Humble Yourself Before the Lord

Josiah’s Obedience

2 Kings 22:1–23:30

Judgment is coming to Judah, but it’s delayed due to the stellar leadership of King Josiah. He is like a “second Moses,” similar to Hezekiah, “a second David.” Josiah is pictured as the ideal king as described in Deuteronomy, where we read that the king must not “turn from this command” (Deut 17:20). At the end of Josiah’s reign, he indeed turned to the Lord with all his heart, obeying the Shema. The Shema is named for the first word of Deuteronomy 6:4-5—“Listen”—and it goes on, “Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” This confession has been echoed through the centuries by Jews, every morning and evening, and it was reinforced by Jesus, who also added that wholehearted love for God cannot be separated from love for one’s neighbor. Josiah follows the Shema wholeheartedly, surpassing even Hezekiah in his devotion to the teaching of Moses. Provan summarizes Josiah’s reign well: “[Josiah] is the best of all kings, but he is a king come too late” (1 and 2 Kings, 271).

Despite reigning after the dark spiritual days of Manasseh, Josiah leads the people into a time of reformation, much like Hezekiah led a reformation after the wicked leadership of Ahaz. Once again we see how God often uses unlikely people (the grandson of Manasseh in this case), in an unlikely time, to lead a time of reformation. God in His grace gave this generation a godly leader. How kind of Yahweh!

In the introduction of Josiah (22:1-2), we see what kind of king he is. He’s a young king who took the throne at age eight. This young king is known for doing “right in the Lord’s sight.” The Chronicler emphasizes his passion for God at a young age: “In the eighth year of his reign, while he was still a youth, Josiah began to seek the God of his ancestor David” (2 Chr 34:3).

How early can you begin to start seeking God? Here it is: while you are “still a youth.” If you are a young person reading this, begin seeking God now! Isaiah says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isa 55:6). We have a host of examples in Christian history of young people seeking the Lord—like David Livingstone who memorized Psalm 119 at age nine! Don’t fail to seek God because your peers aren’t doing so. You seek the Lord, taking a cue from those in the past.

The writer draws our attention to the eighteenth year of his reign in verse 3 and proceeds to tell the story of this significant year. Josiah takes the initiative in providing spiritual leadership. Consider how he “sent” or “commanded” in chapters 22–23:

Josiah faithfully sets out to follow Yahweh, giving us a marvelous example of obedience to God’s word. Let me point out three challenges for all of us: value the Word, humble yourself before the Word, and obey the Word.

Value the Word (22:1-10)

Josiah has much work to do, and he begins with repairing the temple, similarly to young Joash (vv. 3-7; 2 Kgs 12:1-16). As the work is being done, Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple” (v. 8). Then Shaphan returns to report to Josiah about the financial matters of the repair, and also relays, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book” (v. 10). Shaphan and his family stand as an example of the importance of giving the word to people. Olley reports:

[H]is son: Ahikam (12, 14) later was a protector of Jeremiah (Jer 26:24), and Ahikam’s son Gedaliah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar as governor of Judah after the destruction and looked after Jeremiah (2 Kgs 25:22; Jer 39:13; 41:3); another son, Elasha, was entrusted with Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles in Babylon (Jer 29:3); yet another, Gemariah, provided the room from which Baruch read Jeremiah’s scroll to the people, which was heard by Gemariah’s son, Micaiah, who urged the king not to burn the scroll [Jer 36:10-17,25] (Message of Kings, 349).

Quite a legacy! Those of us who have the Word have a stewardship of getting it to people who don’t have access to it.

After reading the book for himself, Shaphan proceeds to read it to Josiah. Two questions emerge: What book was found? And how long had it been missing? The answer to the first is probably Deuteronomy. Provan notes that the phrase “book of the law” is used in the Pentateuch only of Deuteronomy (Deut 28:61; 29:21; 30:10; 31:26; Josh 1:8; 8:30-35; 23:6; 24:26) (Provan, 1 and 2 Kings, 271). As previously pointed out, Deuteronomy is the key book for the kings of Israel. What about question number two? We know that previous kings had access to it, so it must have disappeared under the long reign of Manasseh. It was apparently removed from its place beside the ark (Deut 31:26) in this period. That Manasseh wanted nothing to do with God’s Word shouldn’t surprise us.

God’s Word got lost in God’s temple, and no one seemed to care until Josiah was made aware of it. How similar to our contemporary mood! My friend, have you put the Word away, or are you valuing it? Josiah is commended because he “humbled [himself] before the Lord” (22:19), and he did so by humbling himself before God’s Word. He believed God Himself spoke through His Word. If we have such a high view of Scripture, then surely we would want to read it and hear it, right?

An agnostic professor at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Bart Ehrman, points out the fact that many professing Christians claim to believe that God breathed out His Word (2 Tim 3:16-17), but mysteriously they don’t read it. I have heard him explain the following story in a debate on the Bible:

I’m teaching a large undergraduate class this semester on the New Testament, and of course, most of my students are from the South; most of them have been raised in good Christian families. I’ve found over the years that they have a far greater commitment to the Bible than knowledge about it. So this last semester, I did something I don’t normally do. I started off my class of 300 students by saying the first day, “How many of you in here would agree with the proposition that the Bible is the inspired word of God?” Voom! The entire room raises its hand. “OK, that’s great. Now how many of you have read The Da Vinci Code?” Voom! The entire room raises its hand. “How many of you have read the entire Bible?” Scattered hands. “Now, I’m not telling you that I think God wrote the Bible. You’re telling me that you think God wrote the Bible. I can see why you’d want to read a book by Dan Brown. But if God wrote a book, wouldn’t you want to see what he had to say?” So this is one of the mysteries of the universe. (The Textual Reliability of the New Testament, 13–14)

We shouldn’t need an agnostic to persuade us to read the Bible. If we believe God speaks presently through His Word, will we not want to read it? Are you like these students, denying your belief by your practice? May it not be so! May God give us a heart like the psalmist: “My heart fears only Your word” (Ps 119:161). And let us value it so much that we get it into the hands of as many people as possible.

Humble Yourself Before the Word (22:11-20)

In light of hearing the Word, the focus shifts from temple repair to spiritual repair. On hearing the Word, Josiah “tore his clothes” (v. 11) as a sign of humility. This humility is affirmed later, when the prophetess tells Josiah, “Because . . . you humbled yourself before the Lord,” judgment will be delayed (v. 19).

Consider three expressions of responding humbly to God’s Word from Josiah’s life. First, notice his humble tenderness. In verse 19 the writer says that his heart was “tender” (v. 11), or “responsive” (NIV), or “penitent” (ESV). The Chronicler uses the word tender as well (2 Chr 34:27 HCSB, ESV).

Don’t respond to the word with hardness of heart but with tenderness of heart. In the New Testament James says, “Humbly receive the implanted word, which is able to save you” (1:21). Softheartedness is the good soil, which bears fruit (Mark 4:20).

Josiah exemplifies Isaiah’s words: “I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at My word” (Isa 66:2). Here’s a king, trembling at the King’s words.

Second, look at his humble openness to learn the Scriptures. Immediately he seeks to know what “the words of this book” mean for him and the nation (vv. 12-13). He doesn’t simply put the book back on the shelf. He recognizes the gravity of its message and wants someone to explain it to him. Huldah explains the meaning to him in two aspects. On the one hand there is no hope. Judgment is coming to Judah. But on the other hand, judgment will be delayed because of the responsiveness of Josiah, who will go to his grave in peace and will not see the coming disaster.

Do you have a teachable spirit? Do you seek to know the meaning of God’s Word? When someone teaches the warnings in it, do you get mad at them and reject it, or do you humbly repent and seek mercy? Imagine for a moment that the apostle Paul or Isaiah was coming to preach at your worship gathering next week. Do you think people would show up? Now, I know the apostle and prophet may be more gifted than your pastor, but we get to read from the prophets and the apostles every week in God’s inspired Word. Do you value this privilege?

Third, notice his humble blessedness. God honors Josiah by granting him relief from His judgment in his lifetime. God truly looks with favor on those who honor His Word. Psalm 1 begins by saying,

How happy is the man

who does not follow the advice of the wicked

or take the path of sinners

or join a group of mockers!

Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,

and he meditates on it day and night. (Ps 1:1-2)

Psalm 119, that amazing chapter on God’s Word, opens with “How happy are those whose way is blameless, who live according to the Lord’s instruction!” (Ps 119:1). Experience rich spiritual blessings by walking in God’s Word.

Obey the Word (23:1-30)

What happens next illustrates the goal of receiving and understanding God’s Word: obedience to it. Josiah shines at this point. His reforms are impressive, and they lead to the conclusion that he “turned to the Lord with all his mind and with all his heart and with all his strength” (23:25).

Covenant renewal (vv. 1-3). What did he do? We first read of his covenant renewal. He gathers everyone together to read the book of the Law to them. God’s people have a long history of the public reading of Scripture (Exod 24; 31; Josh 8:30-35; Neh 8; Luke 4; 1 Tim 4:13; Col 4:16). God gives life to His people through His word. The reading sets up the covenant renewal, in which Josiah promises to follow the Lord wholeheartedly (see Deut 6:17; Josh 24:1-27). Then the people follow his lead.

Comprehensive reform (vv. 4-20). Next, Josiah follows the Word. It’s one thing for me to tell my kids to do their chores, but it’s another thing for them to do it. I don’t explain their chores so they can go have small groups about it and discuss the Greek words for “mowing the lawn” and “sweeping the porch.” I give them instructions, expecting them to “be doers of the word and not hearers only” (Jas 1:22). These words in James’s epistle are important. James says those who are just hearing it are deceiving themselves. It’s possible to deceive oneself in thinking that taking in information is sufficient. Obedience must follow.

Allow me to summarize Josiah’s reforms, with thanks to Dr. Davis for providing the following “12-step ‘de-Manassehfication’ program”:

Provan calls this reform “comprehensive and thorough” (1 and 2 Kings, 273).

Among Josiah’s acts is the fulfillment of Yahweh’s word to Jeroboam I. Josiah beats the altar at Bethel to dust and defiles it by burning bones on it, which was done “according to the word of the Lord proclaimed by the man of God who proclaimed these things” (v. 16). Once again God’s word is proven true. This time it’s 1 Kings 13:2 coming to pass some 300 years later.

The man of God cried out against the altar by a revelation from the Lord: “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says, ‘A son will be born to the house of David, named Josiah, and he will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who are burning incense on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” (1 Kgs 13:2)

Here’s another reason to value the Word and humble yourself before it: it is totally trustworthy. Soon, Judah will see that Huldah’s word will also come to pass.

Getting back to the concept of obedience, here’s Josiah’s example of doing the Word. Such obedience will require sacrifice, attacking idols, and reorienting our lives, and it might involve pain. But it’s worth it. If you’re going to remove cancer, it will involve some pain (Olley, Message of Kings, 353), but it will also bring healing.

Celebration of Passover (vv. 21-30). After Josiah purifies worship, he reinstitutes the Passover, following Deuteronomy 16:1-8. In celebrating the festival, he outdoes Hezekiah and even David. Judah remembers the blood of the lamb that saved them from God’s wrath. The last mention of the Passover was in Joshua 5:10-12.

Then we read of more antipaganism efforts in verse 24, followed by an unparalleled commendation of his life in verses 24-25.

Despite all of these efforts, however, the wrath of God continues to burn against Judah because of the acts of Manasseh. Judgment was certain.

Consider this application. Josiah knew that his reforms could not turn away Yahweh’s wrath; he could only delay it. His reformation couldn’t ultimately save the nation, yet he obeyed anyway. Here’s what we need to learn: “Obedience without incentives is likely genuine” (Davis, 2 Kings, 330). He obeyed out of love for Yahweh, not for what obedience might bring practically.

The book of Job opens with a question that Josiah answered rightly, and we must seek to answer rightly. Satan asks, “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Or to put it another way, “Will Job serve God if he gets nothing out of it?” (Olley, Message of Kings, 351). Have you ever said, “Why should I obey now?” Perhaps you think, “I’m not going to obey God because I can’t undo the past.” “I won’t obey, since I’m not in a position of ministry.” “I’m not going to obey God, since it will never bring me out of debt.” If you’re considering obedience for your own self-centered reasons, then it isn’t obedience. Why do we obey? Is it for what we can get in this life? No! That’s prosperity theology. How many people reject prosperity theology in theory but practice it in real life? Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands” (John 14:15). That’s why we obey Jesus—we love Him. Period. We love Him because He first loved us, and those who truly love Him will obey Him. So, will you? Are you making the most of your situation right now?

Josiah eventually gets killed at Megiddo in a needless battle with the Egyptians, and his son Jehoahaz reigns in his place. The Chronicler reports that Josiah apparently tried to seek the favor of Babylon by opposing the Egyptians, but this indicated his turning from God’s word, which God actually spoke through the Egyptian king Neco (2 Chr 35:22). Even the best of kings had problems. His reign ends, and now we’re left to wait on the coming judgment.

Six centuries later a descendant of Josiah, Jesus, lived a life better than Josiah. His obedience was perfect. He would pray in the garden, “not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). He obeyed out of love to the Father, even though it would not ease His present suffering; He experienced agony on a wooden cross. Because of His perfect obedience in dying in our place, as the ultimate Passover Lamb, and rising from the dead, we have eternal life and the power to live out the Great Commission of teaching them to obey everything He has commanded (Matt 28:20).

Josiah is a wonderful example in this story. He’s an example of humility and obedience; but Jesus is the ultimate hero of the story, demonstrating incomparable humility and total obedience. He’s the King we need to lead us to turn away the coming wrath of God. This King can forgive the worst of sinners, those who live like Manasseh, if they will humble themselves and repent. Will you humble yourself before the King? If you will, grace is yours. If you refuse, then a judgment worse than exile is yours. You can be hidden in Christ, protected from wrath, secured forever, if you will trust in Him.

Reflect and Discuss