The story of Josiah shows that age does not disqualify you from serving God. The Bible doesn't say where or how Josiah first learned about God, but we see that he continued to take steps of obedience as more was revealed to him. He first recognized that idol worship and evil things needed to be destroyed. In the process he discovered God's Word. When it was read to him, he realized the huge gap that existed between his attempts at reform and what God required of His people - he was shocked, frightened, and humbled. He saw the difference between sinful humanity and our holy God, and responded correctly - in repentance and obedience.
Unfortunately, it is clear that the people's renewed commitment to God was more a sign of their respect for their king than any personal understanding of their own guilt before God, as their devotion only lasted as long as the king lived.
It is sad how quickly the rejoicing of the Passover celebration turned into the the final downward spiral that would end in exile for the kingdom of Judah.
Thankfully, Jesus is our ultimate redeemer and He is mighty to save us from spiritual exile if we turn to Him before it is too late. We need to look past our own attempts to save ourselves, as the Pharisees tried to do, and recognize that only He can save us.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage passage: Esther 1-2; Luke 12:1-31
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Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. - Luke 11:34
A reminder to be careful what we let our eyes see.
from the OT: 15 The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.
from the NT: ....This generation is an evil generation....
Sin shadows us in a way that is the same as in the OT, the NT, and today. We need a Saviour.
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