The Faith of a Child

I have an 8-year old boy, and the thought of what the kingdom would look like if he were in charge is interesting to say the least. I imagine everyone dressed like superheroes, peanut butter sandwiches everyday for lunch, strings tied from doorknobs, mandatory fishing every afternoon, never any chores, we'd live in the treehouse, get Christmas gifts every morning, deer and turkey season would be year-round, tree frogs would live inside, the word “no” would be wiped from the dictionary, you get the picture…….but, I would hope that if he were king, he would have a good advisor. I would hope that he would follow the Lord God’s commandments. The story of King Josiah that we find in 2 Kings is inspiring to us in one way, but also disheartening in another.

To get some perspective, let’s review where we are in history. We have been reading about kings of Judah and kings of Israel. Israel’s glory days during the early reign of Solomon are behind them. Once on top of the world politically, economically, and spiritually, they are now torn and enslaved. The reason we have two kingdoms is because in Solomon’s older years, his heart was led astray by his multiple Canaanite wives and he built shrines to other gods for them to worship and sacrifice to. The prophet told Solomon that God would take the kingdom from him, but would save a remnant (sound familiar?) because of His promise to David. Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, kept Jerusalem and ruled the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Solomon’s servant, Jeroboam, took the other ten tribes north as the kingdom of Israel. Israel has had 19 kings, never a good one, but they all did evil in the sight of the Lord. God has allowed Assyria to come and take the kingdom of Israel captive. So here we have our kings and kingdoms, and my mind is reeling from information overload! Let’s dive in again, knowing God has something for us...

We find the current king, Hezekiah, gravely ill, as we pick up today in chapter twenty. Judah has had 12 kings, six were good and six were evil…..and now we have Hezekiah. Before we read on, let’s remember that this king has done some really great things during his time. His report card stated, “He trusted in the LORD God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. The LORD was with him; he prospered wherever he went.” Hezekiah was a very good king, but we notice that he may have had an issue of pride after being given a tremendous gift (not that we can point fingers). When the prophet told Hezekiah that he was about to die, the king prayed and wept, not receiving the word of the Lord God, but fighting it. God promised this king fifteen more years, giving proof of His word by causing time to move backward. WOW! These fifteen years, during which Hezekiah bragged to Babylon about all he accomplished, and showed off the entire royal treasury, and begot a son who turned out to be a worse king than his grandfather, Ahaz, may not have been the best thing to ask for. (Maybe he should have accepted God’s will even if it wasn’t great news, just as Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemene?) Hezekiah didn’t seem concerned at all when Isaiah told him that one day, all of those riches and even his own children would be taken captive by Babylon. He was only concerned to make sure there would peace during his reign. Hmmmmm….

Heziekiah’s son was the evil king, Manasseh. This boy was made king at the age of twelve. He reigned for 55 terrible years, undoing all that his father had done: rebuilding the altars in the high places, bowed down to false gods, built altars in the temple, consulted spiritists, even going so far as to sacrifice his own son to the gods. This king did much evil in the sight of the Lord, arousing His anger. God promised to wipe out Jerusalem and give them into the hands of enemies. His son, Amon, was next and he wasn’t much better. His reign was a short two years, but he followed the ways of his father and forsook the God of his ancestors in that time. But, God is ever merciful….

In chapter 22 we meet Josiah. Being the last of the good kings in Judah, we find that God is ever faithful to give just one more chance to His stiff-necked people….even if the only chance happens to be the eight-year-old son of an evil king. Spiritual darkness had triumphed for 57 years when Josiah was crowned king. There are many important parts to a healthy spiritual life, some of those being prayer, giving, worship, service, outreach, and more. But, in this story we find out how important and powerful the reading of scripture is! King Josiah likely benefited from the strategic plan of the God he loved. He must have been surrounded by that remnant of believers God prepared for such a time as this, from that very early age of eight. I can’t wait until we read more about his life in 2 Chronicles, he is so intriguing. For now, let’s rejoice in what we read here. Josiah had ordered that the temple be repaired. Hilkiah, the high priest, found the Book of the Law while in the temple of the Lord. They took it to King Josiah, and when the king heard the words he tore his robes in anguish! He gave orders to inquire of the Lord what else He says in this book. (Sounds to me like this book has been missing for about 60 years, and may have been lost on purpose?) Anyway, God tells Josiah through the prophetess, Hulduh, that He will indeed bring disaster to these people for forsaking Him, but that because Josiah’s heart was humbled and responsive, because he tore his robes, and wept, that he would die in peace, his eyes not seeing all that would come.

Josiah’s heart reminds me of another’s heart…...an ancestor from long before him…..a shepherd whose heart was prone to worship when others were prone to wander. As soon as he realized the cause of turmoil in the land, he did everything he could to make things right. He seemed to realize that the problems with economic, physical, political and other areas of turmoil were actually a serious spiritual problem!!! God tells Josiah that even though his was humbled and fully devoted to His ways, the people were not. Their hearts were not for God, but against Him. Most kings may have just “hung it up” not even trying to make a difference, but Josiah was of a different breed. He sprang into action doing all that he could to wake the people up before it was too late. Like David, he didn’t take no for an answer, without trying his hardest to get a “yes”. Maybe the same passionate blood that once flowed through his father, David, pumped in his own veins causing him to fight the giant that others ran from. He went against the social current. Who knows what made him different? One thing I do know, he was special.

Some kings in the Bible were given just a few lines in this perfect historical record. God chose to give us many details on this unique king. What can you learn from Josiah today?