We finish looking at king JOSIAH in this Bible study. We begin in 2 Kings 23:25, the verse that follows what we have seen thus far.
WE SEE THE POSITIVE UNIQUENESS OF JOSIAH’S REIGN!
There was this matter-of-fact statement about JOSIAH’S life and reign! Let me remind you briefly what we have seen thus far that leads up to this statement:
JOSIAH Did That Which Was Right In The Sight Of The LORD And Sought The LORD While He Was Yet Young! (2 Kings 22:2; 2 Chronicles 34:2-3)
JOSIAH Restored The TEMPLE That Had Been Allowed To Fall Into Ruin! (2 Kings 22:3-7; 2 Chronicles 34:8-13)
During that process, the HIGH PRIEST overseeing the cleanup found the BOOK OF THE LAW in the ruin of the TEMPLE.
JOSIAH Was Repentant When The Lost BOOK OF THE LAW Was Read And He Realized How Far The Nation Had Strayed From The LORD And The Warnings Of Judgment! (2 Kings 22:8-11; 2 Chronicles 34:14-19)
JOSIAH Sought The LORD By Way Of HULDAH THE PROPHETESS!
(2 Kings 22:12-14; 2 Chronicles 34:20-22)
The LORD Said That Judgment Would Come, But That He Would Die In Peace Before The Coming Destruction And Exile.
(2 Kings 22:15-20; 2 Chronicles 34:23-28)
JOSIAH Led JUDAH In A Covenant Renewal Ceremony Reaffirming Their Allegiance To The LORD! (2 Kings 23:1-3; 2 Chronicles 34:29-32)
JOSIAH Destroyed The Idols From JUDAH And Even The Territory Of ISRAEL! (2 Kings 23:4-20, 24; 2 Chronicles 34:3-7, 33 )
JOSIAH Reestablished The PASSOVER And Held The First PASSOVER Celebration In A Very Long Time! (2 Kings 23:21-23; 2 Chronicles 35:1-19)
So it was very clear that JOSIAH was a righteous man who truly sought after the LORD and became a bold reformer for his nation and his life and reforms held back the JUDGMENT of the LORD in his days!
2 Chronicles 34:33 tells us in the last of that verse, “And all his days they departed not from following the LORD, the God of their fathers.”
But though the LORD gave JOSIAH and JUDAH a reprieve during JOSIAH’S reign, JUDGMENT was still going to come. (2 Kings 23:26-28)
Yet, we are going to see that JOSIAH’S story ends on somewhat of a sour note. It is completely baffling and startling the way that JOSIAH dies in a senseless battle for no apparent good reason!
WE SEE JOSIAH’S TRAGIC DECISION! (2 Kings 23:29; 2 Chronicles 35:20)
Having completed all the great reforms of the 18th year of his reign, 13 years later, look at what our text says in 2 Chronicles 35:20!
PHARAOH NECO of EGYPT was going north to give assistance to his allies, the ASSYRIANS who were being defeated by the BABYLONIANS.
In order to do that, NECO had to pass through a part of the territory of the former kingdom of ISRAEL to get there, along the coastal highway. And JOSIAH, for reasons unknown to us, went up to do battle with NECO, at MEGIDDO.
WE SEE NECO TRIED TO DISSUADE JOSIAH FROM THE BATTLE!
(2 Chronicles 35:21)
WE SEE JOSIAH FAILED TO LISTEN TO NECO AND THE TRAGIC CONSEQUENCES THAT FOLLOWED! (2 Chronicles 35:22-24a)
JOSIAH Would Not Turn From The Battle! (Vs 22a)
JOSIAH was determined to fight with NECO.
JOSIAH Disguised Himself For The Fight! (Vs 22b)
JOSIAH “Hearkened Not Unto The Words Of Necho From The Mouth Of GOD.” (Vs 22c)
Wait, you mean this heathen PHARAOH from EGYPT was led by GOD to fight this war and he was speaking from GOD when he gave this warning to JOSIAH?
GOD can use whoever and whatever HE wants for whatever purposes HE desires! (e.g. Balaam’s donkey to Balaam)
JOSIAH Was Shot By An Archer And Mortally Wounded! (Vs 22d-23)
JOSIAH Was Transferred To A Second Chariot And Died As They Carried Him Back To Jerusalem. (Vs 24a; 2 Kings 23:30)
WE SEE JOSIAH’S BURIAL AND JUDAH’S MOURNING! (24b-27)
JOSIAH’S death was such a tragic and seemingly unnecessary death. That was a terrible blow to the kingdom of JUDAH!
Even JEREMIAH the PROPHET got in on lamenting JOSIAH’S death! (We don’t have those particular lamentations.)
JOSIAH was a person that people put their hope in. He had accomplished so much. Yet he died in this tragic way!
We need to be careful about presuming such things about the LORD! JOSIAH placed himself outside of GOD’S will and it cost both him and JUDAH!
He failed in this particular instance because he didn’t look to the LORD to see what HIS purpose was for him and his people at that time and in that place.
The LORD was trying to speak to JOSIAH through this pagan king NECO, but JOSIAH didn’t listen and didn’t follow up with a PROPHET to find the mind of the LORD before going to battle!
We need to be sensitive to the LORD and have HIS mind before we make choices that can bring tragic results if we are not right!
We must come to understand what the LORD would have us to do and what HIS purpose is for us in the things which we face!
Because if we place ourselves outside of GOD’S will for our lives, that’s not going to end well for us!
Central Baptist Church Of Orange Park, Florida
Independent Fundamental King James Bible Believing Teaching Preaching
29 авг 2024
