Josiah

Jesu Juva

2 Kings 22:2 He (Josiah) did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight and followed the example of his ancestor David. He did not turn away from doing what was right.

Josiah is one of the youngest kings to ever rule. He was eight years old when he became the King of Judah. This righteous king had been prophesied about more than 300 years before. 1 Kings 13:2 (CSB)

When Josiah was twenty-six years old, he authorized the restoration of the Lord’s Temple. The evil kings before him had corrupted God’s Temple with prostitutes, pagan gods, and child sacrifices. They disavowed the law given by God’s very own hand.

2 Kings 22:3-7 (CSB)

While the restoration was beginning, the High Priest, Hilkiah, himself a trustworthy man, found the scroll of Moses. This was God’s Law. But over the years it had been lost, either because of negligence or on purpose, by the godless priests.

The Court Secretary read the scroll to King Josiah. He was brokenhearted and repented when he was convicted about his own sin and the rebellion and treachery of the wicked kings, priests, and the people. They had turned their backs on God. Josiah read the scroll to the people. They repented and agreed to the reforms that Josiah would enact. Even though Judah would be punished, God withheld the coming disaster until after Josiah’s death.

2 Kings 22:8–20 & 2 Kings 23

One major reform was the restoration of the remembrance of Passover. And this passage is our connection to Easter.

2 Kings 23:21-23 King Josiah then issued this order to all the people: “You must celebrate the Passover to the Lord your God, as required in this Book of the Covenant.” There had not been a Passover celebration like that since the time when the judges ruled in Israel, nor throughout all the years of the kings of Israel and Judah. But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, this Passover was celebrated to the Lord in Jerusalem.

For the rest of this devotion, I am going to invite you to do something a bit different. I hope you will follow through and be blessed. I am going to ask you to pray before clicking the link below. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart about the meaning that He wants you to get from the passage. You may choose to read the passage to yourself silently, or aloud. Share the experience with a loved one.

Passover on the night before Jesus died

Luke 22:7-22

Do this in remembrance of me.

Soli Deo Gloria

The remaining four kings served for a combined total of 22 1/2 years, and each of them were vile in God’s eyes. Kings of Judah¹