READ: 2 Chronicles 35, 36; Psalms 17; Acts 13:1-12
SCRIPTURE: 2 Chronicles 35: 20
After all this, when Josiah had set the temple in order, Necho king of Egypt
went up to fight at Carchemish on the Euphrates, and Josiah marched out to meet
him in battle.
21 But Necho sent messengers to him, saying, “What quarrel is there, king of
Judah, between you and me? It is not you I am attacking at this time, but the
house with which I am at war. God has told me to hurry; so stop opposing God,
who is with me, or he will destroy you.”
OBSERVATION: Josiah was
one of the greatest and godly kings of Judah. Three hundred years before Josiah’s
birth, a man of God made a prophetic announcement about Josiah and his reforms
against idol worship (1 Kings 13:1,2). We do not know whether Josiah was aware
of the prophecy or not, but as the man of God told to the ungodly wicked king
Jeroboam, we read the fulfillment of the Lord’s prophetic words in Josiah’s rule
(2 Kings 23, 2 Chron. 34). The Bible describes, “Neither before nor after
Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did—with all his
heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all
the Law of Moses” (2 Kings 23:25). Josiah ordered a significant reform against
idol worship; he celebrated the Passover as observed in the days of Samuel; he
set the temple in order. However, after doing all these great works, he was suddenly
killed in a battle. We may wonder why it had happened to such a good and god-fearing
king like Josiah. People may ask, did God forget all the good works of Josiah.
2 Chronicles 35:20 says Josiah went
to a battle against Necho, the king of Egypt. Although Necho warned him that
the war was not between Judah and Egypt and not to oppose God, Josiah ignored
it. He may have thought that God would not speak with a gentile king. As a
god-fearing king, especially when Necho
claimed that God was with him, Josiah
should have sought God’s direction and his will before he went to the battle.
Instead, Josiah pursued his self-will. He may have wanted to help the
Babylonian king as an ally. The political drama we see in 2 Chronicle 36 hints
that Josiah unwantedly entangled himself in a battle between the weakening
Assyrian empire and the growing Babylonian empire. The book of Proverbs warns
us that we should not be “someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own”
(Pro.26:17). Josiah disobeyed God and went to the battle in disguise, which
caused his untimely death. It must have been a shocking and unexpected result
for his people. When we become complacent and pursue our will instead of God’s
will, we may have to face the undesired consequences. We may speak of “what if”
possibilities. However, once a person died, we can only mourn and lament for
him. Josiah’s life warns and reminds us that we should seek God’s will in
everything we do. No matter what we have done for the Lord in the past. How do we
obey him now?
APPLICATION: God can speak
through anyone, even an animal (Num.22). I need to seek God’s will and
direction. My past achievements are not excuses for neglecting God and his will.
God’s plans are better than my plans (Jer.29:11). I need “to test and approve
what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Rom.12:2).
PRAYER: Father God, thank you for reminding me to seek your
will. Holy Spirit, help me to understand what the Lord’s will is. Heavenly Father,
may “your will be done” in my life, today and forever. Amen.
- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573
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