God Demands Obedience
2nd Kings 23
Have you ever done something nice for your parents not because they asked and not because you wanted anything out of it, but just because. There is sometimes a spark in us that will motivate us to do something for our parents because it is just out of obedience. That is called being a good child. You are not doing it so you can go to your friends house, you are not doing it because they have been on your case for a few days now, trying to force you to get it done. You did, because you need to do it and that is it.
In this chapter we will see a truly amazing reform or change for Jerusalem. King Josiah not only did what was good in the eyes of the Lord but he did it knowing that it would not change the outcome for Judah. He did it because it is what God demands.
Josiah- None were like him.
In order for us to understand everything that is going on we need to have read ch. 22 and it may help to read 2nd Chronicles 34 and 35. We see that Josiah became king at age 8 and by the time he was 16 he started reforming the nation. This is what he did: 1- Removed the idols out of the temple. 2- Got rid of the idol priests. 3- Grounded up the image of Asherah (Asherah was the mother of Baal, installed by Ahabs wife Jezebel). 4-God rid of the male prostitutes. 5- God rid of the high places of false worship. 6- God rid of the place of child sacrifice (Remember: Ahaz; 2nd Kings 16 and Manasseh; 2nd Kings 20, did this) 7- Got rid of the places that worshiped the sun, moon, and stars. 8- Smashed the royal altars. 9- Eliminated Solomon’s mistake. 10- Pulled down Jereboam’s Bethel worship center. 11- Cleaned up even the northern cities.
He did all this for the nation to bring them back on track and he even reinstated the remembrance of Passover. In verse 22 we see that Passover had not been kept from the days of judges until the time of Josiah. David did not even celebrate passover, but here we see Passover coming back on the scene.
Because of all that Josiah did out of faithfulness, we read what the Bible has labeled him as, “Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him (vs. 25).
Why Did Josiah Do it?
We read in verse 26 and 27 that God was still going to destroy Judah even though Josiah and the people all changed. We would think, “What is the point of trying because it won’t change the outcome?” Why play in a soccer game still when you are down 12 to 1? Why did he do this still? Josiah was not a fool, he knew that God was still going to judge the land. In 22:15-7, they were warned that God was still going to bring on disaster for Judah. Josiah did it because he knew he needed too. He knew that it was the way he could be obedient to God. That is why he was considered great and faithful before the eyes of God. He did not have the motivation of trying to persuade God from his decision, but that it is what God Demands from him.
I was just thinking if I was in Josiah’s shoes and I knew I could not change the outcome would I try so hard. Would I just keep to myself or would I still strive to serve the Lord? Sometimes in this life we have the thought, “I will serve the Lord because I have eternal life through Jesus Christ.” This is not a bad thought but that should not be our motivation. We should serve the Lord because that means we are being obedient. We are saved by God’s grace not by our us being obedient. I need to stop and check my heart to make sure I do not have a hidden agenda. Just like David asked God, “Search me, O God, and know my heart!” I know my heart is not always pretty but I am thankful for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to get me right on track.
