIN to avoid?
P -- Is there a PROMISE to claim?
E -- Is there an EXAMPLE to follow?
C -- Is there a COMMAND to obey?
K -- How can my heart KNOWLEDGE of God increase?

        (Heart knowledge is true, personal, intimate knowledge)

(I did not make this acronym up, but I have never been able to credit who did. I learned it from my discipler who learned it from someone else.)

Some suggestions for making applications:

1. Pray - We need His guidance. He knows where we need to grow and will lead us. It is about listening to what the Lord has for you.
2. Write it out - It clarifies what you plan to do in your own mind and is a record for reference. It is also helpful to write out a prayer regarding your application. Prayer personalizes the passage.
3. K.I.S.S. - Keep it to Simple Steps! Don't make it complicated and set yourself up for failure.
4. Be specific - It is easy to say, "I am going to pray more." That kind of application is seldom put into practice. It is far more meaningful to write down, "I am going to spend five minutes of my lunch this week in prayer for my brother's salvation."
5. Avoid being rigid or legalistic - Be flexible and focus on what is going on with your heart not what you are "doing." Using the example of praying for five minutes, I might be considered rigid if a coworker or child interrupted me in the middle of it, and I had only prayed for 2 minutes and 30 seconds! Let everything be led by the Holy Spirit who creates time and place. God looks at the heart.
6. Be accountable - Applications are very effective when we share them with others. It is part of "stimulating one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24) and also develops true oneness with other believers. We need each other, and another person can often tell us if our applications are unrealistic, unprofitable, or legalistic.
7. Memorize - It helps cement it in our hearts (Psalm 119:11).
8. Illustrate - A story, poem, or illustration can help you to retain the truth.
9. Make a reminder - I am very forgetful. Just like the person looking in the mirror of James 1! I have reminders of past applications in full view to help me remember that time with God. Right now, I have a card on my windowsill that says: "Presence 24/7/365" to remind me that God wants me "in His presence" all the time. If I am doing this in a group, someone writes down people's applications so we can ask each other how it went when we next meet. It is always encouraging to hear how God worked through it. 
10. Pass it on - We build up the body by passing on what we have learned. It also helps to cement the truth in our own life. This can be done with an accountability partner or someone we are discipling. Much of what discipleship is about is just passing on what you are learning from God. Discipleship delights God's heart and benefits everyone.

PRAYER

Lord, thank You for Josiah. He walked in ALL Your ways, and he influenced ALL the people. Help us to walk in ALL Your ways too by applying what we are learning from You and to pass that on to the people around us. We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.