When Josiah was old enough to rule in earnest, he immediately began making changes in Judah - he removed pagan idols and shrines, restored the temple, and worshiped God alone. But when workers found a scroll containing the Book of the Law and Josiah heard, for the first time in his life, what it said, he was frightened and humbled. He realized what a huge gap existed between the way the Israelites lived (and even his good intentions to lead them) and God's expectations of His chosen people.
My Life Application Bible says.....
He was overwhelmed by God's holiness and immediately tried to expose his people to that holiness. The people did respond, but the Bible makes it clear that their renewed worship of God was much more out of respect for Josiah than out o personal understanding of their own guilt before God.
How would you describe your relationship with God? Are your feeble efforts at holiness based mostly on a desire to "go along" with a well-liked leader or popular opinion? Or are you, like Josiah, deeply humbled by God's Word, realizing the great gap between your life and the kind of life God expects, and realizing your deep need to be cleansed and renewed by him? Humble obedience pleases God. Good intentions, even reforms, are not enough. You must allow God's Word to truly humble you and change your life....
We need to be students of God's Word - the entire Bible - so that we will know how God wants us to live as Christians.
A humble heart, a mind willing to learn, a soul searching to know God better, a willingness to obey God and pursue holiness - these are the marks of genuine faith.
Tomorrow's Bible In a Year Passage: Nahum 1-3
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2 Kings 22:13
Go to the Temple and speak to the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah. Inquire about the words written in this scroll that has been found. For the Lord’s great anger is burning against us because our ancestors have not obeyed the words in this scroll. We have not been doing everything it says we must do.”
What excitement, and also fear, King Josiah must have felt. Excitement for hearing and learning about God for the first time, as well as fear for what his ancestors had all done and what He would have done had he not had a desire to learn more about God. I hope I never take for granted what I've all been taught about God over the years
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